Putting Service Ahead of Sales: The SmartLift Philosophy
When most people think about business, they think about sales. And while sales are important to every thriving business, it can’t be the central driving force. There must be a way to separate a business from its competition. But how? Customer service.
At SmartLift, we take pride in our willingness to always put the needs of our customers first. We don’t simply want to sell you a vacuum glass lifter, we want to be your trusted partner throughout the length of your project and beyond. That’s why we take the time to understand your business and recommend the glass lifter that is best suited to your project needs—not our bottom line.
Roughly a year into my business career, I was told something that completely changed the trajectory of my business. My mentor, Bill Hawkinson, along with his brothers, operated the largest Ford Dealership in Illinois at the time. One day he said to me, “We don’t sell Fords.” This statement baffled me. I thought to myself, “if you don’t sell Fords, you had better start.” The three words that followed completely changed my approach to business. He said, “We sell service.” He went on to say that a person could by a Ford from any dealership—and maybe even for less. But if a customer purchased a Ford from anywhere else, they wouldn’t get him or his team—or the service they provide.
Since then, that has been my approach and philosophy to business. Mr. Hawkinson believed it begins at the top as do we. Every employee’s number one responsibility at SmartLift US, including myself, is customer service—no exception, no excuses. These words are not simply lip service. These words are the very reason that as of this moment, we have 442 SmartLift glass manipulators spread all across the United States. And to our knowledge, not one is out of service awaiting parts or service from our team. Those simple words are the reason to this day, if need be, I will personally jump on a plane and fly across the country to take care of a customer.
Just as you could purchase a Ford at any dealership, you could purchase a different brand glass lifter. This is why at SmartLift US we do not sell vacuum glass lifters, WE SELL SERVICE. Thank you, Mr. Hawkinson, for unknowingly changing my life.
