A story from the internet

[Guest guest]

Ducks Quack , Eagles Fly*

 

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???