Last May, I contacted a Twitter celebrity or Twitty (Twit + celebrity = Twitty) to see how I could go about buying ten signed copies of his latest book. My plan was to send a copy to every 1,000th follower of my Twitter updates with a note as a way of recognizing their milestone follow and connecting in a meaningful way.
When I finally reached this particular Twitty, I was referred to his assistant. I left a message for the assistant and never heard back. So, as I’m accustomed to doing when I have options, I contacted another Twitty with the same request. Within an hour, I had received a personal response from @GuyKawasaki with instructions of how to obtain ten signed copies of his latest book, Reality Check which I’ve reviewed at my website.
Within two weeks, the signed copies appeared on my doorstep with an Alltop t-shirt and a note from Guy. So far, between milestone followers and others, I’ve given away all but three copies—which means I’ll be placing a second order before the year’s up.
Now, I realize that @GuyKawasaki has many more income streams than his books (as does the first Twitty I contacted). Even so, successful entrepreneurs rarely compartmentalize the quality of their personal service, meaning that how they handle requests for a small number of signed books is reflective of the quality of their personal service overall.
Sure, there are probably many ways that one can rationalize what happened during my first attempt to obtain signed books, but that’s unproductive. Don’t we often hear excuses from those who fail to meet our expectations regarding one thing or another?
The bottom line is that, as a consumer of business products, my experience has lead me to order books from and become a promoter of @GuyKawasaki. Add me and my book orders to the thousands of others who have had similar experiences with @GuyKawasaki and you begin to get a sense of how one’s personal service contributes to his or her overall success—whether it be the best of times or the worst of times.
Steve @enthused
