Make Yourself Scarce!

photo credit: Steve Parker

Normally, when someone tells you to make yourself scarce, it isn’t a compliment.  They want you to go away.

There is a different way to look at this.  Scarcity creates value. We tend to value things we can’t get much of.  Indian head pennies, for example, are worth much more than a penny minted last year; in some cases, hundreds of dollars more. Original paintings by Van Gogh fetch among the highest prices in the art world.

In the business world today, there are many things that are scarce, uncommon and even downright rare like customer service that exceeds expectations.  Stellar customer service has become so rare that when we encounter it we are almost suspicious.

A young man at a fast food hamburger joint waited on me and some friends a few weeks ago.  How many times has someone sold you a hamburger then come to your table a few minutes later to ask, “is everything alright?” That’s the sort of thing you expect anywhere except at a fast food hamburger joint, but this guy’s enthusiasm was truly impressive.

My prediction is, unless somewhere along the way he gets hypnotized and brainwashed into subscribing to the status quo, this young man will find his way to the top of whichever organization is lucky enough to employ him.  Maybe not right away, but he will eventually find an employer that values the employee that goes out of his or her way to provide 5 star customer service even when it isn’t expected. Customer service for this young man is an art. Not just art, art that is rare and valuable. I wouldn’t be surprised if this young man ends up owning his own business because he gets so frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm others have for providing stellar customer service.

I’m not exaggerating much when I say, this kid is probably more valuable to that company than most of the senior management staff, yet he is paid a miserable fraction of the salary.

• What about you?
• How valuable to your business or profession are you?
• If you’re not at work for a week, do customers even notice?
• Is what you do art or just marking time and following the crowd?

It’s easy to create stellar customer service that is scarce. Just ‘go the extra mile’ as the old saying goes.  Most people are too lazy or brainwashed by a culture that seems to value the status quo over doing anything above and beyond the call of duty.

Look around you. The businesses and professionals that thrive, even in a down economy, are the ones that provide something competitors aren’t providing. Its time to get busy creating scarcity by doing something your competitors aren’t doing — even when you’re tired, even if its Monday morning or Friday afternoon, even if you don’t think it makes a difference.