We recently connected with Alison Altrui and have shared our conversation below.
Alison, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?
The best boss I ever had was working in a health food store in 2013-2016. I had worked retail most of my life, then after 6 years I got fired. I had also gotten in a car wreck recently, too. Needless to say I came to my interview, which my friend had set up for me, not in the best headspace and depressed. I was honest in my interview, he knew I got fired the day before, but he gave me a chance and I got the job. I stayed there for 3 years and loved almost every minute.
I have always been shy. This was a new job, a new type of work and I had zero idea what I was doing. I exercised but didn’t know much beyond the simple classes I had taken. My boss was Kevin. It was mostly him who taught me and educated me on vitamins and such to where I knew what every product in my store did and knew what to match almost anything with. He was not only a great educator with product but had excellent customer service and you could tell he was a great person out of work, too. I am outgoing for the most part now mostly because of him. He taught me to take chances and showed me how if you don’t offer, you don’t get anything. This job was heavy on the sales but with that came courage and less fear of the word no.” I will always remember during in store training with him during my first week he asked if I was outgoing and I said “not really.” He replied “well, this might not be the job for you then,” but I told him I would try.
I have carried the lessons that job and Kevin taught me from then on and I am so glad everything happened the way it did in my life. I don’t let hearing “no” get me down and I continuously educate myself to get better. I’m not scared to put myself or my business out there.
Alison, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m Alison and I own Christella Photography in Strongsville, Ohio. I started with a simple camera years ago and my passion grew from there. My passion is being able to capture your special moments so you can remember and view them forever. I specialize in family and motherhood photography but also offer maternity photos and newborn lifestyle photography. I pride myself in excellent customer service, fun sessions and ingenuity. I help my clients have images they can look back on and remember how their children were at each age and how they grow so quickly, changing every day sometimes! How they grow up in the blink of an eye.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think I’m any business one of the most important things is customer service. Friendliness, professionalism and being early, not just on time.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
To keep in touch with clients I try to follow them on social media. That way they can keep up with me and I can keep up with them, too! It also shows friendliness.
In addition, after each session I send them a hand written thank you card with a magnet for them to put on their fridge of one of their favorite images from our session. I also send them something for their Christmas tree a few months before Christmas so they keep me in mind for holiday photos.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Clevelandsfamilyphotographer.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/christella.photography
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/christellaphotography
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/clefamilyphotog