I had a couple things happen to me this week. Some bad, some good. In retrospect, they all gave me one of my “Doink Moments”. They are good reminders to me that I’m doing things right, and so are lots of other people. I thought I’d share them with you. Maybe you can use the lessons in your own way to make your business more successful, and the world a better place in the process.
Last Friday night at 3a.m., my wife and I were out on our deck watching the meteor showers. We heard a very loud c-r-a-a–a-c-k. Apparently, a very large tree in my yard split down the middle, and half of it threatened to crush my garage. At 4a.m., my wife and I were out there pushing her classic 1967 Mustang out of the garage and into the neighbor’s yard, along with a couple of my old boats (If my wife is reading this, I mean CLASSIC boats…lol) and other things that we could move before the tree finished coming down and crushed the garage and everything in it. When 8a.m. Saturday morning rolled around, I started making calls to local tree services. There was a storm coming that afternoon, and if it hadn’t fallen on it’s own, the storm surely would have finished the job that the tree started.
The first place I called was someone my neighbor referred me to. (That’s lesson number one, if you’re keeping track. More on this below). I couldn’t reach him, so by 9a.m. I began working my way through the phonebook. I called and left messages at 3 different tree services. On my fourth try, I got an answering machine, but in his message, the owner also left his cellphone number. I called it. I explained what happened and he said he’d be over in a little bit to look at the tree. He was here in less than 5 minutes! I didn’t even have time to finish my smoke. (That’s lesson number two). He looked at the tree and said, “Yep, you’re gonna lose the garage.” He was on the phone immediately. Before he arrived he put his crew on standby for a callout. Within 30 minutes his crew and equipment were here, making things safe. When they finished 4 hours later, the area around my garage was actually cleaner than it is normally! I told them not to worry about it, but they insisted on doing a good cleanup. (Lesson three, right there). They’ll be back in a couple of weeks to finish that tree and take out another that is in even worse shape.
That was one week ago, and guess what? Not a single one of the other businesses I called has bothered to call me back. When this guy finishes my tree work in another week or two, I’ll have spent $1000 with him. (Another lesson).
The second thing that got my attention this week was another example of incredible customer service. If you’ve looked at my Projects page, you’ll know that one of my writing projects is documenting the restoration of an old sailboat. It’s 30 years old. That particular model was only made for about 2 years. I bought the hull and mast about a month ago. No sails, no motor, no trailer, no nothing. It’s going to be difficult to find original parts, right? Well, I thought so, too. Keep reading ;o)
Once I got the boat home and began to formulate the ideas for my article, I began to search for information about the boat and it’s manufacturer. I started with Google, and moved on to some of my local boat shops, dealers, and marinas. I put a call in to who I thought was the original manufacturer, and left a message. That was a month ago. It turns out that they are not the maker of the boat, but they did have someone on staff who used to work for the original company. I hadn’t heard anything since then, so I wrote off the idea of ever hearing back from anyone there. (Here comes another lesson).
Yesterday afternoon I was out looking at the mess that is my yard. My phone rang. I wasn’t going to answer it because I didn’t recognize the number. I’m glad I changed my mind and decided to answer it! Imagine my absolute shock and delight when the person on the other end of the phone identified himself as the General Manager of the boat manufacturer I called, and he apologized profusely for not calling sooner. Apparently he misplaced my number and had just stumbled across it again. Long story short, this guy was prepared before he called me. He told me about the history of the boat and the company that made it. He gave me contact information for several people that I can interview, and he even gave me some places that may possibly have original parts in stock! He finished his call by giving me his email address, agreeing to be interviewed for my article, and to help however he can, and apologizing again for taking so long to call me back.
So these are the lessons I want to share with you. First, if you want the business, you have to be available, like my tree guy. He gave me a way to reach him. That just netted him $1000 dollars. He got here quick. He did a great job. He just made a customer for life. I’ll call him first, before I call anyone else. Regardless of price comparisons. He treated me like a friend, not a customer. Who do we go to first, or ask for referrals when we need something? Our friends. If you can make your customers feel like friends, they’ll come back to you no matter what, and they will send everyone they know to you.
The GM of the boat manufacturer called me back after an entire month. He had obviously prepared before the phone call by putting so much information and so many contacts together. I’ll send whatever business his way that I can, and you can bet that you’ll be seeing more information about him and links to his company on my pages here!
So, if you want to do better than most, don’t follow the crowd. Go Old-School. Be available. Answer your phone or return your calls. Give people more than they expect. I do those things in my own business, and I have to say, it’s working. And, it gives me inner peace and satisfaction to do things the way that I think they should be done. Stay true to your own voice. It’s one surefire way to success and passion. Joseph Campbell said it very well: “Follow your bliss.”
Good luck and be well. And if the tree guy or the boat guy are reading this…you know who you are. Thank you so much! Cheers!
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