When I was a freshman in college, the point guard on our basketball team made a bold statement: "I can eat more pizza than you!" Oh, it was on! I tried to scare him off by claiming I would eat 40 slices of pizza at the next Wednesday night all-you-can-eat grub fest. I made good on my claim. Do you have any idea what that much cheese does to your digestive system?

Recently we ordered a pizza from our favorite local pizzeria. The owners had sponsored my basketball team when my son, Colin, was in second grade; they had even bought our house twelve years ago. They made the most delicious crust you ever tasted, sprinkled generous amounts of cheese and piles of sausage or pepperoni, the salads were to die for, and the wait staff were friendly and kind. All that for a modest price point. In short, they delivered tremendous VALUE. We were raving fans, but there were new owners now. We ordered two pizzas to go. Upon arriving home, we found the crust was burned black and razor thin. There was one lonely piece of sausage per slice and the amount of cheese negligible. My son reminded me that I had been disappointed with our last order with the new owners. I forgot. Maybe I was giving them another chance? I will never go back. Ever.

When we lose the trust of the customer, it's tough to get it back. We build trust one slice at a time, one piece of sausage at a time, one smile at a time. What is your UVP, your Unique Value Proposition? What makes your product or service unique and worth talking about?

Strive not to be a success but to be a man of value.-Albert Einstein

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get! - Warren Buffett

Great customer service is like sound health: you don't appreciate it until it's gone.-Mark Matteson

I take all my cars to KC Martin. I have done so for over 30 years. They are friendly beyond belief, smart and competent, and fix it right the first time. Once every seven years they might make a mistake, but always make it right. If my car is going to be in their shop more than a day, they give me a loaner car FREE! If they find something we hadn't discussed, or it takes a little longer, they are proactive and call me to give me the bad news. When cash-flow was tight in 2008, they extended me credit. I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else.

I read that Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement. He offers tremendous VALUE in his concerts. The price point is always one-fourth that of his competitors. His is wonderfully entertaining: telling stories, swinging from ropes, and, of course, singing his thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics. He is the Bruce Springsteen of country and western music.

Here are a few ideas to improve your value to your customers. I hope they make a bottom-line difference in your business.

1. Ask your customers what they want or need that they are not getting now. Conduct a serious survey.
2. Analyze your competition and ask yourself, "What can we do better, faster, or cheaper?" THINK!
3. Read books on customer service. Start with The Nordstrom Way by Robert Spector and Patrick McCarthy.
4. Attend seminars on customer service and bring as many people as you can. Better still, hire someone (I hear Mark Matteson is excellent) to come into your company for a half or full day to teach soft skills.
5. Pay attention to the service you receive as a consumer nationally: Amazon, FedEx, Nordstrom, Springsteen, or local businesses. Borrow boldly from the best. Pay attention to what they do that you like and model it.

I don't eat 40 slices of pizza at one sitting anymore. Moreover, I will never go back to the pizzeria that was once my favorite. Life is too short to settle for mediocre.

me·di·o·cre - adjective - of only moderate quality; not very good. ordinary, average, middling, uninspired, indifferent, run-of-the-mill.

Remember this: "Only the mediocre are always at their best." Is that how you want to be remembered?