Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Your Success Stories

"This is an event that happened about 20 years ago, long before I ever heard of Jeffrey Gitomer. But the lesson has stayed with me for many years and as I read Jeffrey’s books and weekly e-zine, I realize it was a WOW factor that no one could duplicate, I did something that none of my competitors had done and none could do after me.

I was 24 years old and owned a boat repair business in New Hampshire. My roommate and I had a snowplow business in the winter. I was in the middle of my plow route after a 10-inch snowstorm and saw a sign posted in front of a house that read “ Plowing Services Wanted.” I stopped and rang the doorbell. There was no answer so I opened the front door to put my business card in and out dropped about 10 of my competitor's cards. Instead of throwing away all of the competitors cards and just leaving mine, I took the high road. I plowed the driveway for free, filled out a contract and left this note: “There appears to be some competition for this job. I’m the person who actually plowed your driveway. If you liked the job, please sign and return the attached contract. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me.” I received a call that evening from the homeowners. They were so excited to get home from work and have their driveway already plowed. They had already signed my contract, no questions asked, and also offered to pay me for the job I had already done. I plowed their driveway for the next several years until they moved out of town.

I took a chance. I could have just left my card, but I took a risk and separated myself from the competition and earned my customer's business. Sometimes it’s the simplest lessons that stay with us the longest."

-Don McLelland Jr.

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