“That was like being in an episode of Portlandia”
We were at the markets and I was buying free range eggs. “Where do these eggs come from?” I asked. “Near Albury” When I asked if she herself drove from there she said “No, they get trucked up by freight company”
The poster showed hens walking about in the grass “Holbrook Paddock Free roaming grass fed hens”
“Where do they sleep at night?” I asked. I was genuinely curious because I actually know quite a lot about free range chickens and was curious about whether the hens had a permanent roost in the paddock or whether there was a type of mobile arrangement. There are a number of cattle producers who have introduced permaculture techniques that include having chickens following a “mob of cows”
“The sleep in the paddock” she said, and the slightest detection of a certain exasperated tone and almost an eye roll.
I persisted “Do they really just sleep in the paddock?” “Yes, and they are very safe because hey have 2 dogs that take care of them as well”
I left it at that and bought a dozen eggs
As we walked away my friend said “That was like being in an episode of Portlandia” There is an episode of Portlandia where a well-intentioned Portland couple wants to know if the chicken they are ordering for dinner had a nice life.
I don’t believe this was quite the same. I was genuinely curious about the chickens – thanks to Google, I was able to have the instant answer. They sleep in a shed
Then I became curious why this young woman had her attitude:
- did she not know the answer?
- had too many people already asked about the chickens?
- was this the one hundredth time she was answering this question
- had she been called in at the last minute while the regular person went quickly to get a coffee? or go to the loo? maybe she usually sells apples? or flowers? at the next stand
- had she had a late night?
I decided she probably hadn’t been to the farm
It certainly didn’t stop me buying the eggs
Because I am always in “business curious mode” I find incidents daily that remind me of all manner of matters relating to business; this one spoke volumes about how important it is to have the right people promoting your products and services.
You cannot do everything yourself so if you are having other people seek or promote your product or service make sure of a few basics, they:
- have all the information they need
- know what is expected
- have a customer service approach