I sell simple illustrated family trees on Not On The High St. They’re a favourite for 80th birthdays and 60th wedding anniversaries! And often, they’re ordered in a bit of a hurry.
Top tip: if your Mum or Dad, Nan or Grandad, favourite auntie or uncle is celebrating a milestone birthday in the next month – order their gift now! Don’t leave it until the last minute! If you’re clubbing together as a family to buy something unique for a grandparent, make sure everyone knows there’s a deadline. Small businesses and artists are not Amazon…
Here’s a cautionary tale from Bob’s calligraphy family tree order – with a happy ending!
Bob ordered a family tree from my Not On The High St shop and ticked the option to ‘write and send straight away’ instead of seeing a proof for approval first. This usually means it’s a rush order, and implies a little trust with the positioning of names. I prioritised the family tree and added the names in calligraphy, spacing them out a little more than Bob had on his order form. The message I wrote in calligraphy on the bottom of the tree was “Happy 75th Birthday” – so it was an important one. Bob’s family tree was on its way the day after he placed his order.
A couple of days later, I got some feedback from Bob: “Names on tree do not correspond to numbers on order… Birthday present so very disappointed.” Oh.
I messaged back straight away, offering a replacement if Bob could approve a proof for me, and I was glad he replied to say yes. Turns out, Bob was an absolute sweetheart about it: “I would love to receive it ASAP as it my wife’s birthday present. By the way, the quality is lovely. Many thanks for your swift response.”
Turning an upset customer into a delighted one is very satisfying. My reply: “Hi Bob. When’s your wife’s birthday? I’ll make sure it’s with you on time if I can! Claire”
Bob replied to let me know we had 5 days. “Birthday is Sunday so pretty soon, but whatever you manage will be very much appreciated.
Thank you again for your prompt and helpful response.”
I wrote a replacement after Bob approved his proof – which he did very quickly. Family tree #2 was on its way a day later. When I messaged Bob to let him know, he sent another lovely reply: “Thank you so much Claire. Couldn’t have asked for a better response, and I’m sure it will be fine this time. Once again, thank you.” Bob’s wife’s family tree was delivered on the Thursday, in time for her big birthday!
For a self employed artist, even the smallest negative feedback can have a huge effect: I learned when I started my calligraphy business almost twenty years ago that a less than positive review stays with you for weeks or months. It’s like a little cloud over your shoulders, and it adds to all the doubt and impostor syndrome creatives struggle with all the time.
That’s why happy customers are so important to me, and I do everything to make sure calligraphy orders are mistake-free, beautifully written and gorgeously presented! And on the rare occasions I do make a mistake, I will fix it – fast, professionally and effectively! Because 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays are important!
Find out more about my family trees in calligraphy here.
(I’ve changed Bob’s name because data protection and GDPR are weird these days.)