It was just after 5:00pm on a Friday when the telephone rang.
We already had an ongoing matter together and one final step remained before we could move forward. The client sounded almost embarrassed as he explained the situation. He was sitting in a café in Paris with the funds for our engagement fee safely inside an envelope. The problem was that everything was in cash.
He laughed and admitted that online banking had never really been his thing. Depositing the money, making an international transfer or finding a practical solution before the weekend simply wasn’t going to happen. His question was surprisingly straightforward.
“Is there any chance you could come to Paris instead?”
Commitment Isn’t Measured During Office Hours.
There wasn’t much to discuss.
Within the hour, we had booked a flight to Paris, landed at Charles de Gaulle and taken a taxi into the city. By the time we finally met, it was approaching 10:00pm. We collected the envelope, sat down together, shared dinner and continued discussing the wider project as though we had planned the evening weeks in advance.
Only then did the client smile and admit something we hadn’t expected.
The envelope had never really been the point.
He wanted to know whether we genuinely meant what we said when we promised to be available whenever our clients needed us. He wanted to know if we would actually get on a plane on a Friday evening simply because the situation required it.
The answer was now sitting across the table.
Before we left, he quietly insisted on arranging everything himself. Our hotel for the night was taken care of, and the following morning he had already booked a British Airways Business Class ticket back to London.
“People rarely remember the paperwork. They remember who showed up when it mattered most.”
At Sutterson Reed, our role extends well beyond banking, finance or administration. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer is simply being present when our clients need us, regardless of the time, the location or the inconvenience. Because exceptional service isn’t defined by what we say during a meeting. It’s defined by what we’re willing to do once the meeting is over.
