Special Service And A New Brown Case

Special Service And A New Brown Case

I like to wear my phone on my waist and the best case for my needs has a magnetic closure and fits horizontal  on my belt.  Not too long ago, my phone was shattered when I took a fall.

It was definitely time for a new case.

Not Driven But Definitely The Driver.At the Towson Town Mall this week, I stopped at Cellairis, which sells mobile accessories.

I was "just looking" when Charanjit  asked to see my phone. He was so helpful finding me the right replacement case. He tried quite a few and realized I had a specific need was picky. He left me alone and ran to another location, bringing other items for me to try.

Oh how I appreciate this special service.

Because of this kind gentleman, I now have a new leather case and a protective cover that looks like wood... both in  my favorite color.

Do you have an example of special service?

Special Service And A New Brown Case

                                                                                                                  

                                                     

                                        

A Gas Station + A Good Impression = A Listing

A couple of weeks ago I received this email (used with permission):

Dear Mrs. Rome,

I don't know if you remember me. My name is Kaliq Simms, and about six months ago, we happened to be getting gas at the same station on Reisterstown Rd. I recognized your name on your license plate. You had been the seller's realtor for a house we contemplated buying about six years ago when we were shopping for our current home.

I was so impressed with your professionalism and great personality. We ended up buying another home (no fault of yours, of course), but I continued to visit your website periodically over the years, as I knew we would eventually want to sell our current starter home. Long story short, you gave me your number at the gas station that day and told me to call you when we decided to sell. Well, we've decided :)!

I hope we can work together. We need a speedy and smooth sale because we have found the house we want to buy. We are already pre-qualified and have a realtor for the buy-side of this transaction. Please call us as soon as possible. Thank you!

That Saturday I went on a listing appointment, and though they said they absolutely wanted to use me, they also said they wanted their attorney to look over the listing agreement. I told them, "Absolutely, and here is what he'll say: he'll tell you the commission is too high and the term is too long, and that you shouldn't sign it."

While they were waiting to hear from the attorney, as a surprise for this delightful young family I put their home on my website with no address, no price, and a "Coming Soon!" heading. Later that week they reported that the lawyer said exactly what I predicted, but after thinking it over some more…they listed their home with me. Up went the listing on MLS, up went the listing on Active Rain, and we've had three showings already, one with good interest.

I've always insisted on showing my own properties whenever possible. Six years ago, a showing that did not lead to a sale created an impression. And today I have a listing for 7529 Rockridge Road, Pikesville, MD because of it.

Special Treatment!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the color brown. Maybe that's why chocolate is such a favorite of mine! I once owned a brown Porsche 944, and I never thought I could feel the same way about another car. I drove that gem for 10 years until I totaled it. I loved that car.

A couple of Saturdays ago after my morning workout, I got a call from TLH Lee that he had a problem with his car, had taken it to the dealer, and needed me to pick him up. Now everyone knows that Lexus always has a loaner car for customers. His said, no, there was no loaner because of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

So I drove to the dealer, pulled into the lot, and called Lee on his cell phone. "I am waiting for you outside." He said to come inside, and I said, "Nope, I will wait for you here." And I went back to making appointments.

Next thing there was a tap on my car window and it was Stan, the salesman. He asked, "Will you come in for a minute?" I told him, "Not today Stan, I am busy making appointments, plus I am in workout clothes!"

Then he said, "Dennis (the manager) really needs to talk with you." OK, so I went to Dennis' office, but he wasn't there. I went out on the showroom floor…and there it sat!!

A brown SC 430 with the top down, wrapped with a huge red bow, and a certificate with my name!

I exclaimed, "You painted a car for me, I love it!" But no, not a paint job… it was a NEW CHOCOLATE BROWN car with a honey tan interior!

My daughter Erica was there to share the surprise, snapping photos with Lee's cell phone camera. I still don't know how Lee and Erica kept this from me. Dennis had the car ordered more than two months ago, and Lee knew about it two weeks before I did.

My wonderful husband wrapped this fantastic surprise around two very important and happy dates – his birthday on May 29, and our anniversary on May 30. We've been married for 14,244 days – yes, we always know how long in days, because each one is special. How long is that? You can find the answer here.

Lee, Erica, Dennis, and Stan were truly able to surprise me, and that's not easy. I should have suspected something, though. Lee has been asking me what car I want next, and my lease is not up for another 4 or 5 months.

I really did like the car I was driving - it's a two-door coupe and exactly right for me. I've had the identical Lexus SC430 – in black – two cars in a row. I was happy with the car, I just wanted it in brown. Several times Dennis told me the car was simply not available in brown. I would even have painted it, but was told I couldn't do that either, that painting would destroy the value…yada, yada.

After the big surprise, Dennis came over to me and apologized. He said our relationship has always been built on trust, and he had to fib about this. Not to worry, Dennis. Just about a week ago we were in the showroom with our friends Corie and Vic, who love cars, and they pulled out this perfect brown color swatch. Dennis didn't miss a beat and said, "Not available." If I had even gone to the web site I would have seen that they now make it in brown…but I was too busy and believed that gentle lie.

Special treatment really is what I got. Stan was on vacation this week, but he came in just for me and even dressed in BROWN. In the picture of Stan and Lee checking out the trunk, you'll see they are both in shades of brown, too!

So what does all this have to do with real estate? If we can find out what the customer wants and needs, there is NO selling involved. These guys listened, they took it upon themselves to order the car with no commitment. These guys got TLH involved to help with the excitement. They knew their customer and they went way above to give personal service.

Do you think that I am not aware of all they did, coming in on their day off, having all the paper work ready? They arranged to take my Treo and program it for the Bluetooth in the car so I was ready to go. Stan even programmed the GPS with my home address, and changed the presets on my radio to match my previous stations. THAT is extraordinary service.