I’m waiting to be wowed!

I was mentored in the art of customer service by one of the world’s very best, but I doubt you’ve ever heard of him. I met him when I got my first real job in the early 1980s working as a commissioned salesman at an upper-end clothing store named Waldoff’s in Hattiesburg, Miss.

It didn’t take me long to learn that James, a fellow salesman in the men’s department, was a world-class customer service expert. But, I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t have called himself that at all. James was one of those people who wasn’t focused on himself. He was the type of guy who made you feel like you mattered, that you were the one who was important.

Coincidentally, James was also the store’s top salesman, and that didn‘t take long to learn either. It seemed that every other person that came into the store wanted to be waited on by James. When James was busy helping another customer, people would often refuse to be helped by other salesmen, opting instead to hover around the men’s department until James was free again.

When James was waiting on you, he put his whole being into the process. After ascertaining exactly what it was that you were looking for, he would bounce around the department, gathering things that he thought might be of interest to you. Things that held no appeal to you would quickly vanish to be replaced by other items of interest. This happened whether you were shopping with a $20 or $1,000 budget. It happened whether you wore Levis jean or an Armani suit into the store. It didn’t matter to James, or if it did, you certainly couldn’t tell.


He took care to know his business so that when he made a suggestion, you felt that an expert was advising you. Because he was confident, you felt confident making your buying decision.


He always suggested but never pushed. He recommended but never argued. If you needed a miracle--if you had a funeral the next day and had to have a suit altered quickly, if you were shopping on a limited budget but needed to look good in a hurry, if you needed something nice in your impossible size for a special occasion--James was your man. He was constantly pulling rabbits out of hats for his clients and as they were shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars, they were thanking him profusely for helping them.


After my first three months working at Waldoff’s, I received my first commission check. I knew I needed to invest in some clothes, so when it was time for me to go shopping, who do you think I went to? That’s right. I wanted the very best service too, so when James wasn’t busy, I asked him if he would help me put a few things together.


And even though he didn’t make a dime of commission from anything sold to a co-worker, it didn’t matter to James. At some point, customer service had become part of James’ DNA, so he helped me as though I were his most important client.


Toward the end of that shopping-session with him, I admired the maroon pocket square (little silk hankie) he had in his sport coat and lamented that our store didn’t carry any more like it. Without a thought he pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to me. I still own it today as a reminder of a spectacular individual and an extraordinary example of what real customer service can be.


My point is this: When you have a choice regarding how you and your business are perceived, when you have the power to be a “wow” person rather than a “ho-hum” person, when you can have other people perceiving you as a “James,” as the go-to guy or gal that is the answer to their needs, why on earth wouldn’t you choose to be that person? Why not be that exceptional person by going the extra mile? By springing into action when either a potential or regular client walks into your door? By serving your co-workers and lifting the morale of those around you just by being focused on the needs of others?


To me, customer service isn’t just something your boss or some customer service expert wants to get you to do. It’s a tell-tale standard of behavior and excellence that communicates to the world the type of person you are.


Feel free to reprint this article in your organizational publication. We only ask that you use the following attribution blurb at the bottom of the article:


© 2010 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous motivational speaker and author. Visit his Web site at http://www.charlesmarshall.net or contact him via e-mail at charles@charlesmarshall.net.