I recently received a review copy of The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. It was a quick read consisting of 34 short chapters—some of which were only two pages long.

The book relates a fictional story about George, a mid-level manager whose work and family life was in disarray before meeting a wise bus driver named Joy who, with the help of a busload of loyal passengers on Bus #11, shares 10 Rules For The Ride of Your Life.

There are many business books out there that read like textbooks—filled with jargon, research, references, charts and graphs. These are the books that are often started but seldom finished. Gordon’s book is different.  He uses plain language and characters that are regular folks to impart simple lessons that other authors take 300 pages to explain.

And unlike some books that have used a similar storytelling format, Gordon’s book addresses some difficult real-life work situations head-on. For instance, how to deal with employees who are negative, insubordinate, or choose not to support the organization’s standards or mission.

The final chapter provides a recap of the 10 Rules followed by a summarized action plan and web-based resources at www.theenergybus.com to further reinforce the lessons.

The Energy Bus also supports several points about exceptional customer service that I often make during my own presentations:

• It’s an employee’s highest priority.
• It’s voluntary and requires a deliberate choice by the service provider.
• Conveying authentic enthusiasm enhances the customer’s experience.
• Customers do not remember their interactions with us. Rather they recall moments during those interactions.

Whether you are looking to improve your performance in the area of leadership, communication, accountability, personal energy, or customer service, this book can help. Get on the bus! Check out Gordon’s book and refuel your life, work, and team with positive energy!

The New Year is upon us. Bus #11 is pulling up now. Are you ready to board?

The Greek philosopher, Plato, said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

It’s true. No one is excluded from life’s challenges—whether these setbacks involve health, relationships, money, or some other dimension of our lives.

There’s a tendency to see our own situation as unique—as if no one else is dealing with the same stuff we’re dealing with. And that’s partly true. Each of our situations is singular in terms of the particular struggles we face day-to-day.

So, while our situations may differ in that your battle looks different than my battle, the fact remains that we’re both fighting hard battles…

I’ve found that from a customer service perspective, whether serving a coworker or paying customer, when I remember that everyone I meet (regardless of appearances) is fighting his or her own unique battle, I’m reminded to:

• Smile
• Make eye contact
• Listen
• Be patient
• Be tolerant
• Be understanding
• Be forgiving
• Be respectful

And I’m also reminded, as Plato advised, to be kind.

This post is the tenth in a series that has identified 10 different obstacles that have emerged from my analysis of customer satisfaction data. Perhaps you have encountered one or more of these obstacles in your own business? The tenth obstacle is missed opportunities.

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post titled Missed opportunities. I considered repurposing the content for this post but decided against it. While thinking about the topic, it occurred to me that missed opportunities include failure to provide both expected service (such as those examples found in the above post) as well as unexpected service.

Capitalizing on opportunities to provide unexpected service may actually leave a greater lasting positive impression than providing service the customer already expects.

Last month, my wife and I joined another couple for dinner at Mizuna in Denver. While taking our drink orders, the waiter, Jimmy, noticed my wife’s struggle to recall her preferred martini order. So he patiently walked her through her options: Gin or vodka? Dirty or not? Up or on the rocks? Olives or a lemon twist? Shaken or stirred?

Once her ideal martini order was sorted out, he took the remaining drink orders and left to retrieve the cocktails. When he returned to our table a few minutes later, he provided my wife with a simple “cheat sheet” that captured all of her preferences to simplify future martini orders. Brilliant!

What impressed me the most about Jimmy’s gesture was that it was completely unexpected. While I expected him to return to the table within a reasonable amount of time with accurate drink orders, I did not expect him to record a “cheat sheet” listing my wife’s preferred martini order.

Another thing that struck me was that Jimmy’s actions were voluntary. While accepting drink orders and delivering them to restaurant guests is a mandatory aspect of a waiter’s job role, taking a minute to create a customized “cheat sheet” for a guest is voluntary.

Lastly, while Jimmy gets paid to take and serve drink orders, his decision to jot down Julie’s martini order cost his employer nothing. And although this gesture was free, it made more of an impression than anything he was paid to do that night.

How about you? What could you do today (that would be unexpected, voluntary, and free) to capitalize on the many opportunities you have to create lasting positive impressions for your customers?

The other night as my children gathered at the kitchen table for Brownies a la Mode, my daughter, Kennedy, became upset at her older brother for teasing her about something and began to cry.

My wife tried to console her but she continued to cry.

I then said to Kennedy, “Ice cream makes you thirsty. Would you like a glass of milk or water with your dessert?”

Through her tears, she muttered, “Water.”

Next, I asked her, “Kennedy, since you have a brownie and a scoop of ice cream, would you like a spoon or a fork?”

