#814 Plentiful returns continue to flow

A couple of weeks ago, on May 7th, I wrote about a young man who offered me a big smile and exceptional customer service.  Here is a quick recap.  Al, the young man pictured here, stood out among all of the folks working at Pret a Manger.  They all smile as they greet you.  They all offer a nice “Good Morning!” and they all move quickly to get you served and to your office on time.  The difference with Al is that he makes it personal.  Al, as you can see, has a great smile but in addition, I watch him sincerely compliment people and he has an authenticity about him that says “I am genuinely happy to help you this morning.”  As I chronicled on the 7th, I wrote Al a note, complimenting him on these attributes and I and put a $20 gift card in it.  The ROI on that $20 is now over 200%.  At least once a week one of Al’s coworkers points to me with a big smile and says, “You’re Al’s guy right?  Breakfast is on me today.”  I didn’t write the thank you note and tip Al looking for anything back but the universe has a way of compensating for these things.

On the flip side, I have a cynical coworker who likes to say, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

Whenever he feels slighted by someone, he tries to remember a time when he did that person a favor so he can justify his cynicism and use that awful phrase.  What a miserable and sad way to live.

Have I been burnt?  Of course I have but I really can’t recall the details.  However, the story of Al and other stories like it are branded in my brain.  The world is nothing but a big mirror reflecting back to you the face you bring it every day.  Al and I both chose to be personal and complimentary in a busy city that too often lacks both and we each benefited in excess of our efforts.

Own your sales gene...