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\nSome people are just naturally good at providing great customer service. They are people pleasers. They pay attention to details. And, it seems to come naturally to them. So, are they born with it, or do they learn it? How do they recognize this is what they are good at?<\/p>\n\n
Just a few weeks ago I went through an exercise and one of the questions was about my \u201centrepreneurial DNA\u201d. I took a different approach to the question. It wasn\u2019t just about being an entrepreneur. I realized that there was a point in my life that I could look back and say, \u201cThat\u2019s when I knew I was passionate about taking care of customers.\u201d I didn\u2019t know it then but looking back I can see that it was what defined me. That was my \u201cCustomer Service DNA\u201d.<\/p>\n
The same could be said for any profession. The president of a major bank looks back and says, \u201cThat\u2019s when I knew I was good at numbers and wanted to work in finance.\u201d Or, the artist at some point realized, \u201cThat\u2019s when I fell in love with painting.\u201d It could be a career or a hobby. It\u2019s what you\u2019re passionate about. With enough thinking, many people can look back and realize there was a point in their life that defined who they are today. That leads me up to my defining moment, and I refer to it as the Snow Plow Moment.<\/p>\n
I was just sixteen years old. I had spent $900 on an old Jeep with a snow plow. The snow plow was worth about $700, so the jeep was worth only $200. It was a \u201chunk of junk.\u201d My goal was to make money in the winter plowing driveways. Before the first snowfall, I had secured 15 customers in the area. The first snowstorm came that winter and all worked perfectly. Same with the second snowstorm. It was that third snowstorm that was the defining moment.<\/p>\n
It was 4:00 am and I was getting ready to plow the driveways, and my car wouldn\u2019t start. Nothing I did was going to get that engine to turn over. I was upset. Not because the car wouldn\u2019t start, but because I promised these people that I would plow their driveways. They were going to wake up and not be able to get their cars to the street.<\/p>\n
A friend of mine had a brand-new Chevy Blazer with a plow. He plowed parking lots and athletic fields for schools. Maybe he could help me. So, at just a few minutes past 4:00 am I called him. His mom answered the phone. I explained the problem and she woke her son. I told him how much I charged for each driveway and that I would be happy to give him all the money if he would pick me up and help me take care of my customers. He did, and my customers never knew there was a problem.<\/p>\n
At the young age of 16, I knew that all I wanted to do was take care of my customers. The money didn\u2019t matter at that point. They depended on me, and that\u2019s all that mattered. It would have been easy to call them and tell them my car wouldn\u2019t start, but that was not me. As I look back at my youth, I can see how certain \u201cmoments\u201d defined me. That was the Snow Plow Moment, and today that is how I treat each and every client. I\u2019ll do what I have to do to take care of them. That\u2019s my customer service DNA.<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s your version of a Snow Plow Moment? Looking back, what moment helped define who you are today? Once you recognize it, it will give you a renewed sense of purpose. It\u2019s who you are and why you do what you do.<\/p>\n