She thought for a moment, caught her breath, and replied, “A spoon.”

Then I asked her, “Do you want a big spoon or a little spoon?”

By now she had collected herself, wiped away the last of her tears, and answered, “A big spoon please.”

It occurred to me that the tactic I’d used with Kennedy was the same one I’d been trained to perform when confronted by an angry guest when I worked in the hotel industry:

Neutralize the guest’s emotion by invoking logic, details, and facts.

You may recall that “right brain” functions include feelings and emotions, while “left brain” functions include logic, details, and facts. What you may be unaware of is that our conscious mind can only focus on information from one side of the brain at a time.

This creates the opportunity for us to neutralize others’ emotions (right brain) by asking questions that require logical, fact-based answers (left brain).

For example, if a hotel guest was upset about a charge that appeared on his account, I would ask him fact-based questions pertaining to the charge such as: his room number; the date of charge; the amount of charge; a description of charge; etc.

It is amazing how consistently customers will soften before your eyes as you, with a genuine intent to resolve their concerns, pose a series of questions that require them to focus on information from the “left brain.”

On many occasions, by the time I posed the last question, guests would apologize for their initial behavior saying something like, “Listen, I know it’s not your fault. I’m sorry I took it out on you. Thanks for letting me vent.”

So the next time you’re faced with an inconsolable child or an angry customer (or an angry customer who’s behaving like an inconsolable child), don’t panic.

Just remember that our conscious mind can only focus on information from one side of the brain at a time—and when we’re yelling and screaming, it’s the right side. Be intentional about offsetting an emotional response (right brain) by engaging logical reasoning (left brain).

The best way to accomplish this is to question their anger—that is, pose questions that will elicit facts, restore calm, and, ultimately, make everything “all better.”

This post is the ninth in a series that will identify 10 different obstacles that have emerged from my analysis of customer satisfaction data. Maybe you will have encountered one or more of these obstacles in your own business? The ninth obstacle is deception.

Deception encompasses everything from the fine print used to mask hidden fees and other undesirable terms and conditions, to bait-and-switch marketing tactics that entice consumers with an attractive offer before substituting a costlier product or service.

Just last night, I stopped by my local King Soopers supermarket to pick up some essentials. Over the store intercom, I heard a woman’s voice:

“Attention shoppers: We will be giving away free merchandise at the red and black counter near Customer Service at the front of the store. This is the last announcement you will here. If you want free merchandise, please go right now to the red and black counter near Customer Service at the front of the store!”

Free merchandise? It sounded too good to be true. I’d been shopping at this particular King Soopers for more than 10 years and, with the exception of an occasional in-store taste sampling, had never heard of a promotion like this before. Intrigued, I made my way to the front of the store.

By the time I arrived, a small crowd had gathered in front of the red and black counter to receive free merchandise as instructed by the announcement.

Just then, a woman emerged from behind the counter and asked the crowd to squeeze in close so more people could fit around her booth. The woman was very animated. She held up an apple, asking the crowd to shout “Apple!” as she positioned the fruit to be sliced, diced, and pureed with her amazing food processor—for only $29.95!

A minute into her spiel it was evident that, in order to receive a free set of steak knives, you had to subject yourself to a protracted product demonstration replete with awkward humor and contrived attempts to involve the audience.

About this time, customers began to reconsider the sensational offer and resumed their shopping. I didn’t take a poll but I bet many of those customers felt duped by the original intercom announcement promising free merchandise.

In King Soopers’ defense, although it sells groceries, it is largely a marketing company that competes for the attention (and spending) of consumers in a noisy and competitive marketplace. Sometimes, it may seem necessary to make an outrageous claim simply to command the fleeting attention of prospective customers. And if some consumers feel duped, well, that’s just business…

But then there are companies like L.L.Bean. Although L.L.Bean is a retail company specializing in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment, it too is largely a marketing company with a significant mail-order, online, and retail presence around the world.

For those who are unfamiliar with L.L.Bean, it ranks among the top retailers in the world in customer satisfaction. And it’s the type of company that one would never associate with deceptive marketing practices. Instead, L.L.Bean relies on the honesty of its people and the integrity of its products.

If a representative says a product will arrive within two days, then you can take that delivery date to the bank. If the catalogue claims that all products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way, you can count on it. There’s no need to look for a disclaimer or fine print that shields L.L.Bean from responsibility.

Unless you’re a magician, deception is bad for business. Commit to honesty, openness, and candor in all your customer dealings.

Gimmicks are fine—just not at the expense of customers’ trust. Besides, your customers probably have all the steak knives they really need.

I welcome all questions, comments, bouquets and brickbats.