There is a small independent theatre at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis owned by Harman Moseley. While we were standing in line to get into the theatre, my wife went to the restroom. She set her ticket on the counter when she washed her hands and ten minutes later realized she had left the ticket in the restroom. Of course when she went to look, it wasn’t there.
About the time she returned, obviously frustrated, we were at the front of the line, ready to go in. The owner was taking the tickets and I quickly explained that my wife had lost her ticket in the restroom. His response was, “No problem! Come in and enjoy the show!”
Later I went to the theatre lobby to get some candy and a soda. Harman was standing there, so I took a moment to thank him and complement him on his good service. His response was, “We trust our customers!”
I replied that it was refreshing to hear that. Here is the lesson…
Trust your customers!
Most people are honest. But too many businesses and people create rules to manage the dishonest people. If people want to cheat or steal from you, they will figure out a way to do so. So do we want to create rules for the 1% (or less) of the people you don’t want to do business with anyway, or create an environment that focuses on the 99% (or more) of the people you want coming back again and again?
Shep Hyken, CSP is a professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692- 2200. Email: shep@hyken.com Web: www.hyken.com