“Johnny the Bagger” Movie

October 22nd, 2010 | Category: Customer Service, Products

For those of you who have not seen the 16 minute dramatization of my story of “Johnny the Bagger®,” you can preview it here. It is a wonderful, very realistic version of the true story about how one young man who was a grocery bagger with Down syndrome changed the entire culture of his store after hearing me speak. One of the ideas I shared with the audience of over 3000 grocery store employees inspired Johnny to add his personal signature to his work by putting a “Thought for the Day” in all the groceries he bagged.

In the movie, you will see the skeptic, the cynic, and the manager who had no idea what was going on…… as well as all the delighted customers who were willing to wait much longer in Johnny’s line rather than go anywhere else. There are poignant parts, funny parts, and parts that will make you want to cheer. When you finish, I guarantee you will feel good all over!

ohnny putting his “Thought for the Day” into the customer’s bag

Over 7 million people have also watched the 3 minute version of the story with the words set to music which you can likewise preview, under the book, “The Simple Truths of Service” with DVD.

So many people have been inspired with the hope that they CAN make a difference, no matter what their job is, by Johnny’s story, that I want everyone to see it. Please forward these links to your friends and co-workers so that they, too, can choose to be “Johnny’s” every single day. How blessed I feel to have been the catalyst for this story and how much better our world would be with more people like Johnny!

If you are looking for a speaker or workshop for an event or training, know that the message of service I share with all my audiences is the same one that inspired Johnny the Bagger. Just go to www.barbaraglanz.com for more details or call us at 941-312-9169.

Johnny the Bagger® in Europe!

October 12th, 2010 | Category: General

I recently received this email from a person in Europe sharing how she and KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines, are using my story of “Johnny the Bagger®” to inspire their clients and employees:

My dear Barbara,

In concordance with your ‘theme of the month,’ “Giving”, I would like to share something with you since with giving comes grace and gratitude to those who have given to you. You may not realize it, but you have given me so much with the story of “Johnny the Bagger®.”

The first gift was receiving the inspiration of your story of Johnny when I was acting as Chief Customer Officer on the European board of UPC Broadband, the European subsidiary of Liberty Global. The end result of that inspiration was that the reputation of the company made a 180 degree turnaround from worst to best in class in the telco & cable industry in Europe, not mentioning the bottom-line impact it also had! But to me, most gratifying was the fun and pride the customer service people had started to take in their jobs. They themselves were the ones who turned around a negative, self-fulfilling prophecy into a positive one, and Johnny definitely made a large contribution to that!

Now I use Johnny as an example almost daily. In 2008, as a practitioner, I published my book, “Customer Advocacy–When You Care, People Notice.” I mention Johnny in my book. A while back, I gave my book to a friend, who works as a captain for the Dutch Royal Airlines, KLM. I gave him the book to inspire him and help him understand how each employee can choose to make a difference for themselves, each other, and the passengers they serve.

As a result, he invented the “blue mouse” which has a positive connotation, opposed to the “gray mouse” which is negative, Blue is the signal color of KLM– the Dutch speak of “the blue feeling” as representing the emotional pride they have in KLM. A gray mouse, on the other hand, is a Dutch expression for an insignificant person nobody pays attention to.

Read More…

The Power of Five Pennies

October 05th, 2010 | Category: General, Ideas

This story was sent to me from Tammy Ramsay after I spoke in the Battlefords, Saskatchewan, Canada. I shared with them a simple strategy to remember to appreciate people every day: Put five pennies in your right pocket when you leave for work in the morning. Every time you thank someone, you move a penny from your right to your left pocket. You do not go home at night until all five pennies are in your right pocket. It is fun to share with your family and others the stories of whom you thanked.

Dear Barbara,

It was an absolute pleasure meeting you in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Your inspirational stories were wonderful, and I carry them close to my heart. I loved the 5 penny idea and have made it a personal quest of mine to act out each day. Already I see the hearts of those who are hurting smile when they see me walk their way, I often giggle inside in anticipation as I wait to act out my next penny move.

For example. last week I stopped in at a local grocery store to pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers for a wonderful lady I knew. There were only three tills opened and the line ups were honestly half way down the aisles. I overheard the cashiers talking that an employee had not shown up for his last shift. The older lady cashier that was running the line I was in was definitely over worked and stressed. She had forgot to give the gentleman ( I use the term loosely) his change and was so flustered by his rolling of the eyes that she needed a calculator to figure out she owed him three dollars.

By time I got up to the till her lovely eyes were swimming in tears. By that time, I had waited about 15 – 20 minutes in line. She rang me through and thanked me for shopping at the store. I then turned to her as she was about to start the next transaction and said, “Excuse me. I would like to tell you something.” You could have heard a pin drop. All the cashiers stopped what they were doing and looked over in wait of what they thought was going to be an explosion.

I then proceeded to take some fresh flowers out of the bouquet and hand them to her. I told her, “THANK YOU for doing such a great job getting me served quickly. I appreciate the stress you are under,” and then told her she had done a great job. Tears rolled down her face and a grin a mile wide covered that weathered face. As I walked out, I am sure I hard her humming as she worked!

I left with so much more than a bouquet of flowers. Thank you, Barbara! You gave me something so much more than a seminar. You gave me a hope in mankind, that we CAN change the world….. one penny at a time.

Who will you give your pennies to? Tell us your stories.

“Barbara Glanz provided valuable insight into how each of us could harness the power of change to yield beautiful results. Her stories and advice were especially meaningful, and we all left feeling inspired.”

Kevin Atticks, DCD
Chair, Maryland Tourism Coalition

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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. - Oscar Wilde -