One of the highlights of my life is when my wife makes me special desserts. Last week for my birthday, she made an amazing ice cream cake for me.

Sure, she could have been like everybody else and just whipped out the Betty Crocker mix and can of frosting to create a mediocre cake. I would have smiled and said it tasted great.  And no one would have ever known the better. But, she didn't, and I didn't have to fake liking a boring cake. She went the extra mile and it was so special that I took a picture of the cake. BTW, my camera has a food setting on it, and I could never figure out why you would take a picture of your food until I saw this cake! Going the extra mile is what separates the best from the rest of the pack. Especially in difficult economic times, if you go the extra mile for your customers - either by giving them more than they asked for, giving them a bonus item or freebie, or just simply following up to make sure that their buying experience was more than they had hoped for, they will be rewarded. And so will you!