In the last few months I have had the privilege of meeting several concierge via Twitter. The firms they represent are in the USA, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Caribbean. One thing is for sure,being a concierge right now is not easy. You have to have the personality to serve and be great under pressure to make it work.
I have joined a few online networks, telephone conferences, Linkedin groups all in the hopes of meeting concierges who are willing to teach as well as learn. I have been told that I think outside the box. I guess that is a good thing, but I am going to tell you a secret. I love to get the opinion of those who don't think like me so that I can gage just how outside the box I am.
I am always full of ideas and love to help others execute their vision. But even I must acknowledge it takes more than a great idea, a great marketing plan, and kismet. It sometimes takes restraint. The restraint to keep going even when it has been a bad day or week. The restraint not to announce your plans until they have been executed. I can finally admit that there are many seedy characters in our field. They are in the business for the money. They refuse to come up with an original idea and they feel that "business is business" when they "borrow" your whole concept.Theft is unavoidable.
You will have potential clients who will listen to your pitch, then they will try to execute your services in-house. Don't worry about those people. They wouldn't have paid you on time anyway. They are trying to save a dollar. They are not interested in the quality. As a concierge I provide a service. If you are counting your pennies, I'm probably not the right person for you. I hire people all the time for my personal use. I can barely cook. Now, does that mean that I am going to beat myself up over that? No. Am I going to starve? No. So to me it is an investment when I am having a small gathering at my home to hire a personal chef. Now, will I count my pennies? UM, NO. I want the best I can get so that I can impress my clients. You don't scrimp on some things. The chef gets paid his full fee and a tip. A happy chef is the secret to a great dinner.
I don't know about anybody else, but I want the dentist, the chef, the doctor who comes to work whistling, not the one who is stressed out about his bills. I understand that we are in an economic downturn. I know that the recovery doesn't feel like one to a lot of people. Maybe hiring a concierge for a week will be a splurge for you or as a gift for someone special. That is great! Stress is dangerous. A concierge alleviates stress by taking things off your plate. Concierges free up your time to take care of pressing matters. How many of us have given ourselves headaches this month because we didn't have the time or the strength to do everything? That is when you call a concierge and order their virtual package. Let them call the doctor and make the appointment for you. Let them call your cable, telephone, or internet provider and pay your bill for you or fight it out with the customer service agent who refuses to credit your account. Let them find the closest dry cleaner who will get rid of that impossible stain on your favorite outfit. Let them sit on Gilt Group and do the shopping for you when you are in a meeting. I promise you, if you try it for a week, you will see how it affects your productivity and stress level. My company (shameless plug) http://www.worthaveconcierge.com/ runs specials all the time for first timers. I add extra hours for non believers. I believe in what I do. I whistle while I work. Shouldn't you?
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