The “extreme two percent” occurs in almost everything we do.  For me, this realization affects much of my decision making.  Let me give you an example. 

At a restaurant 96% of the time the wait-person is, for the most part, courteous, honest, helpful, etc.  BUT, 2% of the time they’re sooooo awesome, I feel compelled to give them a huge tip, tell their immediate boss before I leave and then write a letter to the owner of the restaurant letting them know that their entire staff could take lessons from this gem.  Hang on, you say, “what about the BOTTOM 2%”?  Yep, you guessed it, they get an equal share of my attention … but not in the good way.  Sure I know that people have bad days and just don’t feel up to giving that extra little ooomph, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I’m talking about the service being so bad that it qualifies as being in the bottom two percent of ANYthing.  If we’re in a service industry, even on our worst days, we should be able to give mediocre service despite our own personal situation.  How often should service people TRY to be in the top 2%?….. I say 100% of the time but  expect to only get there (surprise) 98% of the time!

Want to hear an example of what constitutes as “the bottoom 2%”?  Check out Michael Ports post about Trumba.

Go Ahead, Socialize ...

Okay kids, sharpen up your Andy Rooney voices and repeat after me — “Have you evvver noticed…”

* All real estate people use a mugshot in their listings.
* Used car dealerships act like they’re off their meds … and they film their commercials with zoo animals.
* Women who clean themselves in soap or shampoo commercials move around like they’re pole dancing in a strip club.

Warning: If you’re doing things in your marketing/advertising that even remotely resembles your competition, ask your marketing guy/gal “why?”! If their answer sounds anything like “…because that’s how it’s done!”, you may want to re-think your whole strategy.

Just imagine …. next Sunday morning, you’re thumbing through the real estate section of the paper and you find a picture of a real estate agent with a bag over their head! The caption reads something like “To meet me (and to actually see my face), call me about this listing at 555-1234.” Yep, I know I’d hire an agent with that level of courage!

Go Ahead, Socialize ...