If Jack Nicholson were your customerI heard the late, great Fred Newell once talk about a Jack Nicholson exchange with a waitress in the movie “Five Easy Pieces” that illustrated how rules or company policy can generate conflict with customers instead of giving them what they want.
Here’s the dialogue from the scene:
Jack Nicholson: I’d like a plain omelette, no potatoes – tomatoes instead – a cup of coffee, and some toast.
Jack Nicholson: (Still polite, softly spoken.) What…you mean you don’t have any tomatoes?
Jack Nicholson: (Still polite) I know what it comes with. But, it’s not what I want.
Jack Nicholson: (Still polite…but determined) Just a minute: I HAVE made up my mind. I’d like a plain omelette with no potatoes on the plate, a cup of coffee and a side order of wheat toast.
Jack Nicholson: (Turns full attention to waitress. Still speaks quietly.) What do you mean, you don’t make side orders of toast? You make sandwiches don’t you?
Jack Nicholson: (Sighs) You’ve got bread? And a toaster of some kind?
Jack Nicholson: (Still calm. Talks slow) OK…I’ll make it as easy for you as I can. I’d like an omelette. Plain. And a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast. No mayonnaise. No butter. No lettuce. And a cup of coffee.
Jack Nicholson: (Smiles) …and a cup of coffee…
(Diner scene from the movie: Five Easy Pieces.)
And the point is:
Are you listening? If you fail to acknowledge their power, they’ll flash their teeth at you. Don’t mistake it for a smile…
Phil Dourado: Author, Speaker, Independent Consultant and the founding editor of ‘Customer Service Management ‘Journal in the United States, and of its companion title, ‘Customer Service Management’ Journal (now rebranded as Customer Management Magazine) in the United Kingdom. He is the author of The 6 Second Leader.
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