A Real-Life Tale of Scrooge and the Holiday Spirit
On Christmas eve, my husband and I took a direct bus from San Francisco to Petaluma. Only to our dismay, the bus driver was anything but nice. He did everything imaginable to discourage people from getting on the bus. Some older folks struggled carrying luggage up the steps without any offer of help. Not showing any favoritism, the driver was rude to all.
One woman tried to use her Clipper Card but the machine malfunctuctioned. The driver claimed it wasn’t his fault and that she would need to pay cash – only she did not have any on her. We then witnessed a mini-fund raiser on the bus for the fare for the bus driver to willingly proceed. My thought was, had the driver been nicer to passengers, he might have received special tips given it was Christmas Eve.
Once landing in Petaluma and expectiving a ride from a friend, there was miscommunication so our ride never showed. But here is where we benefitted from having experienced the worst upfront:
Seeing us with our luggage in front of the post office and out on the sidewalk, people asked if they could direct us to a shelter. They assumed we were homeless and were very kind to us! Others offered a ride wherever we might like. It was heartwarming to see the warm hospitality in our town and made for a great ending to the story. We finally called a taxi and enjoyed the holiday with our neighbors.
How does this translate to busienss or career? Kindness goes a long way and will attract many more referrals for your good work and may surprisingly solicit an offer of a new job.
May the upcoming year be filled with happiness and the Smooth Sale!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Read Addtional Strategies and Techniques:
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press
INSPIRED Business A New Vision for Building Business and Communities, Motivational Press
