Six years ago I had ten custom made shirts which I paid one hundred and twenty five dollars each.  When I went to pick them up at the dry cleaner they all had the same tear in the same place as a result of a machine malfunction.  Al gave me a credit of one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars on the spot and then offered to repair the damage which was under the collar and would go unnoticed.

This morning I picked up my dry cleaning at the local dry cleaner.  I could go to any one of six different establishments in our area but I have stayed with Al's dry cleaning over the years.

This morning I said to Al "Al thank you so very much for what you do".  With his oriental accent he said yes, I clean your suits and shirts. I said no Al, you do more than that. You Al, because of what you do make sure I am always very presentable when I visit my clients. You also give me quality time to spend with my family.

One could say Al is running a business that has become a commodity, or not. I recognize the value he brings into my life. He may not have.

Here is a more important question. How many salespeople do not see the contribution their service or product provides and because of that are willing to drop their price to get an order rather than sell a value proposition?