The Power of Small Gestures @ Burke’s Billing Builders.

As you can imagine, I fly a lot. I was advised early on to try and stick with one airline, which I’ve done, and now I get upgraded almost always. Well, life’s better on the other side of the curtain but it’s not grand. At least not on my airline. But I was reminded of a very powerful lesson not long ago flying home from somewhere out west.

The first class cabin attendant (very PC, don’t you think?) was a real pro. He took his job of treating us well very seriously. He did two things that I hadn’t seen done before. First, he used our names. He had a list of us and where we were sitting, so when the beverage cart came down the aisle, he would ask, “Anything to drink, Mr. Burke?” All of a sudden, I wasn’t 3C, I was Mr. Burke! We had a bonding moment and it took our relationship to a different level. (See what happens when you spend too much time in thin air?)

But here was the best part. When we were getting ready to land, he came by and personally thanked each of us in First Class by name for flying with them that day. “Thanks for flying with us today, Mr. Burke. We really appreciate your business.” Now, that’s different. The gentleman next to me and I glanced at each other. He was as shocked as I was. “That’s a first” was his comment. It might have been. Usually it’s like the spoof from the old Saturday Night Live with David Spade…”Buh-bye.”

The power of a small gesture is sometimes lost on us. We don’t give much thought to the importance of the gesture because it’s easy for us to accomplish. A simple thank you note goes further than you know. And the simple truth is that not many people do it.

When I worked in New England years ago, we printed small, business card size notes that were a message of appreciation for excellent service. We carried them with us everywhere, and whenever we were graced with excellent service, at a diner or an oil change center for instance; we would drop off a card. Our station took pride in the service we gave and we wanted to recognize good service we received. My effort to leave a card was almost nothing. The impact was huge. I believe this is one reason we don’t put much value on small gestures: our effort is small. But the impact is anything but.

My colleague Jim tells a story about how he wrote a thank you note to the receptionist of the radio station he ran for a particularly good job she had done on a project. Fast-forward about ten years, when he was hired as a sales trainer by the same station. The same receptionist was still there. When he arrived, she opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out his note. A simple gesture that lasted over a decade.

Bottom Line: The power of the simple gesture is amazing. Your service doesn’t have to be lights-out fabulous. Of course, when that happens, it’s truly memorable. But it’s not always possible. But the small things really matter. Don’t take them for granted. I certainly don’t. Make it a point to be the King or Queen of the small things. And the kingdom shall be yours.

Dave Burke is President of Burke Media Marketing, Inc, an advertising sales training consultancy. Dave works with radio, TV, and cable sales teams and their clients to help them dominate their markets. He can be reached at (603) 746-5588 or http://www.BurkeMediaMarketing.com