I Heart Coffee

I drink 30 oz of coffee every morning. That’s 2 servings from a Yeti rambler. Hot, black, and strong. My wife buys the Costco brand. It’s got an orangy-red label that I’ve never read, because I don’t care.

I know a lot of people – my daughter comes to mind – who wouldn’t drink this coffee if they’d just been rescued from being stranded in the arctic for a week. You do you, boo. I don’t care about the brand of coffee I drink.

Same with wine. I have a relative who has a wine cellar, within which the least expensive bottle is well over $100. My wife buys the brand in the yellow box at Target. That aforementioned relative wouldn’t even cook with this wine. That’s ok. You do you, boo.

Same with beer. Yes, I have my go-to beer when I’m buying it (Yuengling), but if you hand me any ice cold beer, I’m gonna say thanks, clink bottles, and enjoy it, especially after 18 holes of golf.

And I’m confident I can hit a Wal-Mart golf ball into the woods or water just as effectively as I can hit a Titleist Pro V1x. Just give me a sleeve and let’s play.

I like my eggs scrambled with cheese, Waffle House style. My burgers with American cheese, tomatoes, and mayo. My turkey sandwiches with bacon, avocado, and mustard. My steak medium rare. My peanuts salted. Oatmeal raisin cookies, Spicy Chick-Fil-A with mayo, any kind of chocolate, Mac or PC doesn’t matter. And tap water.

My point with all this personalized information is that I have specific preferences and requirements about certain things. The coffee is a hard requirement, but the brand doesn’t matter. But most things I just don’t get too picky about. It just doesn’t matter to me. There is drama in decisions, and freedom aside from them.

Which means I’m just like everyone else, except for my preferences and requirements. And that’s what makes me – and you – unique.

That’s what we look for when we are in the service business. What are their preferences, and what do they not care about? What is highly specific and meaningful, and what carries no weight at all? What are the requirements versus what will bring them joy?

It takes time, but once you get to know your clients’, your co-workers’, your peers’, your friends’, your family’s preferences, you can deliver them, provide them, surprise them, and bring them joy with some of the little things in life.

Or you can bring them joy by removing the drama of having to decide something they care nothing about.

But you gotta take the time to get to know their preferences. There’s no substitute or replacement for time spent face to face with other people.

How much coffee do you drink on the daily?