Another phone call.
Another conversation with a story.
Heather is 81. Has been online. Knows what she wants to order. But doesn’t want to order online.
May I place my order now on the telephone, she asks.
Of course, I say.
I ask her if she’s a new customer. Or an existing customer.
I’m new, she says.
Welcome! Welcome! It’s a pleasure to meet you, I say.
She’s delighted with that response.
And quickly informs me that she wants a Gumleaf cover. A Superior Felt Underlay. And a Best Boy Pressing Cloth.
Her address is in a not too far away country town. With the ambience of a quaint village. And interesting shops selling wares made by the locals.
Having visited a few of those shops, we veer off course in the conversation and discuss the merits of one shop in particular. The artisan bakery. Whose bread I still remember.
Steering the conversation back on course, I ask her how she found out about the Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover. A question I ask all new customers.
Oh, I’ve had one before, she says. And love it. It’s just starting to wear now. I think I bought it at the Bathurst Royal Show.
I blink. Because my brain is quickly ratcheting into the part that remembers events and exhibitions. Wow! The last time we exhibited at the Bathurst Royal Show was in 2002. So her cover is at least 13 years old!
She informs me it’s just starting to wear now. And decides to go online to see where she can buy another one.
She was given a computer as a gift from her children when she was 80 years old. And is an avid surfer of the internet.
It wasn’t hard to find you, she says. I couldn’t remember the name of the cover. So just keyed in ‘best ironing board cover Australia’. And there you were. At number 1! And number 2!!
As is usual with me and telephone conversations, we veer off course again. For a little while. As we talk about how much she loves the freedom her Toshiba laptop gives her.
And compare the virtues of her laptop to an iPad. Wouldn’t have one she says. Her daughter was given one and never uses it. Too small. And too limiting.
How she now has her Christmas card list on her computer. Downloads recipes she never had access to before. Writes reports about local events for her village newspaper.
And is now in touch with all her friends around the world via email. Which she uses on a regular basis.
We talk about Skype and her disappointment in not being able to use it. Her internet connection is via a wireless stick, not an outdoor antennae. She says there just isn’t enough ‘juice’ in her stick to receive Skype. Regrets that she missed out on her daughter being able to Skype her when her daughter was overseas.
Having covered a wide range of topics, it’s time to part company.
But not before she makes my day.
She’s ecstatic about how ‘personable’ I am. Which was completely unexpected.
How she can’t wait to tell her children how she surfed the net. Found what she was looking for. And was doubly lucky in being able to place an order by telephone.
Then we veer off again. She’s in gift giving mode. And ticks off the members of her family who will be receiving Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers as gifts in the future. Now that she knows there’s a friendly voice on the other end of the telephone.
Her parting comment is the icing on this cake. I don’t remember all the words. But this is the gist. “I didn’t expect this phone call to be anything other than ordinary. But it’s been such a pleasurable experience to do business with you, I want you to know that I’ll be back. I thought at 81, I wouldn’t have a reason to be back. Because the cover will outlive me. But I’ve loved this conversation and look forward to ordering gifts in the future.”
WOW!
This is what I miss when downloading online orders. The back story to each order. And the personal history of the person placing the order.
Do you prefer to order online? Or do you prefer to pick up the telephone in the hopes you’ll find a friendly voice, eager to take your order?
~Carol Jones, Ironing Diva❤
I Am The Purveyor Of The Tantrum Free Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies
Made with love and care in RURAL Australia by men and women who have a disability.
It’s not for everyone.
But it’s definitely for you if you’re fussy about the cover you iron on.
And if you love to support Australian made.
And want to put something back into the community when you make a purchase.
The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover cover has more than 350,000 customers in 29 countries. Because it lives up to its name. It ‘Fitz Like A Glove™’ every time you iron.
And these are the ‘Other Goodies’
Like this post? Share it with your family and friends on . . .
Facebook.
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Have a question? Email me.
Or phone me, Carol Jones, in rural Australia on 02 63 588 511.
The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies is the hook I hang my business hat on. My beautiful rural property in the gorgeous Central Tablelands of NSW is the hook I hang my heart on.
Photos of my rural property are courtesy of me, Ironing Diva – who is also known as Paddock Paparazzi – and taken at sunrise every morning.
All the photos today are of that most gorgeous bird, Diamond Firetail. To complement gorgeous Heather!
PS. And I have a fabulous newsletter ‘A Smidgen Of Gossip’. This is what a subscriber says about it. “Carol. Just had some time to read it and found that it is, as with everything you do, rather wonderful. A great read. W” You can subscribe to it by clicking this link. It’s FREE! This is not a lifetime commitment. You can Unsubscribe at any time. Don’t miss out. Click this link now!
