The Secret – Love Your Customers

Have you watched The Secret?

Yes. Great. How has it affected you?

No. Then do so, this week!

Joe Girard understands The Secret. I read about Mr. Girard in the Harvard Business Review, July-August 2006, page 25.

Mr. Girard was born into poverty and eventually took a job selling cars. Not fleet sales. Individual car sales. His accomplishments include:
- 13,001 cars sold in 15 years
- the Guinness World Record for being the world’s greatest salesman
- 1,425 cars sold in 1973
- 174 cars sold in one month

To quote Mr. Girard:
- “When you bought a car from me, you didn’t get just a car. You got me. I would break my back to service a customer …”
- “That’s what makes businesses big: word of mouth. If you create it, it’ll make you. If you don’t, it’ll break you.”

He took all of the service people out to lunch at a nice restaurant every third Wednesday. He invited them all over his house once a year for a barbeque with his family. He told the service people he loved them. He did love them. They loved him back. And they treated his customers like gold.

He told his customers that he loved them too, all the time.

He got down on his hands and knees and begged his first customer to buy a car. He made his first sale. His family was starving. But not any more.

“So I appreciate every person who bought from me so much.”

Mr. Girard – I cannot simply call him Joe given his accomplishments – understands The Secret. He lives it every day. He was not simply about sales. He was all about service and commitment.

I’m not sure Parmasters Southern Ontario can live up to Mr. Girard’s example. But I can’t think of a better guiding light.