XCELLENT SERVICES: DUCK QUACKS, EAGLES SOAR

THIS IS A POST FROM A FRIEND'S BLOG, I EDITED IT A BIT TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO YOU DIRECTLY. READ ON:

i am a believer in excellent service and terrific relationship while serving your client as this keeps them coming to you for years. Knowing you are a partner in their business makes a lot of difference !

Being a partner with our clients and making sure they are given value for their money, keeping our client in a relationship of true respect and friendship! Always ready to provide solutions to challenges as you are paid to think, being creative with ideas and delivering an excellent job, on time with an excellent spirit! We also have to be deadline conscious, proactive, being steps ahead of our game, laughing/enjoying ourself as we work and above all praying to God about everything from start to finish as the job of servicing people in any capacity is high risk/challenging and with the Nigerian factors, its all this raised to power infinity!

Anyhow, if you are in business for your self or working for others, this is the time to take your game to the next level as the Divine change, Fulfillment, manifestation, miracles, signs and wonders we are talking about as this year's theme starts with all this and more. This is the year of no excuse! as my Mentor will say: Dont tell me how you get the result, just get it!!! Enjoy !



No one can make you serve customers well.
That's because great service is a choice.

Harvey Mackay, syndicated columnist, and one of America's most popular business speakers 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?


Smile, and the whole world smiles with you...


The ball is in our hands!

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar!

LIVE A BETTER LIFE!!!!

An old man who lived long ago enjoyed a reputation in his community for near-infinite wisdom. A young lad, skeptical of the aura surrounding the old man, decided to demystify him once and for all. He caught a cricket, enfolded it in his hands and called out to the old man, “Old man, the cricket I am holding, is it alive or dead?” the young man had come up with a clever idea though, he thought “if the old man says the cricket is alive, I shall crush it in an instant, “if on the other hand, he says it is dead, I shall release it and show him to be wrong”. The old man then looked at the boy squarely and told him in a slow deep voice, “Young man, whether the cricket is dead or alive lies in your hands” the young man went back disappointed. My friends, whether this year is going to open you up to endless possibilities or perilous experiences is up to you. Living a better life is about being able to live life at its peak and fulfill your destiny on this terrestrial platform. All I will be sharing with you in this article that will pace you up for success s encapsulated in the word; B-E-T-T-E-R.

B- Be bold: 2009, like every other year, is not going to be a piece of cake but our fulfillment and roof raising achievement is predicated on the magnitude of boldness we take into the New year which eventually makes us outstanding in our various life’s pursuit. In the words of Dolores Ibarruri, “It is better to be the widow of a hero than to be the wife of a coward” To be willing to do better, you have to face your fears and lean on your faith. Owen Gee, one of the Nigeria’s comedians took a bold step when he quit his lucrative job to pursue his passion – stand up comedy. Today, Owen Gee is living his dream and crashing ceilings in his chose craft. So many other examples of such people abound around us.

E- Embrace Excellence: Vince Lombardi said, “Your success in life will be determined by the depth of your commitment to excellence than by any other factor” Resolve to be the very best at what you do, seek to increase your capacity for excellence and efficiency.

T- Think Possibilities: people bound for greatness think possibilities all the way. They are die-hard optimists who are unshakeable despite the gravity of whatever they are going through. In life, you most times don’t get what you deserve, you mostly get what you believe and enthusiastically expect.

T- Tenacity: Michael Jordan was told he was not good enough when he decided to join his varsity basketball team, but he refused to give up. Today, he is one of the greatest sportsmen of our time. Mahatma Gandhi once remarked, “ The history of the world is full of men who rose to prominence by tenacity” So be tenacious, persistence wears out every resistance.

E- Execute: Kane Kramer, a British gentleman, designed and sketched the first Ipod in 1979, but did nothing with it. Today, the Ipod has taken over the world while he remains until recently, a store man at a furniture company in Hertfordshire, England. http://blogs.abcnews.com/worldview/mike_lee/index.html. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1053152/Apple-admit-Briton-DID-invent-iPod-hes-getting-money.html. http://litwc.com/2006/04/19/mp3-inventor-is-worlds-biggest-failure/. Nothing happens unless you move and nothing moves until you move it. Action orientation is still the culmination factor that leads to predictable success. Resolve to take steps of action towards your projects, dreams, proposals and plans this year.

R- Remember God: After all said and done, the role of God can never be underestimated in the affairs of men. No one can do what God can do, solely because he rules over the earth. Beyond your plaques, achievements and successes, you will still need to hook up with God if you really desire to go a long way in 2009.

