Two true stories from a weary sales trainer
By : Jeffrey Gitomer
I flew to Hawaii last spring for the first time. Seven hours in the plane can really wear you out. I was met at the airport by my host, and given the compulsory necklace of flowers. Fantasy fulfilled.
Gritty from the plane ride, I entered the lobby of the Hawaii Prince Hotel, walked over to the reception desk and was greeted with an arousing "aloha!" The receptionist then promptly handed me a steamed washcloth. Ah! Just the refreshment and revitalization I needed. What a great way to greet a customer, what a welcome!
How do you greet your customer?
Besides the price of the room and a few adornments very little distinguishes one hotel room from another. But a hot washcloth stopped me in my tracks. It was a surprise an unexpected moment of pleasure something small that separated the Hawaii Prince from all the hundreds of hotels in which I've stayed.
What separates you from your competition?
A simple washcloth was all it took to make my stay at the Hawaii Princess memorable. Now every time I check into a hotel I'm looking for the washcloth and disappointed when it does not show up.
Where's the washcloth in your business?
What standards are you setting? What makes people talk about you?
What makes people look forward to doing business with you?
What makes people tell others about your business, like I'm telling you about the Hawaii Prince Hotel?
Another true story
My British Air flight from Budapest to London was delayed two hours. Already trapped on the plane, I was so angry that I couldn't see straight. But this delay would be different than so many past miserable experiences the crew was British, not American.
The cabin crew supervisor's voice immediately came over the plane's speakers with the message: "There's nothing we can do about the fog in London, but we can eat!
The crew was wonderful. They served us "real" food with fresh brewed coffee and tea. When the plane finally took off, all the passengers were happy and content.
An hour into the flight, the supervisor's voice again came over the plane's speakers. "A bit more bad news," he said. "I'm afraid the fog has lifted, but the air traffic has backed things up another hour. For those of you making transfers don't worry too much this plane was supposed to take off for Sweden two minutes ago." Everyone erupted in laughter.
Five minutes later, he's on the loud speaker again. "To pass the time, we're going to have a contest. Guess the collective age of the cabin crew and win a prize." I was shocked and amused as were the rest of the 150 passengers. Fun on the airlines imagine that? Everyone was talking and having a good time. The crew came through the cabin and collected the scraps of paper containing our guesses. The winners were soon announced. Can you guess who won? Of course I did! My prize was nice, but not as nice as the fun I had playing the game.
"Are we strapped in and ready for landing, sir?" said the delightful flight attendant with her jovial British accent. For the first time in 500 flights I couldn't wait to get my belt on.
Again the crew supervisor-cum-entertainer addressed the passengers. "Below us is the House of Parliament where John Major is temporarily in power." Again everybody roared with laughter.
The crew of British Air took a negative business problem, in this case a three-hour delay, and turned it into a positive experience by making everyone happy.
When you do something out of the ordinary you create memories and set a standard. How do you follow it? You improve upon your service. Your competition will be woefully lacking by comparison.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of North Carolina-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com (mailto:salesman@gitomer.com)
