In October, I bought a reproduction of coach Lee Corso's
famous 1979 Indiana sweater from Homefield, the terrific throwback team apparel company founded by an Indiana University
grad.
It's now January. Which seems like a bit of a gap to send me a sweater,
no?
But Homefield is nothing if not meticulously accurate,
historically.
Every four weeks they send me a comprehensive email update discussing
the progress of the project, and what they are doing to get it perfect.
I had far
less detailed play-by-play when I bought a new-build home in 1993. I am not exaggerating.
One of the big decisions on this sweater? What color to make it? The 1979 Hoosiers had a much brighter crimson than today's version. How to strike the balance?
From the December 19 email update:
After several rounds of fabric dying, we found the perfect, rich crimson with just the right pop...Then came finalizing the double-layer twill applique lettering and tri-stripe ribbing.
We had spirited discussions here at Homefield HQ, closely scrutinizing each sample. Size the letters up? Tweak the ribbing by a centimeter? Are the spacing and arch just right?
Our team pored over every detail, because no detail on this sweater is too small, and this latest sample meets our standards.
Wow! I feel like I am on a journey. I feel like I am somehow a participant in this sweater endeavor, even though my contribution was solely to pick a size and plunk down my
Visa.
It's been MONTHS and I don't even care. I cannot wait to get this sweater. I'll add
a picture of it in a future edition of The Baer Facts.
All of us have this opportunity in our organizations: to bring the customer along for the ride, while also managing expectations.
It's why behind-the-scenes content performs so well. Those operational details may be boring to you - because you do it every day - but it's FASCINATING to customers.
Which is why I gave you a link to my new speaking demo
reel at the top of this newsletter!