FENDER BENDER

FENDER BENDER

I often conclude my Customer Service Seminars with a personal story.  It wasn’t until I was preparing for a recent seminar that I remembered an event that had occurred almost twenty-five years ago.  As I prepared my closing remarks it struck me how important it is to pay attention to everyday events.  The experience you are about to read became a defining moment in my maturity not only as a businessman, but also as a father, brother and friend.  As you read this story, reflect on events that have occurred in your life.  How many lessons have you walked away with?  How many more lessons are there to learn?

Over twenty years ago I witnessed an event that changed the way I interacted with my clients when faced with a complaint. This event had nothing to do with business, but it had everything to do with human interaction.  On this day, I was driving on a particularly busy stretch of the Long Island Expressway leading into Manhattan.  Traffic was dense, but moving at a steady clip when suddenly traffic momentum halted.  A young woman who was driving in the lane next to me reacted too late and hit the car ahead.  What made this all the more poignant was the fact that car she hit was a beautifully restored 1964 Mustang.  What happened next was a lesson in how to alter someone’s emotional state.  The young woman who was responsible for the accident sat in her car wide-eyed and anxious.  She, along with all the nearby drivers expected the driver of the Mustang to leap out of his car in an enraged state.  To everyone’s amazement, the driver opened the door, got out and looked directly at the woman sitting behind the wheel and asked, with genuine sincerity, “Are you alright?”  The frightened young woman was stunned and so was I.  The driver of the Mustang smiled and calmly walked over the young woman and again asked her if she was sure that she was alright.  The young woman burst into tears and in between sobs said that she was sorry.  The driver of the Mustang assured her that there was nothing to worry about as long as she was not hurt.  He pointed to a spot on the side of the road where they could safely exchange information and then walked back to his car.  Other than taking a brief glance on the way back to his car, the driver of the Mustang had not even bothered to assess the damage done to his pristine, classic car.  When I looked around at the other drivers who also witnessed the accident, I noticed that they were as astonished as I was.  That whole moment was uplifting because it went against what everybody was expecting.  I believe the young woman began crying precisely because she was surprised by the reaction she received. I watched as she put her car in gear and followed the bruised Mustang over to the shoulder.  As she was wiping away the tears, her face took on a look of calm and relief. 

That event remained with me for several days and had occurred during a time in my  

professional life when I was closely observing successful business people and looking for admirable traits which I could incorporate into my own professional personality.  That one minute exchange on the Long Island Expressway became a singular event in my professional maturity.  I was impressed by how one man’s sincere concern altered the emotional state of everyone within earshot.  The stranger in the Mustang possessed traits which I was certain would improve and enhance most negative events.  I wanted to be able to remain calm and empathetic during times of stress mainly because I knew it would lead to more positive outcomes.  I began using this approach whenever a client called with a complaint.  I would begin by asking if our service failure caused any damage to their business and if so, what could I do to make it right.  Instead of trying to explain how and why we failed, I focused instead on the impact our error caused on their business.  I did not become defensive, nor did I become offensive.  Instead I became sincere and empathetic which is unique when dealing with a problem. The effect was immediately positive.  By remaining calm and putting the focus on the client instead of the problem, I strengthened my business relationships and grew my business.  I succeeded by being different.  An otherwise insignificant fender-bender assisted me in strengthening my own culture of service.  In spite of being a young and inexperienced businessman, I was cognizant that most dissatisfied customers were accustomed to having to fight for satisfaction.  By taking a complaint and focusing on the effect it had on the customer, I provided myself with new opportunities.  By WOWing the customer with my unique approach, I diffused the problem and provided myself with opportunities to exceed my client’s expectations.