Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Apple Farmer and the Hospice Marketer

As a young girl, Daddy would often have conversations with me about good customer service.

He spoke to me as though I had already chosen the career of marketing before I had even reached the age of 10.

Daddy believed in leading by example and often

displayed the courtesies of removing his hat as

he entered a room, opening doors for others, and

always responding with "Yes sir" or "Yes Ma'am"

as he spoke to youth and elders alike. 

"Try this apple" he would say to the customer. 

When the purchase was complete, I watched the

customer leave the premises of the apple house

with an overflowing bag.  If a dozen apples were

purchased you could bet at least 13 apples were in the bag.

My parents encouraged me with words of "you can be anything",

"you are no better than anyone else and no else is better than you",

and "I love you".

Daddy would often let me play with balancing the checkbook.  I

would fret as I saw a near 0 balance and feel relief as deposits

were figured into the scenario. 

Looking back, I can only surmise now that this early childhood

education has played a significant role in who I am now.

I love great customer service, I take great pride in good financial

stewardship (I am truly debt free and no one really believes that

except my husband), and I wonder sometimes if my purpose in

life is to be of service through understanding and encouragement.

In case you are in health care, I strongly suggest you find an

apple farmer to mentor you in your career.

They truly know how to plant the seeds, nourish growth and

celebrate with gratitude the yielded crop.

 

 

Posted via email from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

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