Friday, November 13, 2009
I got this e-mail from a buddy of mine. I think it's absolutely awesome. If you follow Wally the cab driver's lead in whatever profession you're in you are bound to become the person people rely on, which will in turn lead you to where you want to be.
Here's Wally's story:
"I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk, I'd like
you to read my mission statement."
Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said:
Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and
cheapest way possible in a friendly environment
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the
cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, "Would you like a cup of coffee? I
have a thermos of regular and one of decaf."
My friend said jokingly, "No, I'd prefer a soft drink."
Wally smiled and said, "No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular
and Diet Coke, water and orange juice."
Almost stuttering, Harvey said, "I'll take a Diet Coke"
Handing him his drink, Wally said, "If you'd like something to read, I have
The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today."
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card.
"These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to
listen to the radio."
As if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air
conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then
he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of the
day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about
some of the sights, or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own
thoughts.
"Tell me, Wally," my amazed friend asked the driver, "have you always
served customers like this?"
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. "No, not always. In fact, it's only
been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my
time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the
personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written
a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get
up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint
yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your
competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles
soar above the crowd.'
"That hit me right between the eyes," said Wally. "Dyer was really talking
about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my
attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their
drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the
customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few
at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more."
"I take it this has paid off for you," Harvey said.
"It sure has," Wally replied. "My first year as an eagle, I doubled my
income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You
were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers
call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my
answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie
friend to do it and I take a piece of the action."
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab.
I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the
years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their
cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and
told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking
like ducks and start soaring like eagles. How about you?
you to read my mission statement."
Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said:
Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and
cheapest way possible in a friendly environment
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the
cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, "Would you like a cup of coffee? I
have a thermos of regular and one of decaf."
My friend said jokingly, "No, I'd prefer a soft drink."
Wally smiled and said, "No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular
and Diet Coke, water and orange juice."
Almost stuttering, Harvey said, "I'll take a Diet Coke"
Handing him his drink, Wally said, "If you'd like something to read, I have
The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today."
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card.
"These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to
listen to the radio."
As if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air
conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then
he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of the
day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about
some of the sights, or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own
thoughts.
"Tell me, Wally," my amazed friend asked the driver, "have you always
served customers like this?"
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. "No, not always. In fact, it's only
been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my
time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the
personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written
a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get
up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint
yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your
competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles
soar above the crowd.'
"That hit me right between the eyes," said Wally. "Dyer was really talking
about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my
attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their
drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the
customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few
at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more."
"I take it this has paid off for you," Harvey said.
"It sure has," Wally replied. "My first year as an eagle, I doubled my
income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You
were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers
call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my
answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie
friend to do it and I take a piece of the action."
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab.
I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the
years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their
cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and
told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking
like ducks and start soaring like eagles. How about you?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment