What’s an extra cup of blackberries? It’s simple. Back when I was starting my blackberry business, I knew that I had one shot at converting my neighbors into customers. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Southwest Missouri was very rural and poor where I lived. A dollar was tough to come by. Most of my neighbors were in their seventies and were on fixed incomes. Blackberries – no matter how much they might like them – were not necessities.

I also knew that, out of sheer politeness, each of my neighbors would buy one quart of blackberries from us. Six neighbors, six quarts of blackberries. My sister and I went out and picked nine quarts of blackberries. I took those blackberries home and I picked over them. Any berry that was too ripe, not ripe enough or damaged or bruised in any way, I discarded. Then I lined up my six buckets and I carefully – and generously – measured one quart of blackberries into each of the buckets. Then I added one extra cup of blackberries to each bucket.

I took the first bucket and went on my delivery. Maye and Melvin were my very first delivery. Maye met me at the door. I tried to hand her the bucket.

Instead she said: "Bobbi, follow me to the kitchen and I’ll pour those out for you so you can take your bucket with you." I followed her to the kitchen thinking that that was really nice of her. I walked into the kitchen and there, in the middle of her pristine, white tiled countertop, sat a glass, one quart measuring bowl. I was being tested.

She took the bucket from me and began to pour the blackberries into the bowl. The blackberries rose to the top of the bowl and ran over the top and began falling down on to her countertop. That’s when I saw it: the slow smile that came across her face.

I had literally – and quite visually – demonstrated that I delivered more value than she expected. As a result, I won her business year in and year out. That scene was repeated five more times that day and the result was the same in each and every instance: orders for more blackberries.

How important was that extra cup of blackberries? A few years into my little venture, Maye’s grandkids decided to horn in on my business. I’m sure they thought Grandma would be an easy sell for them. I was worried. Maye always ordered between thirty to forty quarts of blackberries. I didn’t want to lose her business.

I called Maye on the phone and I said: "Maye, I’m sure you will probably be ordering your blackberries from your grandkids, but, I‘m just checking." She said something that to this day astonishes me. She said: "Oh, no, Bobbi. I will be ordering my blackberries from you. Why wouldn’t I?"

I thought for a moment and then replied: "Well, because I’m not your grandkids." She laughed and said: "My grandkids went out and picked me a quart of blackberries. And, do you know what they did? They picked me one quart of blackberries. Not a single berry more. So I will be ordering my blackberries from you."

If an extra cup of blackberries could protect me from the competition of grandchildren, what can it do for us in our business today? What is your extra cup of blackberries?

A couple of months ago, Rick and I were at the Falcons Crest Inn near Mount Hood. It's a beautiful place. The Inn has been voted as having the best evening cuisine for bed and breakfasts in the country.

We were enjoying our second dinner there. The innkeeper and chef, Bob, served us Zucchini Soup. I thought “zucchini soup?” It was the best soup I’ve ever had in my entire life. I was raving about it to Bob and I mentioned to him how much I loved to make soups. He went back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he was back with copies of the recipe for not only the Zucchini Soup but the recipe for the Roasted Red Pepper Soup we’d had the night before and several others.

The experience, up until that point, had been great. But that simple gesture of copying recipes for me, tipped the experience into being extraordinary. As a result, I’ve told anyone who would listen about the experience.

For me, that gesture was the extra cup of blackberries. Bob understood what his mission was: to give his guests an incredible experience. He wasn’t afraid to give me the recipes. I am not buying soup from Bob. I'm buying the wonderful experience of a great meal at a bed and breakfast in the mountains.

Giving me those recipes, though, turned me into an advocate for Bob and it guaranteed that I will go back there. You can find the Falcons Crest Inn on the web at www.falconscrest.com.

Copyright © 2004 Bobbi Kahler. All Rights Reserved.

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