Going the Extra Mile

I have just finished reading Geoff Ramm's new book, Celebrity Sauce and wow did it explore 'Going the Extra Mile' with amazing celebrity service. I especially loved the story about the retired taxi driver in America...... you are going to have to read it to find out more!

Customers want to be wowed..... we as customers want to be wowed too. So why would you not go the extra mile for your customers. That extra mile is not a crowded place and you won't find many of your competitors or colleagues in that space.

I have to admit, I am not a person that likes to just settle for good enough - or as I said a few weeks ago... average (because nobody raves about average!) Going the extra mile makes the end result even more worthwhile when you achieve the outcome you wanted to.

So many people are just willing to do enough. When does that ever get noticed by the customer or management? Because customers are not just external to you, they are your colleagues and managers too.

I never understand why people are not willing to get tenacious, go above and beyond and be the best.

I read a book a few years ago called 'Winners'. It has the stories of people across the world who have achieved in their field: people from the world of sports, politics and retail. It was interesting to read how they got to the top and what drove them.

There were three insights that I took from that book and three common threads from the people featured:

1 - Work hard - do more than just the norm. This has served me well throughout my life. I was brought up with the mantra, if you work hard and perform you will succeed and be rewarded. Working hard means going the extra mile, doing more than the 9-5 when needed, being proactive and showing up even when not asked because you know there is a big event that needs all hands on deck.

2 - Be tenacious or in my case driven, passionate, positive and proactive. I was driven to want to make something of myself and to succeed in my career. I also love helping people and I get my energy from happy customers, tenacious teams and staff, positivity and passionate people and their energy... but lets be fair - don't we all. Who wants to deal with someone constantly moaning and being negative, not pulling their weight so the team has to constantly pitch in so that a plate is not dropped? People buy from people.... so positivity, team work and being passionate about what you do is key.

3 - Finally everyone in the book had an extra 10% to give. Now this is a headspace thing. I am a big believer in the saying 'You are your only limit'. If you mind gives up your body will. However if you mind is focused, driven, positive and on it, so will you body be too. Your body is programmed to carry on and carry on - survive. It's your mind that stops you. I am very well aware of these when I start on a new physical adventure. I have to give my mind a talking to and be positive and see the goal. Don't let you mind let you down!

It boils down to resilience - a key Power Skill - which you'll know about if you read my blog a few weeks ago.

With these three winning aspects in place, you can go the extra mile, you can achieve that dream and you can bring amazing customer service and experience to the world just like Geoff suggests.

Great customer experience whether to colleagues or customers is not hard and it costs nothing.... so go the extra mile - I promise you its worth it!

So my new goal is to consider what can I do everyday to go the extra mile? I will let you know in a few months.... or if you meet me - you'll find out!