Читать книгу Coloring Outside the Lines - Jeff Tobe - Страница 8

LESSONS FROM THE PUMP

Do people go Out of Their Way to doBusiness with You?

On a business trip to Washington, DC, I experienced one of those days where everything went wrong from beginning to end. Not only were the day’s business dealings a complete flop, but the 250 mile drive back to Pittsburgh PA looked like it was going to be a disaster as well. As I approached the halfway point---an exchange on the Pennsylvania turnpike called ‘Breezewood’---I glanced at my gas gage and realized it read empty. I decided to treat myself and I pulled into a full-serve bay; a luxury of which I rarely partake!

Before I could even get my car into park, a young man of about 14 years, threw open the service station door and ran to my car in the pouring rain. I repeat---HE RAN TO MY CAR! From under the brim of his oil stained and rain soaked ball cap, his eyes gleamed and he smiled as he greeted me.

“Hiya sir! Can I help you?”

I was in no mood to be friendly. “Just fill it up”, I said rather flatly.

As he approached the rear of my car, he began to whistle loudly. Now, understand that it was freezing outside, this kid is getting soaked and he is whistling. I looked in my rear view mirror and panicked as I watched as he proceeded to jam my gas cap into the nozzle to make the gas empty into my car on its own accord. Why the horror? I realized that this left him free to come back up to talk to me. I didn’t want to talk to this kid—he was a little too friendly for me.

“So, havin’ a bad day are ya?” he deduced. “What do ya do for a livin’?” I wasn’t going to get into training and consulting with a 14 year old, so I proclaimed myself a motivational speaker.

He smiled a knowing smile and proclaimed, “SO AM I”!!!

NOW HE HAD MY ATTENTION. I immediately asked, “How are you a motivational speaker”? He looked me straight in the eye and explained, “Well, I’m not really a speaker, but I am motivational!” He continued, “Isn’t your job to get in front of people and get them up and going?” I nodded in agreement. “My job is to stick the nozzle in and keep them going!!!”

I would agree that his answer was a little bizarre. This young kid had taught me two very valuable lessons in life. The first is simply to look at what you do from a different perspective. The second, and most important, is that people want to do business with people who seem to enjoy what they do for a living. This kid obviously enjoyed what he did for a living and for the past few years I stop at that gas station in hopes of getting that kid to pump my gas. And the sad thing is that he doesn’t even work there anymore. He’s in college. I’m just hoping he will graduate and come back to pump gas!!

Do people go out of their way to do business with you? Is the experience such a memorable one that they will keep coming back?