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As I previously posted in my blog, yes, now that all the kids are back in school the estate sale season will start to slow down. Although some other companies will slow down we at Professional Estate Sales will continue to have at least one sale every weekend and in fact, on most weekends we will still have two sales. I am also happy to say that we are booked solid until late September and have many high-end sales I know our VIP customer will enjoy, coming just around the corner.
As I also mentioned we are also refining our customer service model. Some of the regular customers may have noticed some staffing changes have been made, Sadly, some of our crew have moved on to new opportunities and we are adding new people to the crew as appropriate. I have also implemented very stringent controls around documentation for all sales, to protect both the sellers and the buyers we work with each week. Although some small accidents do happen, it is my goal with these new controls to ensure they happen minimally if at all. I am also partnering with several new specialty appraiser services to ensure our pricing remains in line with current market conditions. Like the stock market, the antiques and collectibles market changes with time, our new pricing approach is designed to ensure we remain competitive in the ever-changing landscape. As always, your feedback is always welcome Best regards, Jonathan
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As a follow up to my blog entry entitled “Is the customer/client always right?” I wanted to take a moment and share some additional changes I am planning to make to Professional Estate Sales. For some time now our sales volumes have been increasing; normally a good thing for a business owner, however, it has also presented some unique challenges to my vision for the company. With volumes growing, running numerous sales per week and in multiple locations, my desire to ensure we are providing the best service possible to our clients and customers has been straining, leading to small but still unacceptable mistakes.
Satisfying our customers remains my highest concern. Ensuring we contract only the sales we feel we can truly support to our highest standards has led me to conclude in some cases we must say no. However, in keeping with my desire to ensure no client or customer is left without recourse I am working with my peers in the business to build a referral network where in if Professional Estate Sales is not your ideal match we can ensure you are directed to a well-vetted and reliable resource which can fit your needs. With school starting soon, estate sales generally start to decrease. This is normal and natural ebb and flow in the business. This year as the peak season winds down, we are planning to take time to utilize the lull and lessen our weekly sales to a maximum of two sales per week. This will give us time to give every client the VIP treatment we are used to giving while also refining our customer service model. I will post more on the improvements we are making shortly. Until then, we look forward to seeing all our regular customers and meeting new ones. Best regards, Jonathan We are having a record July so far and we are looking to continue the momentum this weekend with 3 more high quality sales! Come out and see us in Dahlonaga and then go check out historic downtown, it is worth the trip. Additionally we have a sale off Briarcliff with a ton of rare signed memorabilia you don't want to miss. You can also find us in Acworth with another high end sale with something for everyone.
We look forward to seeing each of you at the sales this weekend. You are also invited to check out our updated website. We have made changes to the website to make it easier to navigate on your mobile device. As always, your feedback is always welcome. Best regards, Jonathan In my blog, I try to offer interesting observations about the Estate Sale Business. Professional Estate Sales has grown so quickly and I and the team have learned a lot about customers and clients in the past few years which leads me to the title of this blog, So when we say, “The customer is always right,” what does that mean?
