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Beyond Expectations
添加时间:2014-01-06 13:56:21 浏览次数: 作者:Milt Garrett
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  • It seems a car dealership1 in my hometown of Albuquerque was selling, on average, six to eight new cars a day, six days a week. I was also told that 72 percent of this dealership's first-time visitors returned for a second visit. (At that time, the average for all dealerships in Albuquerque for second-time visitors was 8 percent.)

    I was curious and intrigued2. How does a car dealership get 72 percent of its first-time visitors to return? And how can they sell six to eight cars a day in a slumping3 car market?

    When I walked into Saturn4 of Albuquerque that Friday four years ago, the staff there didn't know me from Adam; yet they shared with me their pricing policy, the profit margin5 on every model, and staff income. They even opened their training manuals for my review and invited me back on Saturday if I wanted more information (an invitation I heartily6 accepted).

    I learned that this dealership (like all Saturn dealerships) has a "no-dicker sticker" policy; that is, the price on the window is the price you pay for the car. Period. You can't even negotiate for a free set of floor mats. Saturn abides7 by its premise8 of selling high-quality automobiles9 for a reasonable price.

    Furthermore, Saturn sales consultants10 (their term for customer-contact people) aren't paid a commission - they're salaried. This means when you walk onto the showroom floor you're not bombarded with what I refer to as "beyond eager" sales people.

    I expanded my research to other dealerships in Albuquerque. It turned out that Ford12 Escorts, LTDs and Thunderbirds, as well as the Mercury Marquis, were also sold as "no-dicker sticker" cars. As Bruce Sutherland at Richardson Ford said, "We were losing our market to Saturn because of their pricing and salary policies." He also said, "If we all did what Saturn was doing, we'd not only make a decent living, but we'd also enjoy a better reputation."

    On Sunday, the day after my second visit to the Saturn store (their term, not mine), my wife, Jane, and I were walking as we frequently do. On this particular June morning, Jane gently slipped her hand in mine and said tenderly, "I don't know if you remember, but today's my fifth anniversary of being cancer-free." She was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and had undergone surgery. I was stunned13, partially14 because I was embarrassed that I had forgotten, and, partially, because...well, it seems we spend all of our time earning a living and never stop to live our earnings15. I mean, isn't this what it's really all about?

    I didn't know what to do with Jane's information. I spoke16 to her tenderly. All day. I took her to lunch. I bought the lunch. It was a nice, intimate day.

    The next day, Monday, Jane went off to work teaching school. Still beside myself not knowing what to do to mark this special occasion, I did the most impetuous thing I've ever done in my life: I bought a new Saturn. I bought every accessory they produce in Springhill, Tennessee, to hang on that car. There wasn't an accessory made that I didn't buy. I didn't pick the color and I didn't pick the model, but I paid cash and told them I'd bring Jane in on Wednesday at 4:30 to make those two decisions. I told them why I was buying the car, and that it was my secret and they were not to reveal anything to her.

    Tuesday morning, it dawned on me that Jane always wanted a white car. I called our sales consultant11 at Saturn, and I asked him if he had anything white in the store. He said he had one left but he couldn't guarantee it'd still be available Wednesday at 4:30 because they were selling so fast. I said I'd take my chances and asked him to put it in the showroom.

    Wednesday came and went. Unexpectedly, someone in our family was admitted to the hospital. So, it wasn't until 9:30 Saturday morning when, after telling Jane the biggest lie to get her out of the house, we finally made our way to the Saturn store. I quickly turned into the parking lot and Jane angrily asked, "What are you doing? You promised me we'd get home right away." I said, "I'm sorry, I forgot I have to pick up something here for my Kiwanis speech next week."

    Jane had never been in a Saturn store. When we went through the front door, the Lord took control of her feet and her mouth. She saw that little white Saturn coupe all the way across the showroom floor. She quickly passed a multi-colored sea of automobiles, sat in the little white Saturn and said, "Oh, what a pretty little car. Can I have a new car?" I said, "No. Not until Charlie graduates from college." Our son, Charlie, was attending the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia (we call that "out of state" tuition). She said, "I'm sick and tired of driving that old Dodge17, I want a new car." I said, "I promise, just three more semesters and he'll be out."

