A few years ago, I heard the story of Ronnie who owned his own construction business. Ronnie had accepted a down payment from a client to do some remodeling but had dragged his feet in getting the job completed. The customer had complained several times, but Ronnie always had an excuse as to why the […]
Sooner or later you’re going to mess up. Everyone does. But what you do about your mistake is the thing that defines you both personally and professionally. I had just walked off the stage and was talking to the association president about the event. He raved about how his group had loved my presentation and […]
For just a moment, forget about productivity. Forget about making your company more money. Forget getting a better performance review. To me, good customer service isn’t really about any of those things. To me, providing good customer service is about the person that I want to be. Think about the last time you were provided […]
Have you ever noticed that so much attention is given to training employees, but so little to training customers? You are, at this very moment, training your customers. Every time you interact with your customer in your business, you are communicating something about yourself and your business. In every interaction, no matter how small, your […]
I’m going to go ahead and assume you like to hear people say great stuff about me as much as I do, so here’s some folks doing just that.
Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Jessica Parker are sitting in a small café shooting an episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Their meal is winding down and the subject of the check comes up. Sarah feigns picking up the check and asks, “Are you waiting for me to offer up some cash?” They have a […]
Not all of my customer service stories are about great service. This is a video of me telling a story about bad service I’ve gotten, but don’t worry! I disguise the name of the company so you’ll never know who I’m talking about!
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a customer. I am the person that makes the economic engine turn. I am the reason you take home a paycheck. I am the reason you are able to feed your family, pay your mortgage, go on vacation, buy a car, and contribute to your church or synagogue. […]
I once heard Jerry Seinfeld say that the audience decides whether or not a joke is funny. The comedian can love the joke. He can believe in it and deliver it flawlessly, but if the audience doesn’t laugh, then guess what? It’s not funny and has to be cut from the routine. That seems like […]
On a warm day in early November, I heard the sound of chainsaws in my neighbor’s yard, so I wandered outside to find that he had hired a company to cut down some trees. One of the tree cutters was cutting limbs halfway up a huge, 60-foot oak tree located just inches from my neighbor‘s […]
