Trust me, the customer will never come back!”

Years ago, Sam Walton, founder of the world's largest retail network, WalMart, opened a training program for his employees, very wisely.

When everyone was expecting a sales or service conference, it started with the following words:

'I am the man who goes into a restaurant, sits down at the table and waits patiently, while the waiter does everything but write down my request.

I am the man who walks into a store and waits for silence while the salesmen end their private conversations.

I'm the man who walks into a gas station and never honks, but patiently waits for the waiter to finish reading his newspaper.

I'm the man who explains his desperate urgency for a piece, but doesn't complain when he only gets it after three weeks of waiting.

I am the man who, when entering a commercial establishment, seems to be asking for a favor, begging for a smile or just hoping to be noticed.

You're thinking I'm a quiet, patient, never-problem-type person… you're wrong.

You know me?

I'm the customer who never comes back!

I enjoy seeing millions being spent every year on ads of all kinds, to bring me back to your company, being that when I first went there, all they would have to do was just a little kindness, simple and cheap : treat with a little more courtesy.

There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everyone in the company, from the president to the janitor, just by taking his money to spend elsewhere.'

Ercole Palmeri