​Did you know that coffee is the most consumed product worldwide? Three billion cups consumed every day. Being one of those three billion cups, I am lucky to have a wife who loves coffee as much as I do. And she takes it just like me — coffee + creamer. Really don’t understand how people can drink it straight.

Coffee is my guilty pleasure, or so multiple media outlets would have me believe. If starting the day off with coffee is some kind of nutritional sin, then I’ll go to confession weekly. As I sit here drinking my third cup, I am wondering how much coffee is too much? 

Like the Coronavirus, there is a whole bunch of information out there that seems to change regularly. Some of the most fit people I know crush coffee. Don’t know how many cups they drink a day, but I do know it’s more than one, and they are in killer shape. A little research for answers and it turns out there is quite a bit written about coffee drinking. 

Boom! You can drink coffee and some is even good for you!  

WebMD and health.com websites sited The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) as their source for credible information. Being the skeptic that I am, I couldn’t find any data revealing their biggest sponsor to be Folgers Coffee, so their information seems legit. Turns out, the AJCN is “The most highly rated peer-reviewed, primary research journal in nutrition and dietetics. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition publishes the latest research on topics in nutrition, such as obesity, vitamins and minerals, nutrition and disease, and energy metabolism.”

A study conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia suggested that drinking six (6) or more cups of coffee per day may increase your risk of heart disease by up to 22%. They analyzed the health records and self-reported dietary patterns of 347,077 participants between the ages of 37 and 73 — not a bad sample size. That many people, I think we can agree the data should be fairly accurate (given the rule that each study will be within 2% to 3% margin of error). I’ll buy those results and limit my consumption to five (5). 

Also, according to an article in Time Magazine, drinking up to eight (8) ounces of coffee a day is good for you. The indulgence can actually help you live longer. 

Note to self: no more guilt over that afternoon cup!

​Or so we say until there’s a dry spell. Rain, rain, glad you’re here, but please, only on weekends in our business. Last year about this time we started an entire sign pack project in Culver City for a 30-year old corporate office building. It was a major remodel — the Request for Quote came in as a 28-page PDF document.

Quite an undertaking and a great opportunity to test our strength as a team.

By the time we won the bid, the project was well into the remodel phase, making it challenging to perform a site survey and determine exactly where signs were to be placed. Looking back, there wasn’t a page that didn’t require edits, from changing the letters to be without trim to the location of the directional signage. And as usual, there was the long wait to obtain permits from the local municipality.

​We plotted a course for production and construction of each item on the project list, working closely with the client via weekly meetings which included our fabrication team and customer service reps. We provided samples, artwork, and even created the required renderings to complete the project.

​Plot, plan, and adjust. To give you an idea of the process, we typically print out ALL items onto an 8.5x11 sheet, walk the property with the client and tape up the signage throughout. This give us an assessment of what needs adjusting and whether change orders are necessary. As each page of the RFQ is approved, we collaborate with fabrication to procure materials and allocate time as precisely as possible to achieve the best results manpower allows and the weather permits.

​By the time we were finished, DWJ had installed over 276 signs throughout the remodeled building. Everyone was happy — and still is. We have been able to provide touch ups, add names, and be a continued partner with this valued client.

OMG!! This guy won’t stop calling! IGNORE!

That was me 10 minutes before I sat down to write this blog. Every morning these days I get an email from an address I’ve never seen before: “Hi Dietrich…I was looking at your website and I noticed…” DELETE!

In this 2020 biz world, we’re bombarded with advertisements, some got-to-have product we’ve got to have. Frankly, it’s sleazy and cheesy. I can’t be the only one who finds it annoying when Mike Trout is pushing a protein drink on his Instagram page. I get it. We shouldn’t fault people for peddling their products or services, but there really is an etiquette to this. It separates the discerning professional from the indiscriminate snake oil guy.

I’ve been in sales my entire career. I have been politely asked to get lost.

​From those experiences, here’s my learn on business etiquette. Refer to THE BOOK. Yes, I’m talking about Emily Post’s Etiquette. Adhering to rules of etiquette is how successful people conduct themselves. Basically, it’s how you get people to listen and maybe even like you. Be interested in people and they will generally be interested in you. Be + considerate.

It really is simple. Follow the Golden Rule. Don’t do unto someone else something you wouldn’t want done unto you. I hate it when someone spams me, therefore, I don’t do it to others. I know. It’s a numbers game, but it ultimately does more harm than good.

Sure, cold call or email a potential client, but do it considerately. Research before you pick up the phone or type a word. Anticipate a genuine need or want, instead of trying to sell. No need to be pushy. Begin the relationship with a subtle touch, then follow the contact on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Get to know them and what they like. Not every contact should become a customer — there’s a polite way to find that out.

It isn’t spamming and calling three times a day.

You’re single and ready to mingle, not married and you are looking for a girlfriend or a boyfriend. What does that person look like? How does that person act? What are his or her hobbies? Do they work out? Do they read a lot? Do they like to write? Do they chew with their mouth open?

Just like a perfect partner, some customers are perfect and some – not so much.  

When it comes to customers, we typically run a “come one, come all” attitude towards business. We will work with anyone who is willing to work us, unlike dating where we become very particular about who we will accept. The reality is that not every customer is for us.

We are routinely asked, “Can you print this?”, “Can you make that?”, “How fast can you do it?” My reply is “Well, I’m not pushing a Bentley, so of course we will take the work.” In the early days, I would put in hours and hours to produce an invitation — paper samples, design samples, running proofs, running proofs, running proofs (you get the idea). I could have charged $5,000 for the 250 invitations and would still have lost money. Highly unlikely that customer will place future orders or be a referral source. Although very nice people, we should have sent them to an online supplier specialist.

Fortunately, there are customers who are oh so perfect. We have accounts that order from us every single day, tell us constantly how grateful they are for our service, and always pay their bills. That said, the concept that “I like the customers who like me” is the fastest way to lose money and go out of business. Since taking our lumps, we have created the profile of what we believe is our perfect customer.

Our ideal is an overworked purchasing department, facilities department or marketing team. A company with multiple locations across California — property management, credit unions, fast food chains, coffee franchises — who can simply click the “Forward” button and we take it from there. The reality is that most client relationships begin as a push-pull effort to match goals and needs with capabilities. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can’t. The better we are at listening and hearing, the more often the ideal customer shows up.

Oh, and one other thing. According to Grant Cordone (If You’re Not First, Your Last), the money is in the follow up. I would never have ended up marrying my wife if I had not followed up many, many, times. Customers are the same. This Covid-19 distancing period is the opportune time to get virtually closer to your “oh so perfect” clients. Follow up!