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Be Nice
By Charles Martin | May 14, 2010
Peter Shankman {thanks for the quick Jamba meeting this week Peter!} posts a reminder that we can all stop and treat everyone in our day-to-day a little bit better. I agree, it has become a “me me” world. I’m one of those me’s. I’m not immune.
I sent this out by email earlier and it’s funny how much interest it provokes. Most comments were about how “there’s no customer service” anymore. I don’t agree. In fact, I’ve tried the “Peter Principals” today at drive-thrus, client calls, client visits, and at the car wash. I was even able to turn a few frowns around. There are places like Houston’s and Mama’s Fish House to prove this theory wrong. And guess what? Even if every single transactional encounter you have is sour, it’s not your queue to lower yourself to their place in life.
And as Peter Shankman outlines, you get more shit done because people want to help you and reciprocate. This reminds me of my friend Craig and how he would treat the smallest of servants as we rode around in taxi cabs taking care of business in New York. Practically everyone got a “that’s a nice sweater and made for you” or “hey – those hi-tops are working!” And boy did people dig it. I would work behind him picking up orders etc through the same avenues and because I was his friend, I got the same treatment. It seemed to me at the time that the waters of Fifth Avenue and beyond just parted for him and then I realized why. I can assure you that his doorman never lost his package!
Love flows people. Negativity clogs.
One thing that strikes me is that most people that responded that service is dead were people that haven’t had what I call shit jobs.
If you haven’t really dug into the trenches and “had” to work at a coffee shop, retail-shirt-folding-hell-work-every-Saturday job, you haven’t truly seen what the public is capable of. I’m not ignoring that both sides of the register need help, because they do. But it’s fun to do the experiment and see how powerful your words and actions really are. I used a friendly face at a local police station recently and my tickets were discharged. Simple as that.
And of course, I ask all of you to continue to pay it forward. One of my favorites is to pay for the coffee or happy meal for the person behind you in line. Walk away. Don’t think twice about it. And certainly don’t gloat about it.
It feels awesome and it’s not about you.
Topics: Greats in business, Mind and Planet | No Comments »