佚名/Anonymous
A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart this kind of training to corporate executives and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.
I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up. The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me was for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy. Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!" Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."
"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be. I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver. One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be great in my business, I have to exceed the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being 'great' better than just getting by on 'average'."
Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's loss is the travelling folk's friend!
一個出租車司機給我上了寶貴的一課，他教導我如何使客戶滿意，達到他們的期望值。那些培訓講師給公司行政人員和員工做類似培訓，可能要收取上萬元的報酬，而我隻花了12美元的出租車費。
為了見一個客戶，我飛往達拉斯。時間就是生命，我的計劃裏有一個迅速的回程安排，於是我又回到了機場。一輛一塵不染的出租車停在我麵前，司機即刻為我打開車門，確定我已舒舒服服地坐穩後，他關上了門。當他坐到駕駛位上時，建議我可以看看旁邊折疊整齊的《華爾街日報》。然後，他拿出幾盒磁帶，問我喜歡聽哪種類型的音樂。呃！我環顧四周，尋找“偷拍的攝像頭”，難道你不會嗎？我幾乎不敢相信自己接受到的服務。我趁機說道：“你顯然為你的工作感到非常自豪，你一定是個有故事的人。”
“你說對了，”他答道，“我曾投身美國商界，但我盡了最大的努力，別人還是認為不夠好，我已經非常厭倦了。我決定在生活中創建屬於自己的小天地，我可以為自己所做到的一切而自豪。我知道，我永遠不可能成為一個火箭專家，可我喜歡開車，為他人服務，感受自己完成了一整天的工作，並做得很好。我估算了一下自己的資產，然後……哦，我就做起了出租車司機。我知道一件事，就是要想生意興隆，我隻需滿足客人的需求。但是要想做得最好，我就必須超出客人的期望。我不想隻是平淡地混過去，我喜歡聽到顧客對我的服務加以讚賞，並因此得到回報。”
我毫不猶豫地給了他小費嗎？你猜對了！這個美國商界流失的人與四處奔波的我成了朋友。
A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
—Burroughs
一個人可以失敗許多次，但是隻要他沒有開始責怪別人，他就不是一個失敗者。
——巴勒斯
motivational[?m?uti?vei??n?l]adj.動機的；激發性的
Maintain a cooperative and motivational attitude with coworkers.
同事之間要保持積極的、合作的態度。
turnaround[?t?:n??raund]n.轉向；轉變
The turnaround will be slow.
轉變會很緩慢。
niche[ni:?]n.壁龕；合適的職業
He found the right niche for himself.
他找到了一個適合他的職位。
evaluate[i?v?ljueit]v.評價；估價
How would your coworkers evaluate you?
你的同事會怎樣評價你？
一個出租車司機給我上了寶貴的一課。
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他拿出幾盒磁帶，問我喜歡聽哪種類型的音樂。
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我喜歡聽到顧客對我的服務加以讚賞。
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Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart this kind of training to corporate executives and staff.
this kind of：有幾分；有點兒
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The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door.
make sure：確信；證實
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