Law of the Garbage Truck

[SoonerQueen]

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.



Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!


Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

[ljbab728]

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.



Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!


Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

Very nice, SoonerQueen. I've seen something very similar recently in a customer service seminar. People with problems may take it out on you even if you didn't cause the problem. Don't take it personally. Just deal with the problem.

[Easy180]

When I deal with crotchety customers I normally just shower them with over the top nice responses

Nothing pisses off a customer walking away after he thought he made his point than a good ole over the top "Have a great day"....You can see it takes all of the wind out of their dumbazz sail

I actually get a kick out of these situations and never take them personally

[kevinpate]

A relative, now passed, was in a tough situation a while back, tougher than most find themselves. It wasn't his first rodeo.
When someone commented that he was handling the adversity far better than most had expected of him, he looked the chap
in the eye and said "hell, I've been run over by a big truck before."

He wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I always admired his ability to get back up after getting knocked down.

[ljbab728]

When I deal with crotchety customers I normally just shower them with over the top nice responses

Nothing pisses off a customer walking away after he thought he made his point than a good ole over the top "Have a great day"....You can see it takes all of the wind out of their dumbazz sail

I actually get a kick out of these situations and never take them personally

Easy you may be right but the purpose of problem resolution is not to PO the customer and take all the wind out their sail even though that may make you feel good. It's to solve the problem in the best manner possible and there is no "one size fits all" method for doing that. I get much more enjoyment in pleasing a customer with a problem than in feeling that I got one over on them.

[Easy180]

Not what I meant lj...I can customer service with the best of em...Speaking specifically about customers who did not come in for a solution just came in to berate you cause their life sucks...I should have been more clear

[bandnerd]

Not what I meant lj...I can customer service with the best of em...Speaking specifically about customers who did not come in for a solution just came in to berate you cause their life sucks...I should have been more clear.

I understood what you meant. Sometimes we teachers get parents who come in to just gripe at us about whatever situation, and they aren't looking for help or solutions, they just want to point the blame finger (when they should probably be pointing it at their own child!). I find it better to respond with kindness in these situations, because it rattles them. Occasionally it snaps them back into reality and when they realize what they are doing, they act more professionally.

[Easy180]

A lot of customers find if they can just make you uncomfortable they can always get what they want

I take great satisfaction in not getting rattled in the first place and treating these folks like all others...As long as I am consistent with all customers regardless of their behavior I have done my job well

[ljbab728]

A lot of customers find if they can just make you uncomfortable they can always get what they want

I take great satisfaction in not getting rattled in the first place and treating these folks like all others...As long as I am consistent with all customers regardless of their behavior I have done my job well

That's a good point, Easy. Acting in a calm, professional matter is always best no matter how the customer is acting. Sometimes I have no tongue left when talking to an irate customer from all of the biting on it I do. And somtimes I find that, after I have let them have their rant, I can turn them around to the correct way of thinking and find a solution that will work for both of us. There are very few that I just want to lose permanently as customers.