6% Are Jerks
With your blood pressure swiftly rising, you slam down the telephone and say, “Jerk!” 6% of the callers you talk to each day are jerks or idiots. The fact is that 6% of the calls generated into a place of business or any auto-related center are delivered by idiots, people who were weaned on a dill pickle and hated their mothers since age 3. Code for this is I D T E N T - that spells IDIOT.
But what happens in a place of business after you have talked with a jerk over the telephone? Do you kiss the top of the receiver or the end of the desk? Maybe you slam it down with the impact of a hammer driving a nail. Sadly enough, in most cases, we get off the telephone and go to the closest employee or friend and tell them all about the “the idiot” that we have just spoken with on the phone.
In turn, the other employee sits there saying, “Well that’s nothing, DJ. You ought to hear the one that I had earlier today!” And now the wallowing process begins because of the idiots that we have to deal with on a regular basis. Remember 6% of the callers are idiots; it is part of the work place. It cannot be changed, but don’t let it effect you and ruin your day. It’s not worth it.
What I want you to do and always remember are that when you are coming to work, leave all of your personal problems at home. Leave the car payments, the mortgage or the rent, childcare and all of the hassles of the upcoming holiday at home. In turn, when leaving the dealership, leave your office troubles in the office.
Do you know that 64% of what you thought or worried about two weeks ago never did come to pass? Think about it for a moment. That means that 64% of the things that you worried about did not come to pass. We as Americans are the biggest “stinking-thinking” people there are. “Doom and Gloomers”, I call them. Suddenly, everything is a disaster and everything is terrible. And those of us that are in Customer Relations or customer-driven firms are more aware of that fact because we hear so many complaints on a daily basis that now we are becoming complainers also. Don’t worry about your business troubles after you have left the workplace, because they will be there tomorrow when you return to work. That’s a promise.
I want you to be able to come to work and leave all of your troubles at the curb. But when you go home at night, leave all your business matters and headaches at work. Don’t take them home with you. Don’t go home to have your spouse or significant other say, “How was work today, Dear?” Don’t complain about Mrs. Johnson’s comments, because you will talk about her and other idiots for the entire evening. Expressions like, “well it must have been a full moon last night because they’re all out today!” need to be omitted from your vocabulary.
The most important thing that I want to share with you this month is that the attitude you have means everything over the telephone. All of us have been told, “Keep a good attitude over the telephone”. It’s really true because over the phone the very first picture the caller sees of your business is through the ear. Be that positive and friendly voice over the telephone. Enjoy your work place; think positive thoughts and be happy. It shows over the phone. Even a broken clock is right twice a day - no matter what!
Oh, by the way, every time I conduct a seminar, I ask the group where the “6% Jerks” reside. Unanimously, the answer returns, “HERE!” The response to this question is always the same. Every audience concurs that the 6% have all relocated to their area.
What do you listen to on the way to work? If you listen to CNN Radio with doom and gloom about the world’s events, chances are it will affect your job performance. But, if you listen to your favorite music whether it’s Sandi Patti, or Lee Greenwood, how would you feel? After you have listened to Lee Greenwood sing “God Bless the USA”, you would feel wonderfully warm and pleasantly gratified. You’re elated because you live in America, right? Well, that’s the kind of feeling that you need to put on each morning while dressing for work. You should answer the phone every time it rings as each ring is your first curtain call.
Handling the 6% Jerks most of the time isn’t easy, but your day will definitely be more constructive and productive if you do not adapt the “stinking-Thinking” or “Doom and Gloom” syndrome. When you hang up your phone, you will know you have performed your curtain call with the upmost professionalism and have retained your positive outlook.
Remember, you are the first picture they see of your business. What are they hearing?? What are they seeing?
If you want to go to a good convention, FADRA is being held July 25-28 at the Hyatt Regency at Bonita Springs, FL and the 3rd Annual New Mexico Recycling Summit is scheduled for August 17th and 18th and being held at L.K.Q of New Mexico, in Albuquerque. Sandy Blalock makes sure every one leaves educated and motivated to improve their recycling business. That’s a promise.
See you next time.