Foghorn May 5, 2016 Mtg -Mike Toy – "Secrets of Success"

He then had his listeners pair up and then had each spend a minute sharing with their partner stories of successes and tips for how to find success. Among those were: don't take things personally, be true to yourself, don't let anyone tell you who or what you are, study situations carefully before taking action and enjoy the present. Then he invited the listeners to share stories of how their successes made them feel.

Next, he invited listeners to spend another minute sharing with partners their worst customer-experience stories, as a customer. The stories varied among the listeners; one told of a travel reservation canceled online, another shared an experience with AT&T. Other stories that were shared involved being lied to, or time wasted.

Club members were then asked to share stories of their most positive customer experiences. Again the stories varied, including topics such as the discovery of a worm in one's hamburger, or positive behavior from a  bus driver in the face of a challenging trip. “That made our day,” said Dianne Bobko. “It made a difference for everyone on the bus.”

Mike discussed the importance of a can-do, positive attitude. Rotarians chipped in with experiences they had had; Mitone Griffiths shared one story of making sure a lady in a wheelchair was taken care of in a crowd in a public place, for example.

Mike cited the advantage of learning from stories on both sides, and Rotarian listeners offered their thoughts. Kevin O'Brien noted that if you exceed customer expectations, you become a success. Joe Brennan noted that the customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer. EJ Dieterle noted that problems always offer chances to demonstrated how you can help out. And Mike suggested always being on the positive side if you want to be a success.

Mike offered a personal tip of an acronym he always uses in business: SMYC, which stands for “Show Me You Care.”

He closed by offering six tips, or keys, for success:

1)Look everyone in the eye and smile;

2)Be the first and the last to speak;

3)Know your stuff;

4)Look sharp – dress appropriately;

5)Make things right;

Keep your word.