Unfortunate Policy #6: Less is More!

This is not so much our unique policy as it is a major market differentiator that separates the successful from those who wait for the phone to ring.

Chaos breeds scapegoats.

Those who hire us are not that creative, not that talented, don't possess the odd set of skills that we bring to the table.  After all that's why they hired US.

However, all too often, those who hire us are creative thinkers.  Big ideas, big vision, romanticized versions of how it will all look and how they would expect the arrangements and those serving would act (which is often their morality pushed onto us.)

This is where the expectation gap happens and where some very candid, almost blunt, questions and clarifications happen.

"How old is the guest of honor?  It's his first birthday party?"  

(The 1 year old won't have a clue, will play with the boxes, smash cake in his hair, poop his pants and fall asleep.  He couldn't care less about anything else.)

"What else have you arranged so far?"

(Food/giveaways/shows/a band/inflatables/talent - all at once! An OCD nightmare!)

"What character do you want for the event?"

(Did they even watch the show or movie to know what they have asked for?  Sometimes it's a serious villain or something else wildly inappropriate for young children.)

It doesn't matter if the bank account is huge.  Everyone should receive the same attention and service.  Things cost what they cost, but things don't have to be all that extravagant.  

This is painfully especially true for birthday parties - beware that escalation, parents!  If you do "X" for a 1-year old, what will you have to do to top it each year?  By the time they're 16, it's corvette time - do you really want that, even if you can afford it?

Sometimes, it's the equivalent of ordering a side of beef when all you really need is a single steak.  We can certainly arrange the entertainment equivalent of everything all at once, but inevitably, it's a lot of motion and noise and overwhelming and overstimulating mess.  

And who gets the blame?

ANYONE who has anything to do with it.  

We owe our customers a proper vetting of every opportunity, including a warning and a disclaimer - even putting it in writing.  This doesn't give us carte blanche to do what we want on-site, but it does put the own-ness back on the client - we did everything you wanted, "Billy Madison's Dad" so don't hate the chaos and certainly don't hate the bill!

We aware that sometimes, regardless of anything, our answer has to be "no, that's not something we can do for you."

Another category of "you don't need all that" is minimums and maximums.  This falls squarely on the service provider.

Those that must have a minimum of "X" number of service hours or days or acts.  If your pricing is right, it's a moot point.  Offer a break after the minimum so if the client really only needs a fraction of "X" then they can again make an informed decision.  The juice is worth the squeeze.

I have had so many refreshing conversations with clients who love that we can "just" do the one thing they need.  They don't even care about the price, they're getting what they want and need and all we have to do is fulfill our end of the bargain - "just don't suck!" It really is that simple.

The chaos and scapegoat problems don't happen to us anymore, and it shouldn't happen to anyone who is motivated by making good memories and seeking to serve.  

Don't chase the dollar, chase the good experience for all and stay strong!  Those who enjoyed working with you and know you looked out for them will look for many more opportunities to support you and your business.