MY friend and I visited a beautiful boutique wedding dress shop in our local village, for a 4pm appointment.

We were greeted by the owner with a friendly smile, by name and our coats were taken from us.

The décor was to die for, the floors had lush deep pile carpet and the shop was wonderful.

We were offered tea and cake. The tea was served in bone china cups and saucers; the cake was displayed on a matching cake stand. The boutique owner was an absolute delight and showed complete care and consideration.

My friend sat on a beautiful couch, and ate cake and drank tea while I tried on five dresses. I left at 5.45pm (the boutique closed at 5pm) feeling like a princess. I didn’t buy, but knew I would be back, as I had seen the dress I loved.

Two weeks later, with my sister and mother, I went to a wedding dress shop in another nearby village. Our appointment was at 4pm.

We walked in and the lady who owned the shop was talking with a previous client who was also her friend. She did not acknowledge us for more than ten minutes.

The shop was brightly lit, the dresses were poorly hung, the floor was stark, and we felt very unwanted.

Once she acknowledged us with a little more than a grunt, she asked me to pick out some dresses. I took my coat off and gave it to my mother to hold. Both she and my sister were left standing, and the shop owner was not at all interested in us as clients.

The whole experience was unpleasant. She didn’t care for us as customers, we were the last of her day, and the shop closed at 5pm.

She made sure we were out of the shop not long after this. I tried many dresses, but I left deflated and swore that I would never go back.

So what was the difference between the two that made one so great and the other so poor?

* The greeting of the proprietor – friendly vs rude.

* The extra value in one (tea and cake) and lack of value in the other.

* The way the shop was lit and the care taken with décor to create ambience.

* One made you feel special, the other like cattle.

So the point of these two tales – remember it really isn’t difficult to be exceptional, but it is very easy to be rubbish. The lack of attention to detail will lose you that sale, and possibly many more as your reputation spreads.