    Next, Jane walked around to the front of the car. As she looked it over, she let out the most blood-curdling, shrill18 scream I'd ever heard in 29 years of marriage.

    Now, before I tell you why Jane screamed, let me tell you what our sales consultant had done. He had ordered a large, professionally engraved19 sign (white letters on blue) and affixed20 the Saturn company logo on it. The sign stood alone on the hood21 of the little white Saturn coupe. It said "Congratulations, Jane. This car is yours. Five years cancer-free. Let's celebrate life. From Milt, Billy and Team Saturn"

    Every employee at Saturn of Albuquerque had endorsed22 the back of that sign. Jane saw it, screamed, collapsed23 in my arms and bawled24 her eyes out. I didn't know what to do. I was in tears. I took out my invoice25 from the previous Monday, unfolded it and, pointing to the white coupe, said, "No, honey, this car isn't yours. I bought you this one." I tapped the invoice with my index finger. Jane said, "No, I want this one right here." Charlie, who was home from college and with us, said, "No, Mom. Dad bought you anything you want in Springhill, Tennessee or anything on the lot here." Jane said, "You don't understand, I want this one."

    While this conversation was going on, I looked around and discovered that there was no one in the store. Our sales consultant had arranged it so that we could share the moment alone. The mechanics, the clerical staff, the front-desk receptionist, management and all sales consultants had left the store for the sanctity of our event.

    Even so, it's impossible to have a lot of privacy when so many people are standing26 outside the showroom windows looking in. When Jane screamed and collapsed in my arms, I saw everybody outside applaud and begin to cry. Every new customer that came to the store in those minutes was not allowed to enter; instead, the staff took them aside and explained what was happening.

    Jane never drove the car until she took it through the showroom door that day to drive it home.

    Over the years, I've told this story in the United States, Australia and Indonesia as an example of legendary27 service. A woman in my audience in San Francisco from Anchorage, Alaska, heard the story; she called Saturn of Albuquerque long distance and bought a new car. It's like Ken28 Blanchard says, "It's only the stories told about us that differentiate29 us in the market place."



