EVERY DAY I WRITE THE BOOK

The other day I went to an independent auto parts store to get a replacement bulb for a taillight.

When I approached the counter, a young man pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket and asked how he could help. As I told him what I needed, he made a note of it, tucked the notebook away, and got busy helping me find the right part.

As I was paying, I asked why he used the notebook. He told me that it was his way of making sure he didn’t forget what he was looking for in case of distraction. Every day, he writes every request and his book is full of notes.

One of his co-workers also showed me his notebook and told me he uses it to keep track of which phone line he is working with.

The entire sales team at that shop uses these small notebooks as their own CRM (customer relationship management) tool, and it works beautifully.

Having a computer-based system is great, but these guys are living proof that you don’t need to make a huge software investment to take care of your customers.