The tire light came on in my car.
So I took it to a local tire shop.
They happily measured the tire pressure, told me the tires were fine, and put a little more air in them.
No wait. No charge.
I didn’t even have to get out of the car.
Helpful.
A month later, the light went on again.
So I went back.
Same thing happened.
One day that light’s going to go on and I’m actually going to need a new tire.
Where do you think I’ll buy it?
This is why I run my business the way I do.
It’s why I give free advice to anyone who asks me a question about how to get clients from their content.
It’s why I’m accessible and helpful whenever I can be.
Because one of these days…
They’re going to need to buy a “tire.”
And who do you think they’ll buy it from?
BONUS BITS:
• Helpfulness is an amplifier. Not only will I buy from that tire store when I need a new tire, but I’ll also tell anyone I know who’s looking to buy a tire to go to that store.
• “Kind acts don’t generally add costs.” – Jeffrey Rayport, Harvard Business School
• There’s a story in the excellent book Unreasonable Hospitality about an upscale restaurant where the staff goes out and puts money in its customer’s parking meters so guests don’t get ticketed.
Thanks to Rich for reminding me about it.