Tuesday, August 01, 2006

The Ambassador Effect


Business guru Tom Peters had a post on his blog last week about the effect of acting as an ambassador in all you do. He tells the story of his helping some local tourists in his hometown (Manchester Center, VT) who were baffled while searching a map of the city. The couple were looking for the family farm from the 1800s, and were not sure if it was even around anymore.

Mr. Peters took the time to introduce them to his friend, a local historian, who took the couple to the local library to further their research. He did not have to take the time to assist these people. But he did. His small investment of time helped these travelers in their quest.

He was a goodwill ambassador for the town of Manchester Center. He selflessly reached out to his fellow man and offered assistance. If everyone habitually did these types of small random acts of kindness as part of their day, the world would be a better place.

Mr. Peters asks, "What if we used the word "Ambassador" in lieu of "receptionist," "customer service rep," or even "salesperson"? ...... if we thought of ourselves as "ambassadors" when in contact with customers in particular, maybe it would make us think much harder about what we were doing and how we were doing it. While we would still be in the "sales mode" ......we would also be thinking more about our demeanor. "

He is right. "Ambassador" is a term that naturally would make one act with better manners and protocol. If everyone in your firm viewed their job as being an ambassador of the company, then your business reputation and your sales would soar.

Have A Great Day, Mr/Ms Ambassador!

Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
www.thomsinger.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I had a client change their receptionists job description & title to "Concierge." We even created a page on the website to help her better assist clients of the law firm, and other attorneys (even opposing counsel) who needed to make travel arrangements to visit the firm, which happened often with their international clients and national litigation practice. We made arrangemets for firm discounts on a nearby hotel & even added a calander and links for local attractions since we discovered many clients & co-counsel seemed to find Fridays the most convenient to visit our South Florida offices. Needless to say, the volume of new cases referred into the firm by counsel from around the country grew significantly.

Respectfully,

RJON ROBINS
www.HowToMakeItRain.com
Helping Lawyers In Small Firms Make ALOT More Money!