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Some business people forget the customer or client is your reason for being in business! I assure you, this principle is never forgotten at Quill.

Located in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Quill is North America’s largest business-to-business direct marketer of office supplies, business furniture and technology products.

Quill’s founder and president Jack Miller, humbly began his business in 1956 with a phone in his father’s chicken store and a $2,000 loan from his father-in-law. By 1998, this privately held company had annual sales in excess of $630 million dollars. (In May of 1998, Quill was sold to Staples for $685 million dollars!)

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jack since 1987. His office was only 20 minutes from mine, so I’ve had the opportunity to join him for an early breakfast, and interview him on my radio talk show. Jack and his brothers, Harvey and Arnold, identified commitment to customers as one of the keys to Quill’s incredible track record.

At Quill, customer service wasn’t rhetoric. It was and still is, reality! Jack’s Quill office was a testament to this basic business tenet and to his success. But perhaps what fascinated me most about Jack’s office, was that he was surrounded by “ideas!” On countless engraved wooden plaques were sayings, quotes and slogans focusing on excellence, selling, commitment and service. One of them declared, “We’re happy, but not satisfied!”

Jack and his brothers turned these slogans into measurable action. They were always looking for ways to better serve their 700,000 plus customers. For example, Quill set up customers with an electronic ordering system accessible through compatible personal computers and equipped with special software Quill supplied. The system enabled customers to not only benefit from computerized ordering, but to also review their past purchases, as well as share business ideas with Quill and their fellow customers.

Quill also made a commitment to significantly enhance or speed up its delivery system. Virtually very order received by 6 p.m. was shipped that same day. And it arrived the next day! An incredible commitment, when you realize Quill handled over 12,000 orders each day. This commitment to speed and convenience was also practiced when an order was placed. Quill answered over 93 percent of all incoming calls on the first ring.

Quill’s dedication to the customer is especially evident when walking through the halls of their corporate headquarters. Throughout its corridors are large framed posters that proclaim, “The Quill Customer’s Bill of Rights.” It was first published in 1970 when Quill had 32 employees. It was restated, approved and reprinted in the Quill catalog on April 1, 1987, when Quill had grown to more than 850 employees. (Today, Quill has more than 1,300 employees.)

Next week, you’ll see the seven key tenets in The Quill Customers’ Bill of Rights.

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Jeff Blackman is a speaker, author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer who lives part-time on Marco Island. His clients call him a “business-growth specialist.” Send an e-mail to jeff@jeffblackman.com or go to www.jeffblackman.com to subscribe to his free e-letter.