Just Give Them The Pickle!
A couple days ago I found myself in a situation where I was forced to watch one of those cheesy, poorly lit, low budget videos on customer service.
The “star” was a guy who appeared to be in his 70’s and needless to say I was not looking forward to the presentation.
Only one thing surprised me, the video was great!
If you ever get a chance to watch the film featuring Bob Farrell called “Give’em the Pickle”, it will get you thinking about how you are giving customer service. Last I looked the DVD sold for $895, but you’re in luck that you can get the Cliff Note version here, absolutely free.
Pre-Pickle
Bob is an entrepreneur who started a chain of ice cream parlors in the 1960’s, the first of which being in Portland, OR and was a raving success. Customers were lining up for Bob’s ice cream and hamburgers. He was
becoming known as the place for a great meal, and word quickly spread and Bob’s empire grew.
Within five years Bob had six stores, all going great guns, and he began to franchise operations, eventually selling out to the Marriot Corporation in 1973 when he had 55 ice cream parlors total.
The Pickle Incident
As a young entrepreneur, with only one store open at the time, something happened to Bob that forever changed the way he approached customer service, and became the bedrock to all of his success.
He received a letter from a customer that went something like this:
Dear Mr. Farrell
I love your restaurant and have eaten there many times. Your hamburgers are the best, the ice cream is top notch, and the fact that you sang Happy Birthday to my kid made a memory he won’t forget. However, I have to tell you of an incident that happened last time we were in your restaurant. I asked for an extra pickle on my hamburger, which I’ve gotten many times before, and was told there would an additional fee of .50 for another pickle. I was shocked an appalled that you could no longer just put an extra slice of pickle on my sandwich, and you were going to nickel and dime me. I hate to say it, but if this is how you are going to treat your loyal customers I will not be back!!
Mr. Unhappy Customer
The Aftermath
It didn’t take Bob but a second to figure out that he may have lost a customer for life because a waitress wanted to charge .50 for a pickle that cost Bob next to nothing.
He quickly trained the staff to not quibble over things as trivial as a pickle, that making the customer happy was the priority. And soon thereafter whenever a worker at Bob’s restaurant was not wanting to do something a customer requested the mantra became “Just give them the pickle!”
Not only that, but this incident shaped the way Bob approached customer service, adding value, and crafting an experience that stayed with him throughout his career.
He learned his customer’s names. He sang to kids on their birthday and gave them free sundaes. He righted every wrong immediately. He treated every customer like his first customer.
And most importantly:
He didn’t treat people how he would like to be treated, he treated people how they liked to be treated.
Who Are Your Customers, Really?
Bob’s opinion on who a customer is struck me as well. Your customer is your boss!
They pay your mortgage, buy the boat in your driveway, put your kids through college, and ensure you have a comfortable retirement. Your customers pay for all of those niceties in your life. They are in charge, not you. You are there to serve them, they are not there to serve you.
The Takeaway
We all have “pickles” we can give our customers. Some of the things we can give them to make them feel valued may not cost a dime. Other “pickles” may cost the business owner something, but as Bob found out he would rather have the customer come back over and over again by giving them a .50 pickle than never coming back at all.
Take a few minutes to think about what pickles you can give your customers. And do you think of your customers as a means to your end, or as the person you are reporting too? For the sake of your future business success I hope you start giving out pickles, and keeping the boss happy.
Have you given out any pickles recently?
Photo credits: StormySleep, KB35
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I totally agree! This post applies to every company, a universal standard! Thanks for sharing it with us. I’m favoriting it on Twitter and RT’ing.
Nice Post. I like stories like this – small stories that pack a big lesson. It’s one that we try and practice every day at our candy store.
Good one, I totally agree. Before I got into business for myself, I was in “Corporate America” and it was the same thing. Unfortunately, it’s all black & white to the people counting the beans.
Matt, I am sold on this. What a great story. Businesses do that kind of thing all the time. They micromanage every single penny and forget the customer all together.
I’m going to work on my pickle jar right now.
George
What a nice kind of cute story. While I agree with this story on one level I don’t actually agree with it 100% however. For me as a business owner I provide top notch support and service. However it’s a two way street. I won’t take customer service to the level of ass kissing. There are times when some customers will abuse the “customer is always right” concept. In other words I expect the same respect and appreciation in return from my clients. It’s a two way street really.That’s just me.
hey Matt,
). If you know of one on youtube, you might want to include a link.
Bob’s motto is much better than what seems to get the motto of many business, which is… “just give ‘em the finger!”
Seriously though, this post reminded me of your earlier reply to me (which I didn’t have time to do at that time). Anyway, I went to youtube and searched for “Bob Farrell give them the pickle” and variations of that, but couldn’t find anything (lots of videos about pickles though
~ Steve, Pinnacle Trade Show Displays
@Charity
Yes, customer service is something EVERY company should be aware of…unfortunately many are not.
Thanks for dropping by,
Matt
@Ken
Good for you! As a small business owner in the retail sector I’m sure you realize first hand how important customer service is.
Matt
@George
Yep, many biz’s step over dollars to pick up pennies. Not the way to build a business, brand, or loyalty.
Matt
@Gerald
Ass kissing is not the point of this at all. It’s understanding that our customers are the reason we exists. Granted some will try to take advantage and that shouldn’t be tolerated, but we do owe it to the majority of our customers to not only give them the benefit of the doubt, but cater to their needs if reasonable. Without them, there’s no us.
Matt
@Steve
I looked for clips of the video to include in this post, and came up empty handed too. It made sense once I saw that the DVD was selling for $895 (no joke) that they are probably pretty adamant about keeping off Youtube and the like. If I ever run across a clip I can share, it’ll go up on the site.
Matt
I could not agree more! This is a great story! In fact, I am working on several posts for my site on Customer Service. I have had my share of OMG with customers. Ultimately, they are the Boss and we must keep that in mind. No matter how difficult it may seem. This is again, a great example. I might just bored it from you, if you do not mind?.
oops, it should read- I must borrow…..
Okay, you had me rolling on the floor with this story! I used to be a waitress, and let me tell you, this story is so true. Don’t nitpick with the customer, and they will come back for more.
I think I understand what Gerald was trying to say. Do what it takes to keep the customer, but if they are trying to take advantage of your generosity, know where to draw the line. It is a difficult decision. I have had managers who would give free meals for the tiniest genuine complaint, and refuse when someone was causing an unnecessary fuss over nothing.
Hilarious article! Thanks for sharing.
~Kimberlee
@Kimberlee
I love it when a simple story illustrates a great business idea, which is why I had to pass this one along. I agree with you and Gerald though that there has to be limits as to what we do for the customer, but I will always err on the side of the customer unless the request is egregious.
Thanks for coming by,
Matt
This video is worth the $ for a company to invest!! I have seen the video through our training program at work . To me I would highly recommend seeing it……. Great presentation and a message to the heart of great customer service. I still talk about it to new staff and wish we had a Farrell’s restaurant in northern Ontario Canada.
Question is if the waitress had been told extra pickles were free to the customers, would she have tried to charge 50cents for it? Management make silly rules and when a customer complains, they try and pass it on to the staff.
You can watch this program at http://www.trainingabc.com/give_em_the_pickle.html
It’s the most popular customer service program in the last 10 years.
I’ve know Bob Farrell for 40 years. He’s the real deal. He still lives and breathe customer service because it’s given him everything. A few years after we produced, Give em the Pickle, together, he said to me,”I always thought I’d be remembered for ice cream but it turns out it’s going to be pickles! Go figure.” We put his life story on http://www.giveemthepickle.com It’s a fun read.