I love to read the business section of the wall street journal and entrepreneur magazine because you find such great articles that really inspire you. I know with the invention of FABAtv, I didn’t leave anyone much time to catch up on business weekly, but finding a writer that intrigues you and can motivate you to do great things with your business is just as essential as learning the newest tear drop techniques.

One of my favorite writers, Mike Michalowicz, author of the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, writes a great article for the Wall Street Journal weekly. One of his latest blogs touched on a concept called UPOD, under promise over deliver. The main focus of the article is to help build loyal customers that rave about your service and help you get more business. Who doesn’t want more business? Who doesn’t want to be validated for doing a good job, and who doesn’t enjoy seeing your clients happy?

I put together a list of ways the face painters can incorporate the UPOD attitude within your business. The good part about adopting the UPOD attitude is that most of the time to costs you nothing extra, but can mean a huge return.

• Call the client the day before the event and ask if they have any special requests, let them know you arrive 20 minutes prior to the event time to set up. Then the day of, arrive a couple minutes earlier and introduce yourself to the birthday child or birthday mom. It’s easy to appreciate someone that makes your life easier, if you are early it’s one less thing for the birthday mom to worry about and stress over.
• A week after the event send a handwritten thank you note. There is something to be said about hand written notes. They are a rare thing now a days. A thank you note for having you at the event and how you had a great time, sticks with the customer especially if you have a colorful card or something with your name on it. You will not only stand out, you will help the customer relive the great event they had and how you made it special.
• A gift for the birthday child. The dollar store is full of great gifts you can bundle and wow the birthday child with. Every child loves gifts, and from the face painter they will never expect it. Not only will you impress the parents you will pick up cool points with the kids and they will beg their parents to hire the face painter that brings goodies.
• Ipod speakers! Music is the soundtrack of success. I downloaded disneys greatest hits, kids bop, etc. when I am at a birthday party, most parents forget the music and after all parties need music! So I started setting up my iPod speakers and playing a playlist appropriate for the event. It’s not loud, it’s not meant to be heard by the entire party. It’s more to create a fun ambiance in my little face painting chair. You’d be surprised how relaxed and happy people are well the music gets them going and gets them in the groove.
• Parents or event planners are expecting a face painter, but from talking to the parent you know you will have extra time. Why not bring along your glitter tattoos, or hair sprays and go above and beyond. If I am booked for a 2 hour party with only 8 girls and I bring my paints, glitter tattoos, hair sprays and anything else that no one is expecting. Then when you transform the kids into more than just face painting, parents go crazy and you create fans.

There are millions of ways to create good, happy customers, but Good is the Enemy of great. Don’t settle for good service, or good painting, make it great by thinking of ways to add a little UPOD to your business practices.

I’d love to hear your ways of serving up UPOD. Good ideas can become great ideas when we share them and grow.
Thanks for reading and happy painting!

-Heather
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