Bill Myers

To stand out from the crowd, sometimes all you need is a bouquet of flowers.

We recently needed some landscaping done, which can require a great deal of advance planning here in Florida. All the good companies are extremely busy year round, often scheduling months in advance.

Luckily, we have a neighbor, Mike, who owns a big landscaping company, and has done work for us in the past.

But spring is the busiest time of year, and he didn't respond to Sonya's first phone call. Or her second, or her third.

Since Sonya needed the landscaping to meet a deadline in a real estate transaction, she decided stronger measures were necessary.

So she sent a big bouquet of flowers to the landscapers's wife, with a note that read, "Sorry to bother you with so many phone calls. We appreciate all the work you have done for us in the past and hope to get on your schedule soon."

The landscaper was at our house the next morning. He said no customer had ever sent his wife flowers and she really appreciated it.

Moral: To stand out from the crowd, sometimes all you need is a bouquet of flowers.