Old school in the best way

Hi Reader,

In addition to planning a wedding, I'm also planning a move.

Not a big one (thankfully!), just 10 minutes down the street. But one of my big jobs last week was to get the movers booked for the end of October so I didn't have to worry about it until we're back from the honeymoon.

So I dug up the name of the mover I'd used eight years ago, found a few recommended ones on Reddit, and filled in their contact forms.

And this was where the brand experience diverged.

The two Reddit-recommended movers both had good websites, good proof, and good Google reviews. Both got back to me quickly.

But they asked for a lot of information in their intake: what furniture, itemized by room, how many boxes. It took me 10 or 15 minutes per form — which isn’t an issue, if it means I get an accurate estimate in return.

But… they did nothing with it. No customized quote, no answer to the question I was actually asking: How much will this cost me?

Frustrating.

Then there was the company I'd used eight years ago on the personal recommendation of a friend. They’d been great before, but pricey.

What won me over this time was the personal touch.

Their intake form took me maybe 3 minutes. Within 15 minutes, I got a call from their sales guy to do a walk-through of my house and give me an estimate.

Well this is different, I thought.

He came the next day, and it probably took less time for us to walk through my house than it took me to fill in the other movers' forms.

Within a few hours, he'd sent me a very clear quote, itemized and specific to my moving needs. Booking was as simple as a button to click.

Less than 24 hours later the same guy called to finalize and take my deposit. It's been a long time since I've read my credit card number out over the phone to a salesman!

The whole thing was old school in the best way… and I loved it. It was easy and it was personal. And the peace of mind it gave me was remarkable.

They're not the cheapest, and I don't care. They're going to be sending people into my home at a very busy, very stressful time, handling my personal things, and I need it to be done right.

The time they took to make it easy, and to show they understood what I needed and could support me, was head and shoulders above the competition.

I'm sharing this because it says so much about the impact of a thoughtful, human-centred sales experience. It tells a very clear story about who they are as a company, and how they care for their customers.

And the timing is great, because this is exactly what we're talking about at our next Brand Commons event.

In the middle of the busiest and most pressure-filled time of the year, we'll be answering the question, How do we think about our sales process from a human-centred, human-led perspective — like I just experienced with my movers?

Because we're all looking for a more sustainable approach to sales that doesn't burn us out or stress us out — something that’s connection-led and human-first.

You're already registered, Reader — so there's nothing for you to do right now except maybe jot down a question or two for our experts... or share the registration link with your friends. Thanks for signing up!

And for your reference, here's the calendar link with the access details. I'll send it again the day of the event so it's at the top of your inbox.

Have a lovely weekend,
Kristen