EXPERTISE NEEDED IN AISLE EIGHT

“Excuse me. Do you work here?”

“Me?” I pointed to myself. I had to juggle the 12-pack of soda and jar of peanut butter I was holding. My shopping trips involve very basic needs.

“Do you know where the Saran Wrap is?”

I checked to see if I was wearing a blue polo shirt with a store logo and a name tag. Nope.

“I don’t work here, but I’m sure we can find it together,” I said.

I had this conversation with a woman in our local Jewel food store. I actually did know where the Saran Wrap was located, so I guided her to the correct aisle. We met up again in the check-out line and had a laugh. She thanked me for being such a nice “young man” and we went our separate ways.

Walking to the car, I felt happy that I was able to help. What a nice way to start the day. After all, I can’t remember when I was last called a “young man”.

While going through a bookshelf at home recently, I found a small pad of paper where I jotted down some notes. The book was titled “Managing the Professional Service Firm”. I wrote that there are three benefits a client is looking for: experience, expertise and efficiency. From the condition of the paper and the legibility of the writing, I must have read this book 20 years ago.

These benefits were exactly what the woman in the Jewel was looking for. She needed Saran Wrap but instead of walking around the store for a half hour, she sought someone with experience (lucky me) who had the expertise to guide her efficiently through the shopping experience.

At Prairie, we get phone calls and emails every day from clients and prospective clients, looking for answers to questions. It might be a question regarding a specific product or service or a more general inquiry about what might work in their unique situation. Many times, we cannot help, but it’s always nice to know we are considered a knowledgeable resource.

Our goal at Prairie is to be as helpful as we can, even if we don’t have the solution or answer.

I like to think we demonstrate a high level of experience. After almost 25 years, we’ve managed thousands of projects, including new properties and updates, graphics, property storage and event program management. We put the expertise gained from our experiences to work every day, whether it’s how to pack or ship certain properties, or which graphic process makes the most sense for a specific application.

And finally, we try to be as efficient as possible. Efficiency means clients receive their project or answers as quickly as possible. Efficiency also means keeping costs down, allowing us to provide fair and competitive pricing to our clients.

It may sound like I’m boasting a bit, but I am very proud of everyone here at Prairie and how we strive to provide experience, expertise and efficiency in all that we do.

And if we can’t help you out, we will always try to point you in the right direction. I also know what aisle the cat food is in.


Steve Moskal