A car driver taught me a million dollar lesson. And it only cost me a $12 taxi ride.
I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on1 a client. A spotless2 cab pulled up. The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me was for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy. Well! I looked around for a “Candid Camera3”! I could not believe the service I was receiving!
I took the opportunity to say, “Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell.”
“You bet,” he replied, “I used to work for an electric power company, but I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche4 in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be. I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service, and feeling like I have done a full day's work, and done it well. I evaluated my personal assets and, wham! I became a cab driver. One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer's expectations!”
一位出租车司机给我上了一堂价值百万美元的课，可我只花了12美元的出租车费。
我飞来达拉斯只是为了拜访一位客户。一辆纤尘不染的出租车停了下来，司机迅速（下车）为我打开客座车门，等我舒服地坐好后才把车门关上。在驾驶座上坐定之后，他告诉我放在我旁边的那份叠得整齐的《华尔街日报》是供我翻阅的。然后，他又将几盒磁带递给我，问我喜欢什么音乐。噢！我环顾四周，看有没有一架“偷拍照相机”！我简直不敢相信有这等服务！
我趁机说：“看得出你为自己的工作感到非常自豪，这其中一定有故事吧。”
“没错，”他答道，“我以前曾在一家电力公司上班。心想我最好也不过如此，厌倦了这种想法。于是，我决定找到生活的归宿，在那里我能做到最好，并为此而感到自豪。我知道当不了火箭专家，可我喜欢开车，喜欢服务，喜欢工作了一整天并且干得出色的那种感觉。我盘算了自己的资产……于是，我开起了出租车。有一件事我深信不疑，想在这个行当中做得好，只要满足乘客的期望就行了。而要想出类拔萃，我就必须超出顾客的期望！” |
