Personality and Expression - 개성과 표현

6:05 AM, September 14, 1994, O'Hare Airport, USA. I got off at this airport after taking a late-night flight from San Francisco to Chicago, and slowly walked to the store in the airport waiting room, exhausted and drowsy. I wanted to buy a few morning papers.

As I approached the checkout counter with a selection of newspapers, the clerk immediately said, "Three dollars and twenty-five cents." (In the US, the prices of newspapers vary.) I asked the clerk how she could calculate the price of a newspaper so quickly when she was so far away. The clerk replied that she had been watching which newspaper I picked up, so she could quickly calculate the price in her head.

Compared to the famines, wars, and epidemics that are occurring all over the world, her mental calculations were truly trivial. However, the attentive attitude shown by a clerk to a customer at O'Hare Airport at 6:05 AM was by no means something to be taken lightly.

I couldn’t help but think about how this lively saleswoman had the ability to change her customers’ daily routines with just one or two simple tricks (like looking at something from a distance and mentally adding up the price).

In this case, changing a customer’s daily routine was something that happened to me. Small acts of people that come out naturally like this have such great power.

People like Kelliher of Southwest Airlines encourage (or actually demand) that people feel free to show their individuality, but when I actually tried to do so, I found that most people were capable of doing so and that such behavior brought them great rewards.

I recently bought a bottle of Odwiller fruit drink and drank it. After downing the last drop of the sweet drink, I happened to see the expiration date label. It said, “Enjoy by March 12th.” Why did they say, “Enjoy by” instead of “Expiration date: month and day,” which is commonly written on food products?

First of all, the expression really shows the warm humanity that connects with customers. This is what shows an excellent service spirit. When I saw the expression [Enjoy your meal], a smile naturally appeared on my face and at the same time, a light exclamation of “Ah!” came out.

This kind of exclamation of “Ah!” means that I will have a lifelong customer relationship with Odwaller and that it will increase sales by hundreds of dollars. No, it does not stop there. It also means that I will see a profit of about 10 times that through my mouth and the effects mentioned in this book.

- From Tom Peters’ “Management Creation”

개성과 표현

   1994년 9월14일 새벽 6시 5분 미국 오헤어공항. 나는 샌프란시스코에서 시카고행 심야 비행기편을 타고 이 공항에 내려 지치고 후줄근한 모습으로 공항 대합실 안의 상점으로 천천히 걸어갔다. 조간신문 몇 장을 사기 위해서였다.

   내가 신문을 여기저기 골라서 들고 계산대로 다가가자 점원은 곧바로 “3달러 25센트입니다.” 하고 싹싹하게 말했다. (미국은 신문마다 가격이 다름) 나는 점원에게 그렇게 멀리 떨어져 있으면서 신문값을 어떻게 그렇게 금방 계산할 수 있는냐고 물었다. 그러자 여점원은 내가 어떤 신문을 뽑아드는지 지켜 보았기 때문에 머리 속으로 암산해서 금방 값을 말할 수 있었노라고 대답했다.

  전세계 구석구석에서 벌어지는 기근사태와 전쟁, 전염병과 비교한다면 그녀의 암산은 정말 하찮은 일이라 하겠다. 그러나 오헤어 공항에서, 그것도 새벽 6시5분에 어느 여점원이 고객에게 보인 이런 관심깊은 태도는 결코 가볍게 보아 넘길 일이 아니다.

  나는 이 활달한 여점원이 한두 가지 간단한 재주(예를들면 멀리서 보고 머리 속으로 가격 합산하기)로 고객들의 하루 일과를 바꿔놓을 수 있는 능력을 지니고 있음을 새삼스럽게 머리에 떠올리지 않을 수 없었다.

고객의 하루 일과를 바꿔놓았다는 것은, 이 경우 나에게 해당하는 일이다. 이처럼 자연스럽게 드러나는 사람들의 조그만 행동이 그런 큰 힘을 지니고 있는 것이다.

 사우스웨스트 에어라인 항공사의 켈리허 같은 사람은 언제든지 개성을 드러내는데 주저하지 말라고 권유(아니 실제적으로 요구)하고 있는데, 막상 그런 권유를 해보니 대부분의 사람들이 그런 표현을 할 수 있다는 것과 또 그런 행동이 엄청난 보답을 가져다 준다는 점을 알게 되었다.

  얼마 전 나는 오드윌러 과일음료를 한병 사서 마시게 되었다. 달콤한 음료를 마지막 한 방울까지 다 마시고 나서 나는 우연히 유통기간 표시를 보게 되었다. [3월 12일까지 맛있게 드십시오.] 라고 적혀 있었다. 식료품에 흔히 적혀 있는 [유통기간 몇월 며칠]이란 표현대신 [며칠까지 맛있게 드십시오]라고 표현한 까닭은 무엇일까?

  우선 그 표현 속에는 고객과 이어지는 따뜻한 인간미가 여실하게 느껴진다. 이야말로 뛰어난 서비스정신을 보여주는 것이라고 할 수 있다. 나는 [맛있게 드십시오]라는 표현을 보고 입가에 절로 미소가 떠 올랐고 동시에 ‘아!’하는 가벼운 탄성이 흘러나왔다.

  이런식의 ‘아!’하는 탄성이야 말로 내가 오드월러사와 평생 동안 맺어질 고객관계와 또 그로인한 수백 달러의 판매량 증가를 의미하는 것이다. 아니, 그것으로 그치지 않고 내 입을 통해서, 또 이 책속에 언급된 효과로 인해서  그보다 10배쯤의 이득을 볼 수 있음을 의미하는 것이기도 하다.

 - 톰 피터스의 ‘경영창조’에서