Be the Story You Want Told and Let Your Customers Tell It

Guest blog by Lori Jo Vest, co-author of "Who's Your Gladys? How to Turn Even Your Most Difficult Customer into Your Biggest Fan"

As a frequent (too frequent) user of social media (okay, I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to Facebook), I am fascinated with what people choose to tell the other people in their world. Some complain about their jobs, others are happy and cheerful ALL THE TIME, while still another group seem to constantly promote their strong political opinions.

I’m on Facebook (a lot) and while the majority of my friends and customers use it, I’m surprised by how many business people aren’t taking advantage of this ongoing, never-ending social conversation. "I’m too busy," they say. "I don’t have time for it." Many of these folks are in their fifties or sixties and they’re expressing their truth. They just don’t have time for any more "media" in their lives, social or not.

One of these people, though I don’t know him personally, is Ernie of Ernie’s Market in Oak Park, Michigan. And while he may not be a social media gadfly, his customers have dragged him into the new age of online conversations.

I’m in the throes of promoting a new book and we recently put a call out on our Facebook fan page for volunteers to appear in a YouTube video about customer service. One of our fans, Sherry Woodbeck, sent me an incredibly enthusiastic email, suggesting that we visit Ernie. "He has a great little market that makes and sells the most fantastic sandwiches in the state!" she gushed. "He is on YouTube and Facebook - NOT because he wanted to be - it was his many, many fans" that started a fan page for him.

I took a look on the YouTube video and at Ernie’s Facebook fan page and was immediately intrigued by how Ernie’s old-fashioned approach to customer service has inspired a loyal following that has created a space for him in the new world of social media.

The YouTube video was created by a customer, who took his camera into the store while Ernie was making his famous $5 sandwiches "with love" (a secret mix of spices) and calling everybody "Baby!" In the interview clips, Ernie talks about how "love" makes everything taste better and how his customers are his family. His passion for his work is obvious and makes you wish you were standing in line at Ernie’s with all of his other enthusiastic customers. Take a look at the video here.

Ernie’s Facebook fan page is pretty amazing, too. People are continually commenting on their love for Ernie and his sandwiches. They number over 1,100 as of this writing.

What is it that has inspired such ferocious enthusiasm? Ernie’s customer service is fantastic. He gives everyone his complete attention when they’re placing their order. He takes interest in them and remembers their names. He makes sure his product is fantastic and adds his own brand of "love" to every order.

He even has a special surprise for every new customer. If you tell him it’s your first time at Ernie’s, he asks you to close your eyes and he puts a chilled Hershey’s Kiss in your hand. "For some reason, those Hershey Kisses are the best you’ve ever had," mused Sherry. "My daughter loves him. When she went to college last year, she had (a picture of) Him and his $5.00 sandwich on her door."

Do you want what Ernie has created? Getting it is simple, but not always easy. It comes from holding a genuine positive regard for every customer who walks into your business. It’s about putting your passion into words, and expressing your joy as you give them your attention. Sound intimidating? It’s not about putting on an act or trying to be Ernie, particularly if your nature is more subdued. It’s about expressing in your own genuine way your passion for your profession. Customers will love you when you love them first. It starts with you. Your enthusiasm will become a mirror that will reflect back passionate customer support

– the kind that spreads virally and increases referral business. Show that they matter by what you say, what you do, and how you offer them a quality experience. Start today.

Lori Jo Vest currently manages a Michigan-based television production studio, Communicore Visual Communications. After twenty years in relationship-based sales and customer service, she recently co-authored "Who’s Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer into Your Biggest Fan," a customer service book slated for release through AMACOM Books/NY in September. You can learn more at

www.communicore.tv and www.whosyourgladys.com .