LM, Episode 1139, 1/30/23 (Remaster LM, Episode 101, 2/24/20), Management Monday
Our cat, Little One, was 19 when she died. She was angry and sarcastic. Whenever I’d scold her, she says, “Why are you mad at me, I didn’t cut your hair.”
When we moved back to KC I had to find a new barber. I chose John because he was within walking distance of the house. Walking to my haircut was the only pleasant part of this experience. On my best day, I’m impatient and John was slow as molasses, which meant we had to fill 30 minutes with small talk. The problem was we disagreed on most everything, politics religion, you name it. I often thought about finding someone else, but being pessimistic, I’d think, “Sure this is bad, but something different could be worse.”
Thankfully John retired and my wife, Twyla, suggested I try her hair stylist Jamie. Jamie and her mom run a beauty shop in their basement and I love going there. They are funny and make me laugh, which is quite an accomplishment. One of the occupational hazards of doing comedy is you watch something funny and you no longer laugh. You say things like, “That’s funny,” or, “I wished I’d thought of that.”
The product, a haircut, is the same. In fact, after one Jamie gave me, Little One said, “If I was that ugly, I’d shave my butt and walk backwards.” The product is the same, but I love going there because the atmosphere is fun and happy. In fact, even though we no longer live in Kansas City, whenever I am there, I get a haircut from Jamie.
If you want happier customers, more profits, and less employee turnover, develop happier employees. It is well documented that our customer relations mirror our employee relations, because, as customer service expert, Emily Yellin, observes, it is virtually impossible for an employee who feels mistreated to care about our customers. I’m not sure where the idea originated that doing something good for employees is bad for business, but the opposite is true.
And to Jamie and her mom, thank you for the laughs over the years. You have no idea how much I need them.
If your organization would like a fun, informative keynote for your next conference, please check out my website at www.kentraderspeaks.com and always remember laughter matters.
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