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    1 dealership ['di:ləʃip] Kv6zWa   第7级
    n.商品特许经销处
    参考例句:
    • The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
    • A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。
    2 intrigued [ɪnˈtri:gd] 7acc2a75074482e2b408c60187e27c73   第7级
    adj.好奇的,被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式);激起…的兴趣或好奇心;“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧!
    • He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。
    3 slumping [s'lʌmpɪŋ] 65cf3f92e0e7b986ced17e25a7abe6f9   第8级
    大幅度下降,暴跌( slump的现在分词 ); 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]
    参考例句:
    • Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷,破产申请个案随之上升。
    • And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背,过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。
    4 Saturn [ˈsætɜ:n] tsZy1   第8级
    n.农神,土星
    参考例句:
    • Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪,为什么只有土星有光环。
    • These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials. 这些比较告诉我们,土星由较轻的物质构成。
    5 margin [ˈmɑ:dʒɪn] 67Mzp   第7级
    n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘
    参考例句:
    • We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train. 我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
    • The village is situated at the margin of a forest. 村子位于森林的边缘。
    6 heartily [ˈhɑ:tɪli] Ld3xp   第8级
    adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很
    参考例句:
    • He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse. 他痛快地吃了一顿,就出去找他的马。
    • The host seized my hand and shook it heartily. 主人抓住我的手,热情地和我握手。
    7 abides [əˈbaidz] 99cf2c7a9b85e3f7c0e5e7277a208eec   第7级
    容忍( abide的第三人称单数 ); 等候; 逗留; 停留
    参考例句:
    • He abides by his friends. 他忠于朋友。
    • He always abides by the law. 他素来守法。
    8 premise ['premɪs] JtYyy   第7级
    n.前提;vt.提论,预述;vi.作出前提
    参考例句:
    • Let me premise my argument with a bit of history. 让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
    • We can deduce a conclusion from the premise. 我们可以从这个前提推出结论。
    9 automobiles ['ɔ:təməbi:lz] 760a1b7b6ea4a07c12e5f64cc766962b   第7级
    n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后,就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上,汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    10 consultants [kən'sʌltənts] c6fbb5ca6219111731f9c4c4d2675810   第7级
    顾问( consultant的名词复数 ); 高级顾问医生,会诊医生
    参考例句:
    • a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
    • There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。
    11 consultant [kənˈsʌltənt] 2v0zp3   第7级
    n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生
    参考例句:
    • He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor. 他是市长的一个法律顾问。
    • Originally, Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant. 原来,加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。
    12 Ford [fɔ:d, fəʊrd] KiIxx   第8级
    n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过
    参考例句:
    • They were guarding the bridge, so we forded the river. 他们驻守在那座桥上,所以我们只能涉水过河。
    • If you decide to ford a stream, be extremely careful. 如果已决定要涉过小溪,必须极度小心。
    13 stunned [stʌnd] 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2   第8级
    adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
    • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
    14 partially [ˈpɑ:ʃəli] yL7xm   第8级
    adv.部分地,从某些方面讲
    参考例句:
    • The door was partially concealed by the drapes. 门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
    • The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted. 警方设法恢复了平静,宵禁部分解除。
    15 earnings [ˈɜ:nɪŋz] rrWxJ   第7级
    n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得
    参考例句:
    • That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter. 那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
    • Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings. 去年他的收入减少了20%。
    16 spoke [spəʊk] XryyC   第11级
    n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
    参考例句:
    • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company. 他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
    • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre. 辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
    17 dodge [dɒdʒ] q83yo   第8级
    n. 躲闪;托词 vt. 躲避,避开 vi. 躲避,避开
    参考例句:
    • A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over. 她向树后一闪,才没被车从身上辗过。
    • The dodge was coopered by the police. 诡计被警察粉碎了。
    18 shrill [ʃrɪl] EEize   第9级
    adj.尖声的;刺耳的;vt.&vi.尖叫
    参考例句:
    • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn. 哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
    • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter. 刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。
    19 engraved [inˈɡreivd] be672d34fc347de7d97da3537d2c3c95   第8级
    v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的过去式和过去分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中)
    参考例句:
    • The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
    • It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美,背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    20 affixed [əˈfɪkst] 0732dcfdc852b2620b9edaa452082857   第9级
    adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章)
    参考例句:
    • The label should be firmly affixed to the package. 这张标签应该牢牢地贴在包裹上。
    • He affixed the sign to the wall. 他将标记贴到墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    21 hood [hʊd] ddwzJ   第8级
    n.头巾,兜帽,覆盖;v.罩上,以头巾覆盖
    参考例句:
    • She is wearing a red cloak with a hood. 她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
    • The car hood was dented in. 汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。
    22 endorsed [enˈdɔ:st] a604e73131bb1a34283a5ebcd349def4   第7级
    vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 );在(尤指支票的)背面签字;在(文件的)背面写评论;在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品
    参考例句:
    • The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案,开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    23 collapsed [kə'læpzd] cwWzSG   第7级
    adj.倒塌的
    参考例句:
    • Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
    • The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
    24 bawled [bɔ:ld] 38ced6399af307ad97598acc94294d08   第10级
    v.大叫,大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 );放声大哭;大声叫出;叫卖(货物)
    参考例句:
    • She bawled at him in front of everyone. 她当着大家的面冲他大喊大叫。
    • My boss bawled me out for being late. 我迟到,给老板训斥了一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    25 invoice [ˈɪnvɔɪs] m4exB   第9级
    vt.开发票;n.发票,装货清单
    参考例句:
    • The seller has to issue a tax invoice. 销售者必须开具税务发票。
    • We will then send you an invoice for the total course fees. 然后我们会把全部课程费用的发票寄给你。
    26 standing [ˈstændɪŋ] 2hCzgo   第8级
    n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
    参考例句:
    • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing. 地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
    • They're standing out against any change in the law. 他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
    27 legendary [ˈledʒəndri] u1Vxg   第8级
    adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学)
    参考例句:
    • Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children. 传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
    • Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero. 奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。
    28 ken [ken] k3WxV   第8级
    n.视野,知识领域
    参考例句:
    • Such things are beyond my ken. 我可不懂这些事。
    • Abstract words are beyond the ken of children. 抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围。
    29 differentiate [ˌdɪfəˈrenʃieɪt] cm3yc   第7级
    vi.(between)区分;vt.区别;使不同
    参考例句:
    • You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys. 你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
    • He never learned to differentiate between good and evil. 他从未学会分辨善恶。

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