What Lesson Does My Birthday Have for Your Business?

I got a very special gift from my daughter and granddaughter today to celebrate my 60th birthday. Maybe you’ve seen something similar to this fantastic edible masterpiece which they sent me. There are at least a half dozen companies that create floral arrangements out of fresh fruit and deliver them to the lucky recipients on their particular special occasion.

They did so many things right. The premium pieces of fruit were large, cold, colorful, and delicious. The chocolate coating was thick and scrumptious. The scalloped pineapple flowers with cantaloupe centers were delightful. And the Big 6-0 embossed in pineapple at the top (my daughter’s special request) was superbly crafted.

The packaging did a good job of protecting the gift while it was in transit, yet was quite easy (surprise) to remove. The birthday skewer (that’s it on the right of the zero next to a wonderful thick chuck of chocolate covered Granny Smith apple — my fave) had the company’s name on it. The card that came with the kids’ greeting had a brochure attached with the name, address, phone number, and web site for the business.

And the base of the arrangement is a large coffee mug with their name on it, so I’m bound to think of them every time I fill it with java (which, if you know me, will be quite frequently). But what I’ll be thinking is probably not what they want. You see, I’ll be wondering which of their competitors to use when I want to do something special for a friend or relative.

That’s because they got one thing wrong. My birthday was YESTERDAY. It said so on the card. And on the delivery ticket they had me sign this afternoon. They didn’t understand why my daughter was upset at their failure to show up at my front door on May 12th. She said they didn’t really even apologize, but shrugged off her complaint by saying they were busy yesterday.

Apparently they thought they were merely delivering a fruit basket. They just didn’t get it. What they were supposed to be delivering was a special serving of joy, surprise, and gratitude to be shared by three generations of Schuff women who were separated by too many miles to be able to celebrate in person.

Do you really understand what your business is selling?

What suggestions do you have for the entrepreneur who missed my birthday?