Quality Control - The Story of Handmade Potato Chips
I just read Set Godin's blog a few weeks back about lemonade stands and it reminded me of something that happened about 15 years ago.
I worked at Kodak for a long time and was part of a great team in the Consumer Imaging division. My position with the company demanded that I travel for a large part of the year. The members of our team developed a bit of a reputation for always finding the best food and entertainment in any given city. Often times these places were little "hole in the wall" restaurants with awesome food and a fun atmosphere.
One trip found us at a little English style pub in (I think it was but it may have been somewhere else) Durham NC. I believe it was named The Double Dragon Inn and they were known throughout the city for their Double Dragon Ale and their hand made potato chips. My team mate had been bragging about this place for months!
As we sat down at the table, my buddy eagerly ordered several orders of the chips and pints all around. The ales were served right away but about 20 minutes went by and still no chips. My friend was getting nervous.
As the waitress served us our second round of ales, he asked about the chips. She ignored him, acting like she never heard a word
Five more agonizing minutes passed. Finally, he flagged her down and asked if she had forgotten about the chips.
"Well," she retorted in her thick English accent, "I can see that YOU must be new around here! Let me tell you a thing or two about how we do things. First, we have to wash and peel the potatoes 'cause you surely don't want dirt in your chips does ye? Then we cut them as thin as possible to be sure that they are extra crispy when they're done. That's the way you like them, Right? When they are sliced just right, we drop them into a vat of boiling oil. We fry them up until they are golden brown and crispy. Then we set them out to cool and we season them with sea salt and a kiss of vinegar. I have been here for over 20 years making these chips and I can assure you that I know what I am doing! Of course if you want yours prepared some other way then maybe you should come back into the kitchen and fix them yourself! Or did you want me to run down to the corner store and get you and your guests a tube of Pringles?!" She almost spit the word Pringles right into his face. We all sat quietly around the table, afraid to laugh lest we should become her new target.
When they arrived at the table, we all dug in to taste the crispy treats. (Of course I checked mine for spit first!) They were, as promised, the best chips that I have ever had.
How many times have you been asked to compromise the quality of your services? How many shortcuts have you been tempted to take? In this market, high quality service is more important than ever. Every client experience can be critical. Are they thrilled with the transaction and excited about recommending you to their friends and family? or are they smiling their way through the transaction just waiting for it to end so that you will stop calling? Did you take the time and care to do everything in your clients best interest or did you run down to the corner store and buy a tube of Pringles? Clients know what is going on and they can tell when someone is taking shortcuts.
*If you haven't read Seth's stuff, then you are really missing out. I have subscribed and now I get his latest post each day via email. Treat yourself - sign up!
Photo by CoreForce. When you choose us to handle your VancouverWashington real estate needs, you choose a team of Realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in ClarkCounty and we specialize in Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the VancouverWashington area. Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own Vancouver Washington dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service. Go to www.ernw.org for more information. See our video here.
Well a few weeks ago while walking in the snow, I dropped my camera! With the lens out it jammed and I never could get it working again. How many times does that happen? It's so easy to drop those little digital camera and the warranties don't protect you from that. So I googled Panasonic to see if there was anything I could fiddle with to get it working again - but nothing worked. :-( Major withdrawal!
So I read reviews, and researched and research for something on my limited budget and finally decided on a FujiFilm S1500.
Here are my first set of pics with it, taken at Cultus Lake - a few minutes from my place - what do you think?
Well the excitement is growing in Chilliwack as preparations continue for the arrival of the Olympic Flame. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will arrive in Chilliwack on February 7, 2010.
"Chilliwack is abuzz with anticipation of the arrival of the Olympic Flame and the celebration that will follow," said Mayor Sharon Gaetz. "Our residents always support community events and we are expecting a large crowd to cheer on the torch bearers and join the celebration."
In Chilliwack, a new torchbearer will carry the flame every 300 metres through our community as part of the 45,000 kilometre journey across Canada; the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history. 160 torch bearers have been selected to carry the flame in Chilliwack. Yeah I took a double take at that one too!
The torch lighting celebration will run from 1pm until 3pm behind the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre. Nine local performance groups are scheduled to perform, along with a multitude of family-friendly activities to choose from at the Celebration site.
