In a post worthy of Ernesto Seth Godin makes a great case for how “the great restaurant” gets that way: by adding great value.
I love it when I find examples of this.
It’s the travel agent (mine, in this case: Jim Hurlburt of Tradewinds Travel in Tequesta, Florida) whose customer-focused, value-added service takes his competitors (and the Internet) totally out of play. Or the dentist who calls her patients the day after a dental procedure to find out how they’re feeling. The financial advisor or insurance professional who offers to keep their client’s accountant up to date with any changes that could affect their tax situation.
One of my favorite examples is the Ritz Carlton hotel chain. When greeted by a guest-contact employee (which at the Ritz Carlton means everyone, from the General Manager on down) you’ll never hear “Hi,” “How are ya?” or “How ya doin’?” Instead, it will be, “Good morning,” “Good afternoon” or “Good evening” — always. They’ll say it as though they mean it, too — and they do.
Question: What can you do in your business that will add and communicate that extra value — that something extra that says, “I care about you. I’m glad you’re my customer and my goal is to make you feel realllly good about this transaction”?
I Love to listen to people. I know this is a gift. I very much enjoy validating people as I’m listening to them. This is something I do naturally.
I CAN make boundaries, I just don’t always CHOOSE to.
I believe I have an internal gift for the Third Law (Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first!).
I do believe there is a delicate balance with regard to this Law. But I guess what I’m saying is that, for me, it’s about genuinely listening to people. I know this is a way to serve the people I choose to do business with.
Hi Acceptfull,
One of the things about most Go-Givers such as yourself is they tend to have one strong point about adding value to peoples’ lives that really stands out. Apparently, yours is in listening to others in such a way that they feel heard. That’s a terrific characteristic to bring to the table.
Regarding your second paragraph, where you say that you CAN make boundaries, you just don’t always CHOOSE to; my thought on that is that as long as you are consciously aware of the situation than you are indeed making a choice. When that’s the case, you are operating out of a position of strength. And, that helps everyone involved.
Way to go!!
Bob