I got this email from a friend - a great story we can all learn from
By Harvey MacKay
A Duck or An Eagle?
> > > 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 my friend 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.'
> > > My friend 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 my friend 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,' my amazed friend 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... The ball is
> > in our hands!
> > > A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing
> > good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do
> > not give up... let us do good to all people.
> > > Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar
Wish you all the best - and remember - Give First!
