The true meaning of service

Not far from where I live there is petrol station run by an old man that I call Gus.

He is about 160 years of age not out, he has a long grey spindly beard and shuffles in slow motion as he walks from the station office to the petrol pump.

His petrol station is slightly run down and doesn’t possess the flashy signage and features many of his nearby competitors display.

Yet Gus has one thing going for him that the other petrol stations in the area don’t: he’s got a line-up of customers most of the time.

When you go to Gus’s petrol station you may need to wait a few more minutes than you normally would at another station, but you don’t mind because Gus takes his time, he shuffles over to your car, says “hello”, and asks how your day is.

He proceeds to ask if you would like your car filled up, he then pops the pump in your petrol tank and he washes your windshield while you wait. Sometimes he will tell you that your tyres are low and demand he pumps them up for you.  Gus gives you good old-fashioned service.

Gus does this all at his own time and expense and it takes a bit longer waiting for old Gus to do his thing, but I love it and so do all the other customers that I line my car up behind at Gus’s station.

You see Gus is from the old school. He understands what people want, he’s been around longer than most and it’s clear he understands what makes people tick: love, respect, appreciation and good old-fashioned service.

Gus is not doing what he does to get a promotion nor is it a cheeky PR stunt to attract attention. He’s doing it because he loves it, it’s who he is, and I dig that about him. So long as Gus is on the pump I’ll happily line my car up and wait for him. He’s that good and makes me feel that special.

Think about how you can sprinkle a little of Gus’s magic into your customers. This is not at all hard to achieve but it does take some thought and effort and of course a willingness to makes others feel important.

Never forget the good ol’ fashioned service and the need to make customers feel valued and important, and I guarantee your customers won’t forget you.

This blog is an excerpt from Trent’s book, The Naked Salesman.