* This year can be your best ever in your lifetime even in the face of recession, if you act on these outlined thoughts. HAVE A GREAT YEAR.

WORLD'S BIGGEST BLUNDERS THAT COST THEM A FORTUNE!!

WHEN unknown writer Charles Webb sold the rights to The Graduate for £14,000, he thought he was quids in. How wrong can you be?
Since 1967, when his novel was turned into a hit movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, it has made more than £60million.
Meanwhile, 66-year-old Webb and his wife Fred have debts of £30,000 and face eviction from their flat in Hove, East Sussex.
Here, we take a look at some other costly mistakes...

*Record boss who turned down the Beatles
IN 1962, the year before Beatlemania erupted in Britain, the Fab Four travelled from Liverpool to London in a bid to get signed by Decca Records.
At their audition, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and then drummer Pete Best belted out 15 songs but Decca boss Dick Rowe was unimpressed and turned the band down. He complained they sounded too much like The Shadows, adding: "Guitar groups are on the way out."
Instead he signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Oops.

*Wannabe who quit Spice Girls

IN 1994, more than 400 hopefuls replied to an ad wanting five girls for a new group. And Victoria Adams, Mel Brown, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm and Michelle Stephenson were duly signed up.
But after months of hard graft with nothing to show for it, 25-year-old Michelle quit to be replaced by Emma Bunton.
Two months on, The Spice Girls signed a £2million deal and became one of the biggest bands of the '90s. Michelle sighs: "You can't spend your life regretting things."

*Toy firm could have had the Monopoly

IT'S the biggest-selling board game in the world, but Monopoly's inventor had a hard time trying to get it into shops.
Unemployed salesman Charles Darrow, from Pennsylvania, created the real-estate game in 1933. But when he approached Parker Brothers to see if they'd be interested in marketing his creation, they pointed out 52 errors - including the fact it took too long to play, and turned him down.
He put it on sale himself at $4 a set - and the toy company was forced to buy him out a year later when it became a huge success.

*Studio that lost Star Wars

BACK in 1975, up-andcoming director George Lucas pitched a movie idea to Universal about an epic intergalactic battle between good and evil.
But the film studio wasn't interested, calling the script unfathomable and silly. So Lucas took Star Wars to 20th Century Fox instead.
Since its release in 1977, the hit sci-fi movie and its sequels have made over £1.5billion.
"Silly" money indeed..

*Safety pin king wasn't sharp

ALTHOUGH it had been around for thousands of years, American Walter Hunt re-invented the safety pin in 1849 but then sold the patent for just $400. Since then, it's estimated that enough modern safety pins have been manufactured to reach to the moon and back twice.


*Missed Window of opportunity

SOFTWARE genius Gary Kildall turned down a deal that could have made him the richest man in the world.
In 1980, computer giant IBM offered him the chance to supply an operating system for their PCs.
When he turned them down, the firm went to Bill Gates' Microsoft which snapped up the offer. Now Gates is worth £28billion while Kildall died in a 1994 brawl.

*No notes for music pioneer

APPLE'S iPod is the world's fastest-selling electrical item, shifting 41 million units in five years. Just don't mention it to Britain's Kane Kramer, who invented a way of storing music on a digital chip back in 1979. Nine years later, he couldn't afford to renew the patents and the tech - nology became public property. Kramer, who now runs a Hertfordshire furniture shop, says: "In a way, I'm the world's biggest failure."

Genius's power failure

NIKOLA Tesla was the genius behind the neon bulb, neon lights. He also formulated the principles of radio, radar and the microwave oven.
A Slav immigrant to the US, he was hailed as the world's greatest inventor and earned lucrative royalties. Unfortunately he ploughed his money into an ill-fated lab and a wireless transmitter and ran out of money before it could be completed.
He sold the rights to all his inventions to electrical firm Westinghouse for $216,000. While others made millions from his research, Tesla died penniless in 1943.

*Star who wished he'd given a damn

IT'S one of the best-loved movies ever, but Gary Cooper wasn't interested in starring in Gone With The Wind. When Cooper learned the studio had found an actor to play Rhett Butler, he commented: "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling flat on his face, and not Gary Cooper." Doh!

*Publishers who didn't believe in JK's magic

IT'S the tale of a teenage wizard which has been translated into 47 languages and kick-started a literary phenomenon that's sold 130 million books.
But when Scottish author JK Rowling tried to find a publisher for Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone in 1996 she was turned down by nine publishers, including Transworld, HarperCollins and Penguin.
Finally Bloomsbury took it on, and the rest is publishing history.