Quit Your Job!

Play Now -->

DATE : Sun, 21 Jan 2007 22:01:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2007-01-21 22:01:00
length : 3504580
Link to the Show / Show Notes

Today, I'd like you to quit your job.  All of you.  Are you in sales?  Hang up the towel.  Are you in marketing?  Put in your notice.  Are you a C-level executive guiding your company day to day? It's your last day on the job.  The good news?  I'm hiring each and every one of you.  And if you have friends or colleagues who you think will be a good fit for our team, please ask them to join us.  I want to hire them too.  You, me and all of your associates are going into an exciting and growing industry and we are about to hit it BIG!  We're going into the construction business.

How did you start your day today?  If you're a professional, you probably showed up at your desk, turned on your computer, and then checked your email and voicemail.  You made a list of people to call back, did so and then chucked the list.  Then, you emailed back everyone who emailed you.  Nothing groundbreaking... it's the same thing you did yesterday.  But, you and I are in partnership in our new business, and we're going to do things a bit differently here at our company. 

Tomorrow, when you show up at your desk, write the list of people to call back.  Call them back just as you did before, but this time keep the list.  Then email back everyone that emailed you, but this time add their names to your voicemail list.  I would be willing to wager you have compiled a list of people, both co-workers and clients that you work closely with on a daily basis.  Congratulations!  You have just written the first blueprint for our new construction company.  And as any construction executive knows, you can't build a building without a blueprint. 

Next step?  Let's get to constructing.  But instead of constructing an office building or skyscraper, we're going to construct solid professional relationships on a foundation of excellent customer service.  Using a box of personal stationery (not company letterhead) write a quick note to each person on your list, something less than 10 lines.  If you don't have stationery, go get it.  No excuses here at our new firm.  Tell your co-workers you appreciate them and the hard work they do each day.  Thank your clients for doing business with you as well as your company and that you appreciate their loyalty.  Take a moment to let each person on your list know that you're looking out for them and you value your relationship. 

The above is a simple example of how the beginning of your day, the menial tasks that you probably value and look forward to the least, can still have a strong impact on how you are viewed in the business world from a customer service standpoint.  Wouldn't you agree that some of the most frustrating customer service experiences you've had personally are ones where you can't seem to reach the person you need at the moment?  It drives me crazy trying to find my server when I need a drink refill, or punching buttons repetitively to navigate a phone system and get to a real person.  My wife can attest that I'm not a nice person to be around at these moments.  I want to know that someone is there for me when I need them.

I encourage you to continue with your blueprint and really view your chosen profession as a construction business.  Stop walking on the same paths across the same piece of land where you've lived everyday of your professional career.  Build something new!  Build excellent customer service relationships and the business profits will follow.  Keep something on your desk that reminds you of this... a hammer, a screwdriver, a drill.... something that may be completely out of place in your profession (a doctor with a drill on their desk may be a bit extreme, but you get the point) and will remind you that we're all in business to be excellent builders.  

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

Play in your Iphone