Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

You have two alternatives. You can blend in with the mold or you can rise above the rest.

Remarkable customer support will position a business in a class by itself. But, the craving to grant wonderful customer support isn’t something in which we're born. It’s a option we make. The subsequent account is one which you may have heard before, but it bears repeating.
Harvey Mackay, a well-known writer and motivational orator, recounts the brilliant story about a cab driver, who demonstrated this feature. Harvey was waiting in line for a ride at the air port. Whenever a cab pulled up, the original thing Harvey noticed was how the taxi was polished to a brilliant shine. Stylishly dressed with a white shirt, black tie, and newly pressed black slacks, the taxi driver jumped out and rounded the automobile to ajar the rear passenger door for Harvey. He gave Harvey a plastic-coated card and said, “I’m Wally, your driver. While I am loading your baggage within the trunk I would like you to read my mission statement.” Greatly surprised, Harvey read the card. It read: Wally’s Mission Statement: ‘Get my customers to their destination within the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible inside a friendly environment,’
This blew Harvey away … particularly as soon as he noticed that the interior of the cab matched the outer surface. Perfectly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally asked, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.” Harvey said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.” Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and diet Coke, water and orange juice.”
Caught in shock, Harvey said, “I’ll take a diet Coke.”
Handing him his soda, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”
As they ended up pulling away, Wally gave Harvey an additional laminated card. “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.” Next, as if that weren’t plenty, Wally explained to Harvey that he had the air conditioning turned on and inquired if the temperature was comfy for him. Afterward he advised Harvey on the best way to his destination at that moment in time of day. He additionally let him know that he would be content to speak and divulge him about some of the sights or else, if Harvey favored, to leave him in his particular thoughts.
“Tell me, Wally,” Harvey inquired the driver, “Have you always served customers like this?”
Wally smiled from the rear-view mirror. “No, not at all times. In truth, it’s only been in the previous two years. My former five years driving, I spent nearly all of my time cranky resembling all the rest of the cabbies do. Subsequently I noticed on the radio one day that if you get out of bed in the morning expecting to have a awful day, you’ll not often disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles rise over the crowd.’
“That struck me precisely between the eyes,” said Wally. “That was certainly talking regarding me. I was constantly quacking and irritable, subsequently I decided to vary my way of behaving and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty; the drivers were unfriendly; and the prospects were unhappy. Accordingly I decided to create several variations. I put in a few at a time. When my visitors responded in a good way, I did more.”
“I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.
“It by all means has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my takings from the previous year. This time I’ll most likely quadruple it. You ended up lucky to get me today. I don’t wait at cabstands anymore. My clients set up me for appointments on my cellular phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I cannot gather them up myself, I search out a dependable cabbie colleague to do it, and I receive a piece of the action.” Wally was unparalleled. He was running a limo agency out of a Yellow Cab.
Harvey probably told that story to greater than 50 taxi drivers over the years, and only two took the suggestion and ran with it. Every time he goes to their cities, he provides them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked akin to ducks and shared with him every one of the factors they couldn’t complete any of what he suggested. Wally the cab driver made a uncommon choice. He decided to halt quacking akin to a duck and began soaring reminiscent of an eagle.
How about us? How do we make it? Truly the style Wally did … by going the extra mile:
• Constantly place your best foot forward: Be neat, fresh, and well groomed. Have breath that smells fresher than home-made cookies. Show a good beam and display personal warmth.
• Take time to get acquainted: Show your lead by expression and/or attitude that you recognize the value of them opening the customer's dwelling to you. Be pleasant, but not familiar. Don’t hurry them. Take as long as they need to get at ease with you before you go from your sales presentation.
• Stay knowledgeable: Be acquainted with the Company. Be acquainted with the products, and at all times make certain the service you recommend is the greatest fit for the prospect. By no means sell a policy simply to create a sale.
• Be accessible when your client has a claim: Procure a individual interest. Make sure the claim is handled swiftly and easily and provide any aid considered necessary. Treat them like your own mom and dad.
• Stay in contact: Send out birthday cards, holiday cards, etc., to customers so they see all through the year that you recognize the value of them. Acknowledge weddings, additional infants, graduations, funerals, and other family events. Let them know their families are of great consequence to you too. Make them feel special at every chance.
We can all receive a example from Wally! Bear in mind, ducks quack, but eagles soar.