Timpson: Running their business upside down

Needing some extra keys the other day, I called in to a nearby mall to get some cut. The kiosk, Timpson, supplies keys, does shoe repairs and provides other services. The person in charge was friendly, keen to please and offered a money off deal. He then handed me this simple thank you note. I don't recall any service providing me with that before. Sure, you'll see it on a till receipt but nothing quite so upfront as this.

The thank you note included some commonly asked questions about the business. Is it a franchise? No, their outlets are run by colleagues trusted to serve customers in the way they think best. The note goes on...the bosses don't make the rules round here. That's fresh.

Then, in response to the question, Do colleagues get their birthday off? Apparently so and they say it's a great way to say thank you to colleagues.

Reading on, we learn a little bit about this family business... Father, the Chairman and son, the Chief Executive before turning over the note for details on how to claim a Mystery Shopper discount voucher.

To get the voucher, you have to say which outlet you used, say something about the service and provide an email address. That's it - a 10% discount arrives immediately in your inbox. I'll be using mine tomorrow when I bring some shoes along for repair.

So what?

What I like about this is that by handing out a small, thin piece of paper the business has thanked me for my custom, shared its business model and promoted its values: family, collegiality, turning normal practice upside down.

What if you and I were to take our own small piece of paper and do something similar for the service or product that we supply?

Would that be the key to better customer relations and repeat business? And if our business is a little down at heel in these cash-strapped times would that little piece of paper be a simple first step to putting our best foot forward?

Thank you for reading, colleague!