6 Lessons from A Cab Ride

Thursday, July 29, 2010

6 Lessons from A Cab Ride

Jim Meisenheimer:

Chubby The Cabby

Chubby the cabby - has what it takes to be successful in business.

Have you ever gotten into a taxi that was dirty, so much so you
were afraid to touch anything?

Have you ever gotten into a taxi and had to deal with the driver's
attitude?

Have you ever gotten into a taxi and the driver didn't speak
English which made getting to your destination nerve-racking?

Look, we've all had these experiences.

Here's a taxi experience that will make your day and also serve
up a lesson on how to be successful in business.

Craig Soling, one of my newsletter subscribers, sent this to me
and I want to share it with you.

Craig says, "I recently attended a national conference in Chicago
Illinois. I live in a northern suburb of Chicago and decided to
commute each day. I have a friend who lives about 1 mile from the
convention center, so I decided to park my car at his place and
walk to the convention hall.

On the second day, I was exhausted from being on my feet and a
full day of meetings. So I decided to take a cab back to my car.
It was a great decision!

As soon as I got into the taxi I was greeted with enthusiasm. The
driver said, "welcome to my cab, you just made the best choice of
your day, I speak English and I truly believe in the power of
positive thinking and positive attitudes."

Craig was instantly intrigued, not to mention not so tired anymore.
The ride was quick, but I stayed and talked to my driver for another
15 minutes.

For every question I asked, he had a well thought out response.
He wasn't a driver, he was a salesman!

As soon as I stepped into the cab, the driver began making the
sale for my next ride, without directly talking about it.

And it worked. I got his name and telephone number side note on
the phone number, when I asked for his business card, he told me
he doesn't have them because people just throw them away. He told
me to get out my cell phone and he would wait until I programmed
his name and number.

In Craig's e-mail to me he said he hoped I would enjoy this story
and obviously I did.

Craig recommends that if you're ever in Chicago, give Chubby the
Cabby a call for your transportation - you'll enjoy the ride!
Chubby 773-392-1114.

Thanks Craig for sharing this with me. Here are some of the
lessons I learned.

1. Enthusiasm makes a difference!

2. Deal with the problems up front - "I speak English."

3. Be positive in everything you do.

4. Ask people to program your name and telephone number when
you're with them.

5. Ask for the business.

6. Be different.

The next time I'm in Chicago I'm calling Chubby the Cabby!

He's got what it takes.

Got a motivating story to tell?