the other day my friend sent me an inspirational email.  as i read through the email there were several lessons that i took away and wanted to share.  i am posting the lessons first so that you don’t have to read the entire email if you don’t want (i try to keep my blog posts short so you don’t to have to read a book to get the takeaway).  

1. stories truly are sticky. while i probably read a million things today and just skimmed this email (i am a speed reader so i skip lines often) i could tell anyone the story off the top of my head upon request.  i am reminded of the lessons from my stanford gsb professor, chip heath, stories are often a recipe for successful communication.  we need to use them more.
2. the brand does not always have to be front and center to have an impact. i am convinced that this email was written in order to promote wayne dyer.  and while, dyer is crucial to the story (it couldn’t have happened if the taxi driver didn’t read dyer’s book) is not the main focus on the story.  marketers always want their brand front and center.  people quite often want to be the center of attention.  what we have to realize is that sometimes the story is best told with other people at the forefront (the people you have helped, your subordinates, etc) – you will still get the credit and perhaps in a more impactful way.
3. people who differentiate themselves in the market earn more. when you don’t blend in or deliver average value, people recognize it and reward you for it.  what are you doing to standout?

here is the emailed story i received:

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well.
That’s because great service is a choice.

Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab
driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport.
When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed
was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine.
Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and
freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped
out and rounded the car to open the back passenger
door for Harvey .

He handed me a laminated card and said:
‘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.’

I 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 me
another laminated card. ‘These are the stations I get
and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to
the radio.’

And 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 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,’ Harvey 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 that 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 us?

Smile, and the whole world smiles with you…..

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