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Monday, March 1, 2010

In Memory Of An Old Friend

The other day I found myself reading through the obituaries in the local newspaper (sadly, people my age do that sort of thing) and I came across the following entry that I thought might be worth sharing:

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Com N. Sense, who was with us (on and off) for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in a mountain of bureaucratic red tape.

Mr. Sense will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: ‘the customer comes first!’ and ‘while good marketing may bring them in the door, it’s a positive customer experience that keeps them coming back!’

Com lived by simple, sales and service ethics (every customer deserves our attention and hospitality; never sell anything to anyone who has no need for it; always deliver what you promise) and grass route strategies (make it easy for the customer to do business with you and make it easy for your people to do business with the customer).

On those rare occasions when things went wrong on the sales & service front, it was Com who was there to show us that it’s not about who is wrong and who is right, but rather that what really matters is putting things right!

Com’s health began to deteriorate the day several service providers failed to acknowledge his existence as he entered the local branch of his bank. In fairness, they refused to make eye contact for fear he might expect them to leave the all-important work on their desks just to serve his needs. It declined further as a number of well intentioned, but somewhat overbearing rules and regulations were set in place. Reports from friends of being turned away from the bank because they had failed to make an appointment; being asked for references from other banks while trying opening an account, being told where and when they could do business, were but a few.

Com finally lost the will to go on after repeatedly trying to reach his bank to express his concerns from his sick bed. Rumor has it he was connected to an automated voice response system which, after numerous seemingly meaningless questions, redirected him to a line that rang and rang, but was never answered.

Com N. Sense was preceded in death by his daughter Responsibility, and his son Reason, but survived by his 3 ugly stepbrothers; It’s Not My Fault, That’s Our Policy and I'm Just Following the Rules. Com is also survived by his loving wife, Good. While understandably weakened by the loss of her husband, Good Sense is expected to make a full recovery and take up the cause where Com left off.

Memorial services for Com N. Sense will be held on Thursday at ‘The Church of Common Courtesy’ and all are invited to pay their respects. In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Sense has requested that going forward, we simply remember her husband each and every time we serve a customer.

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5 comments:

  1. Jim,

    Brilliant.I vaguely remember something similar, that had me laughing at in the office. However this full version is a real good'n. I liked it.

    Again, and as I wrote last time-WRITE these up into a volume and sell it, AND use it as an ADV. tool too.

    Ray

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jim,

    Thanks for sharing this.

    Best regards,

    Al

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Jim, enjoyed the read and stressing common sense...or Com N. Sense

    Regards

    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Jim, enjoyed the read and stressing common sense...or Com N. Sense

    Regards Sam

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for this Jim. Just what I needed. The obit made me smile! I am dealing with TD right now and ready to pull my hair out!
    Alessandra

    ReplyDelete