If your favourite book store does not stock it, please ask for it by name or this ISBN number: 978-0-620-41146-2

I received the following comment via email today:

Hi Marcel,

You must think I am very impolite, and I am sorry I have not commented yet: I have read your book, parts of it I have repeated a few times.  To be honest with you, I learned about similar ideas some years ago- not from a book, but from working environment.  Later on, I felt many companies actually do not want to think in the direction as you advise: the passionate approach, the genuine interest in wishing your customer well and go the extra mile, the key things that are the real differentiators.  In 2005, I joined the company I work for now, and we had a sales meeting late last year plus another one just a couple of months ago where exactly some of the values you point at were highlighted as a guiding line, and also an existing value/asset in our company.

It is therefore with great pleasure I can pick up some of your comments and communicate them as reminders, to encourage our organization, knowing that this approach is anchored in the company from bottom all the way to the top.  I really appreciated your Guide to Improve Business.

Many thanks

Kind regards

Haakon G. Froland
Eltek Valere South Africa

Thank you Haakon!

If you’re serious about delivering your products or services with energy, passion & sincerity, then why don’t you order your copy of “The Serious Business Owner’s Guide to Creating Customers For Life” today?

Or join the “Creating Customers For Life” Facebook Fan Page here.

During a recent sales pitch that I had been hired to write & present for helloWorld, I offered each person in the audience a copy of my first book, “”, as a gift. One of the people in the audience was Meryl, who came to introduce herself afterwards & ask me questions. Of course, it was a pleasure to tell her the book she received was a gift from me!

Two days later, I received a “thank you” email from Meryl, telling me how much value she received from “Customers For Life” – with an added surprise. You see, what I didn’t know, is that Meryl is a freelance editor who regularly works for a very large & respected publishing company. Attached to her email was a list of spelling & grammar corrections in the first 3 chapters (she really has ‘eagle eyes’) that I had missed in the 3 months of proof reading that I had personally done. What an awesome ‘WOW’ surprise; she had given her time & knowledge to me without expecting anything in return. I immediately ‘phone her up & thanked her for the unexpected but valuable service – and hired her on the spot to edit & proof my entire book. Thanks to Meryl, “Customers For Life” is now even better than before.

Last night, my wife & I went for dinner at a local restaurant. I parked my car in a nearby parking garage (rather safe than sorry, even if it does cost more) & we had a wonderful evening. When we got back to the car about 2 hours later, I stopped dead as I was about to open my door – something was definitely different. That’s when I had another ‘WOW’ experience; my car was shining brilliantly. The security guard, who obviously wasn’t very busy, had washed & polished my car while we’d been eating.

I’ve been so busy travelling, I just didn’t have the time to wash my car – in fact, it was on my To-Do list for the next day. I’m sure if the guard had asked me before I left the car if he could wash it, I would have said “Yes, please!”. But he didn’t, and he didn’t even ask to be paid when I returned: he just stood there, smile on his face, as I was standing there in shock. It was only when I asked him if he was responsible, that he admitted it. I gave him a BIG tip; much, much more than I would have if he had asked before I left. His eagerness to solve my problem, without any expectation of a reward, resulted in some extra cash & a very happy customer.

These 2 experiences have reminded me of an important lesson that I’ve learnt & teach to other business owners – “Givers Get”. The more you give abundantly, without any expectation for reward or recognition, but purely because you feel it’s important to solve a problem or fulfil a need, the more you receive abundantly. This can seem counter-intuitive sometimes; we think, “If I keep giving away, I’ll have nothing for myself”, but as these two examples prove, the more you give, the greater reward you receive.

I’m working hard to find opportunities to give you more than you expected, so that you not only receive more value from us, but also because it’s fulfilling for me to hear how surprised you are – THAT is my reward!