“Attitude is everything,” the customer service agent says to me…
Just yesterday I was returning a fairly expensive video camera to Best Buy. I knew upfront they were likely going to charge me a restocking fee of $150.
The camera was a joint birthday/Valentines gift for my wife so we could be collecting videos of our daughter in primetime 4K. Unfortunately for Best Buy, our iPhones were just as good for close up video — hence the return.
To make a long story short, I walk into Best Buy and approach customer service. Planning for the worst but hoping for the best, I smile and simply tell the agent the camera didn’t fit our needs unfortunately.
The customer service agent looks at me and asks, “Were you aware of the restocking fee?”
“Yes sir, I was when I purchased the item. This was a gift for my wife so I’m sure you can understand the risk to surprise her … <insert wink> … I’d certainly appreciate anything you could do to help avoid that fee.”
“One second please. Let me speak with my manager.” He walks toward the Geek Squad octagon.
Roughly thirty seconds later, he returns with the manager. I didn’t feel it was in my favor how quickly he returned with the boss.
The manager says, “Thank you for being courteous to my staff. I overheard your conversation from the back. Most people are very demanding when they return items. I’m happy to waive that restocking fee. Attitude is everything.”
Bazinga! “Thank you,” I replied. “I appreciate you making that happen. That’s why I come to Best Buy.”
Morale of the story is fairly simple…treat people the way you would like to be treated. Attitude is everything.
A positive attitude will get you so much further in life, leadership and in relationships. Energy is contagious. Attitude is everything.
And as my speaking mentor Zig Ziglar famously quoted, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”
Do your customers write blogs about the amazing experiences they have with you or your organization?
Do your employees have the attitude that empowers them to want to create memorable experiences?
Customer service is outdated. Customer experiences are the new marketing for 2020 and beyond.
Having raving fans starts with you.
The only way to inspire others is to be inspiring. The only way to empower your customers is to first empower your employees.
Seeking ways to move your people forward? This is one reason why I love speaking and sharing stories like this with my audiences to help prepare and empower them for the demands of a constantly changing, disruptive world. It’s only going to become more complicated moving forward.
Contact me if I can help. Click here and tell me about your organization or event coming up where you need a speaker to energize and empower your people with an “attitude shift” or paradigm shift to make a difference at the next level.
If I’m speaking near you on any dates below, let me know!