Following the torch lighting, everyone is invited to attend the 2010 Chilliwack Winter Party which runs from 3pm until 5pm. There will be free swimming at the Landing Leisure Centre free skating and skate rentals at the arena and more free activities including face painting, children's entertainment, crafts, and bounce houses at the Landing Sports Centre.
Parking will not be available at or near the Celebration site on February 7. A free shuttle service will run from 11 am until 6pm between Chilliwack Heritage Park and the Celebration event site behind the Landing Leisure Centre. For specific shuttle information go to www.spiritofchilliwack.com
This is such a good reminder. If you're selling your home definitely make sure that you only do it by "appointment" only! And if you're selling Your home For Sale By Owner - this is a Caution - and another good reason why you might want to List with a Realtor!
The other day a seller client told me that she showed her home to strangers off the street who knocked on her door and expressed interest in seeing the place without an appointment. She accommodated them. We don't know who they are, or even if they were qualified to buy. She just hoped they might be the ones. I told her to never do this again. Call me a suspicious New Yorker, but the risks outweigh the opportunity when you show you home to strangers with no appointment.
Prior to scheduling a showing, we verify the credentials of showing agents, their contact information, and their licensure. Nobody gets an appointment without verification. If it is our own buyer, we verify their identity and their financial qualifications. Otherwise, I might as well have a hitchhiker in my car. To not take these measures I expose my firm to severe liability and clients to undue risk.
What can go wrong by letting strangers into your home without a proper appointment? Plenty.
Theft
Violence
Vandalism
"Staking the place out" for future theft
Identity theft
That last point is a new one, but once someone can get a bill or some other personal item off your kitchen table you have the seeds of a far bigger problem than a stolen necklace.
People who can't set up an appointment and insist on dealing directly with the owner of a listed property may not have a screw lose, but they are trying to pursue a fallacious angle, namely that bypassing the agent gives them an advantage. The bottom line is that while they may not hit you over the head, they are almost certainly wasting your time.
J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service.
With the Olympics just around the corner, I thought it would be cool to share this You Tube Featuring Linda Ganzini of Vancouver. For those of you that have never been here! It'll take your breath away! :-)
The Tiger (associated with good fortune, power, and royalty), is viewed with both fear and respect; hence, their protection and wisdom is sought after. Many people believe the tiger, and not the lion, as the true king of beasts.
Negative Traits: Unpredictable, vain, distrustful, impatient, impulsive, quick-tempered, quarrelsome, rebellious, tend to risk their luck too often, often disregard others, are sensititive to criticism and have difficulty keeping their restless nature under control
Associated with Food: Bread, poultry
Associated with Human Anatomy: Respiratory system and lungs (Chinese Medicine)
Associated with Following Countries: Russia, Rumania, Spain, Turkey, El Salvador, North Korea
Very Compatible with Following Animals: Horse, Dragon, Dog and Pig/Boar
Incompatibile with Following Animals: Rabbit, Monkey, Snake, and Ox
O.k. I know that most of you have never been to Chilliwack. Heck most of you had never probably heard of it until you met me! Well guess what - Chilliwack is in contention for making it on the Canadian Monopoly Board Game. But we need everyone to vote!
How would you like to join me in voting for Chilliwack on the latest Monopoly poll. Monopoly is getting ready to put out a new Canadian version of it's game...and Chilliwack actually has a slim chance of making it onto the board. But only if we all get out there and vote for Chilliwack...every day until February 7th!
There are 65 cities in the running...and only twenty spots available. Right now, we are in the #25 spot...just ahead of Saskatoon. That's not a bad showing for our little city in the country...but with your help we can do better. Go to http://www.monopolyvote.ca/en_CA/world ...register...and place your vote every day from now until the contest closes. This is one election where we welcome American voters...or any other foreigners, for that matter! And if you are Canadian...vote for your own city...and then vote for Chilliwack as well (you can pick your favorite three cities).
Apparently ..the top ranked city at this point most of us have never even heard of. I'm thinking they must have some very loyal and diligent citizens in the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. But then...so are we!
Thanks for your help in putting Chilliwack on the BOARD and if you are ever in this part of the world...be sure to put Chilliwack on your itinerary!
I look forward to this opportunity to share with both my fellow Realtors and my local community...some local anecdotes, tidbits of info - community profiles, real estate savy......interspersed with humor and inspiration!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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