Never Joke With The Customers… Ever!, Part 14
I do general yard maintenance: mowing, edging, weeding, pruning, basically making rich people’s lawns look better than mine ever will.
One client in particular is… meticulous. She insists I walk her through the job every time I finish, which I do, because I like getting paid.
One afternoon, I wrap up a job: lawn mowed, driveway edged, flower beds weeded and shaped. It looks good. I ring the bell, she comes out like she’s about to appraise an estate.
Me: “Mowed and edged, flower beds cleaned up, trimmed the boxwoods, and I pulled all the visible weeds.”
She nods slowly, then narrows her eyes.
Client: “Did you pull up all the weeds?”
Me: “Yes, ma’am. At least the ones I could see.”
She tilts her head.
Client: “Well… what about the ones you can’t see?”
Me: “I left those for the X-ray crew; should be here any minute.”
There’s a pause. I stare at her. I realize that she wasn’t joking. It was a real question from a real adult with a real mortgage.
Client: “Hmm. Well, tell them to be extra thorough.”
That was the day I learned to never assume a customer/client knows how to joke.
Related:
Never Joke With The Customers… Ever!, Part 13
Never Joke With The Customers… Ever!, Part 12
Never Joke With The Customers… Ever!, Part 11
Never Joke With The Customers… Ever!, Part 10
Never Joke With The Customers… Ever!, Part 9