In the days before I was a business owner, it meant that no matter what they, the customer, asked for or how they asked for it, the people who were paying for something got their way. Now as a business owner, I’ve come to understand that this phrase means something slightly different. Yes, the customer is always right, but not because they get all their demands met or they get to be dictators about timelines or processes or fees. The customer is right because ultimately the customer is the only one who can say if they’re happy or not. For the purposes of this post, I will use the term customer interchangeably to reference both the clients who engage Professional Estate Sales to manage their sale as well as the end customer who come to our sales and make purchases. Customer satisfaction can only be judged by one person: the customer. Some customer will be unhappy. It doesn't matter how good I and my team perform or how hard I have tried to understand my customer's desires for an estate sales outcome. It won't matter that just about every other customer I’ve ever had has been not just happy but thrilled with the work my team and I have done for them nor that every weekend we hold sales where we have many repeat customers whom we now regard as friends. As the customer, only they can be right about their level of satisfaction. I nor my team can make everyone happy, this has been a tough lesson to learn as both I and my team make it our mission to ensure every customer is satisfied and treated fairly. Over the years I’ve encountered some customers who I have not been able to please. A customer who insists that they are dissatisfied will remain dissatisfied. This is something that is rarely changeable. And let me tell you, I have no problem letting them be right and therefore, letting them go. I have come to understand, reluctantly, I nor my team can satisfy everyone, every time. Slamming your head against the wall trying to make someone happy after you’ve given them your best doesn’t help either you or your customer. You’re keeping your customer from seeking help from someone who might actually be able to help them on terms they are willing to accept. And you’re keeping yourself from being of service to people who want what you have to offer in the way you have to offer it. The customer may be right, but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong. It may just not be a good fit. And in life, I have come to learn not every situation is a good fit. I will never please everyone, although a utopian dream, it is one I now understand I can not deliver on. The question I have had come to terms with is, how long are you going to beat yourself up about it before you set yourself and your customer free? In our digitally empowered world, these lessons become all the more important. In a time when one can simply type a bad review based on a perceived injustice they feel without factual evidence, it leaves business owners at a disadvantage. Try as we might, to provide the best services possible and the best pricing possible, we can not please everyone. What we can do is encourage everyone to do your research. A simple fly-by review on any website may not tell the whole story. Before engaging an estate sale company, ask for references, make phone calls, make sure you are comfortable with everything that is about to happen. And if you a customer at a sale make yourself known. More often than not a simple conversation will settle any issues that may have arisen. The keys, I have learned, are transparency and open lines of communication. Best Regards, Jon The biggest weekend of Professional Estate Sales existence happened this past weekend. I want to thank everybody who came out and got some awesome deals either in Sandy Springs, Morningside, or Acworth. We had an awesome time seeing everybody and even meeting a bunch of new people. We look forward to seeing everybody this weekend in Marietta and also in Acworth and looking forward to an awesome July.
We have the biggest week for PES coming up this week! 3 ENORMOUS sales and all 3 of them will have VIP pre-sale parties.
Sandy Springs starts Wednesday night and Acworth and Morningside start Thursday night. Make sure you check your email this week and make plans to come by and see us! This note pictured below is one of the main reasons why I started Professional Estate Sales. I and my crew wanted to help those that I can in times of change. I have never turn down an estate sale that I didn’t propose a another solution for if I knew we were not the right solution. Whether it’s having an estate sale on site, sending items to the auction, or referring the customer to another Estate Sale Company more fitted to the customers needs, I will never leave an individual empty-handed. Recently we received this handwritten thank you note from a client and again I was reminded of our mission and purpose, help where we can.  AMAZING WEEKEND!
Thank you to everyone that braved the tornadoes! This upcoming weekend we have 3 Terrific Sales. Including one of our largest sales we’ve ever done in Marietta!! Be sure to look at our pictures! No rain, no snow, no tornadoes will stop us from having successful weekend. We ended up having to add Monday to our sales but you know what it’s worked out great. We had three awesome estate sale this weekend and I am looking forward to seeing everybody next weekend when we have another two great sales coming up.
I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break. We had three incredible estate sales this past weekend and we have another two coming up this weekend.
We have a very busy April with it all heading up to the 5 day monster sale in East Cobb starting on the 24th. Hope to see everyone this weekend either in Decatur at our movie house or in Alpharetta at the former home of Atlanta Falcons player Brooks Reed. |
Jonathan's CornerJonathan Savoy is an entrepreneur at heart and currently the Managing Partner for Professional Estate Sales, LLC based in the Atlanta Metro Area. In my blog I will share weekly updates about the company, the estate sale industry and other information I hope you will find useful and entertaining. Archives
May 2020
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Professional Estate Sales 1109 Trailridge Lane Dunwoody, GA 30338 Phone: (770) 648-1919 jsavoy@professionalestatesale.com |
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