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After the RadioDays Prague convention, my friends and I spent a few days exploring Prague. It rained. And rained. Did I say it rained? Nonetheless, we soldiered on, tramping around Prague in search of the multitude of statues created by David Cerny and positioned around Prague in the most unusual places. Day one we walked 7.8 miles! (That's 12.55 kilometers.) Ditto the following days.
On day three, it rained in the morning, then cleared up. We trooped on, determined to find the last of Cerny's statues. As we located it late in the day, the sky darkened again. And in the words of a Garth Brooks' song, "the thunder rolled". The skies opened and it began a deluge. Umbrellas up: not much help. We were soon soaked from the knees down. No Ubers available. Cold, wet, hungry, and miserable were we.
We noticed a hotel just around the corner. We made a dash for inside. And we were met by the gentleman in the picture. He immediately registered our plight and took our umbrellas and our coats. We started for the bar, but he suggested we might be more comfortable in the inner lobby and ushered us there: soft sofas, warmth and WINE! Although we weren't staying for dinner, he brought us towels to dry off, nibbles, and did I mention wine?
Here's his story. He's from Tajikistan. He's been in the Czech Republic for 9 years studying. He works as a waiter to pay his way. When it was time to leave, he offered to call a "Post" for us, the local equivalent of Uber, which he said would save us money. Someone at his front desk called a taxi instead. We didn't mind: time to go to the hotel and crash. However, when we arrived at our hotel, he called one of us to apologize that the wrong car picked us up. He was concerned they overcharged us.
Why is this young man in my newsletter? Because of his customer service. I must admit that we didn't find much service worthy of mentioning while in Prague, but he was the exception. He was a stranger in the land and recognized us as the same. He saw our needs and took care of us. He made us feel special. He went above and beyond in serving us. He went the extra mile.
Every time I experience exceptional service, I am reminded how important it is for us to treat our clients with such. We need to surprise and delight them so that they would write about us as I have this young man. Satisfied customers will spend money elsewhere: loyal customers will not. Loyal customers will recommend you to their friends and business associates.
Treat each client as though they were the most important thing you have to do today. Find ways to go the extra mile. I guarantee you won't find traffic jams on that mile!
Happy Selling!
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