I was pushing the cart and Sean was beside me taking the local free magazine out of the rack. We walked outside of the grocery store and stopped. It was raining. NOT the regular kind of summer shower – it was really raining.

If you have ever been to Florida in the summer, you know what I mean. This is the type of rain that is coming down in bucketfuls! The sound is almost deafening as the rain hits the ground. The rain smashes the ground with such force that it splashes back up – puddles form instantly. Wiper blades are on full blast.

The lightening ripples across the sky. The thunder clap follows. It’s so loud you can feel it in your chest. The storm is right on top of us.

Storms like this can produce over 5 inches of rain in a matter of an hour. It comes down that hard and fast.

We are standing under the overhang of the store, looking at each other, wondering what to do. It was sunny when we went inside the grocery store, so we didn’t think to bring our umbrella in. The storm just came up on us that quickly.

Sean, always the gentleman, offered to make a run for it.

We both knew that even if he ran the fastest 50 yard dash in history, he would be soaking wet from head to toe by the time he reached our car. He hunched over and leaned forward, ready to run.

All of a sudden he stood up straight. Someone was tapping him on the shoulder. It was an employee from the store. He was wearing a bright yellow rain poncho and holding a huge green umbrella with the store’s name, Publix, embroidered on it. “No need to run out into the rain and get wet”, he said. “I’ll walk with you to your car.” Sean looked surprised, but relieved he wouldn’t have to face the rain. Sean thanked him and they took off into the storm leaving me with the cart.

As I watched them walk to the car, I was thinking how great the customer service is at Publix. Everyone who works here is always happy and so helpful. And now, walking Sean to his car under an umbrella, this was above and beyond. I’m thinking, “I love shopping here”.

I stood there lost in thought when another employee walked up to me. He also had a bright yellow rain poncho on, but he did not have an umbrella. Instead he was holding a plate of cookies from the bakery. He smiled at me and said, “Ma’am – would you like a cookie while you wait for your car?” And he offered me the plate.

I was pretty surprised to say the least. I was just thinking about the great customer service and how they go above and beyond and now this. I took a cookie, thanked Jim, his name on his name tag, and he walked on to the next customer that was waiting for their car to be brought to the overhang. Jim was the icing on the cake. I had already decided I love shopping at Publix because of their customer service and then Jim sweetened the deal, literally!

This is superior customer service.

Sean pulls up to the curb with the car and the man with the umbrella shows up again, holds it over Sean so he does not get wet while loading the groceries into the trunk. Then he walks Sean to his door, comes back around the car and holds the umbrella over my head so I can get into the passenger side.  

This is superior customer service.

We drive away. We are dry, except Sean’s feet, and feeling pretty good. I never really thought much about why I always shop at

Publix. It’s just that I never considered going anywhere else. I know it has good customer service, but it became clear that day, that their customer service always go above and beyond our expectations. Like the time the cashier helped me unload my cart onto the conveyor belt. Like how they always bag your groceries. How they always offer you a sample at the deli counter. How if you ask where something is, they don’t tell you, they walk you right to the item. I could go on and on. They have great customer service in all the details of a shopping trip, but then when a “storm” comes, they go above and beyond even your wildest expectations.

It’s the same kind of customer service that we try to give our customers every day. We always try to give great customer service in all the details of listing your home Like how we give our book “The Warren Buffett Approach to sell Real Estate” to all our home sellers for free. Like how we pay for our stager to go to our seller’s homes to make sure their home is in tip top showing condition. How we pay for a professional photographer for the best pictures to attract buyers from the internet. How we hire a company to professionally handle all the showings of your home. How we personally oversee the marketing and positioning of your home.

We try to provide the same great customer service for all our buyers. Like how we sit down with them and explain the process so there are no surprises along the way. Like how we help them schedule appointments with lenders to get them pre-approved. How we take an inventory of their needs and wants to get the best idea of what home will best suit them. How we provide them with home inspectors, insurance inspectors and insurance agents, so they are prepared when they find one they love. How we preview homes and take videos of us walking through the home for our absentee buyers.

And, if a “storm” happens to come along in the process, that’s when we really try to go above and beyond our customers wildest expectations.

Take Mike and Nancy Novak, for example. A couple from the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were buyers that were referred to us through another one of our clients. They were here for a week and we looked at several homes, but we could not find one that met all their criteria. We knew exactly what they were looking for: a condo, in a certain geographical area, with a garage, that would allow a large dog and in their price range. Now that is a pretty easy home to find, until you include the part about the large dog. But they love their dog, just like we love our dogs. So we knew how important it was to find them a large dog friendly place.

Several weeks after they left, a home came on the market meeting all their criteria.

We sent them pictures of the home and previewed it for them. We advised them they should make an offer because the list price was low and that particular development was very desirable. It was going to sell fast. Sure enough, there were multiple offers. They made the best offer and it was accepted. They hadn’t even seen the home.

Now comes the “storm.” It was a foreclosure and it was in pretty bad shape. Mike and Nancy were nervous to say the least. They were about to take on a huge project from a thousand miles away.

They flew down to Fort Myers a few days later. We took them to see the home. They loved the area and they saw great potential in their newly purchased condo. They were extremely nervous and concerned because they didn’t know any one down here, and the thought of trying to find reliable contractors to transform their new condo, while they were living a thousand miles away was stressful.

We knew these were concerns, so we had a little surprise for them. We had arranged for contractors to meet them at the house the next day. We found the contractor, electrician, tile guy, kitchen lady and granite company. We had arranged meetings with all of them in the next couple of days. By the end of the week, Nancy and Mike had a game plan together and knew what their costs were going to be for the project. They flew home that weekend with one worry gone, but another bigger worry still lingering. How were they going to manage this project?

Well the project is almost finished, and Mike and Nancy can tell you they had nothing to worry about. We have been there for them every step of the way. We found them the tile they wanted at our local Home Depot, oversaw the demolition of the interior, coordinated the painting with the tile work with the installment of the kitchen. And when a problem came up with the kitchen, we ran over to the condo to make sure the issue was taken care of. We checked on the contractor to see if they were meeting their deadlines. We checked on all the details of the rehab and will continue to do so until the very end. It is coming along beautifully and they couldn’t be happier! Making our customers happy is what it is all about.

Superior Customer Service.

In the words of Mike and Nancy,”You guys have gone above and beyond. We can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

We have always believed in superior customer service. Going above and beyond for our customers is an every day event. It’s the little daily things that can be done to provide great customer service, like loading the groceries onto the belt, or giving away our free book. And in stormy weather giving a cookie, or shopping for tile can deliver the superior customer service our clients deserve.