I used to work with a guy who did something really abnormal. By “abnormal” I don’t mean weird or that he might be psychotic. He did something that no one else does.
I noticed this right away, but it didn’t sink in until we got lunch together at some soup/sandwich chain.
We walked in the door to be greeted by the cashier with a standard, “Hi, how are you guys doing?”
My coworker responded with, “Good. How are you doing?”
“…I’m good, man. Thanks for asking.”
That looks like a boring conversation, but it was fascinating to watch.
The cashier looked almost offended when my coworker asked how he was doing.
Why?
Because when he asked the question, you could tell by his tone that he cared about the answer.
And nobody cares.
Does the cashier at Target really care if I found everything I was looking for? I almost never do find everything I’m looking for, but I causally lie every time I’m asked this. I know they don’t care and people behind me would get upset if I actually told the cashier I couldn’t find what I wanted. It would then force the cashier to send out a search team for the hand towels I was looking for.
Does Spotify care that I wanted to be removed from their mailing list? Of course not. They just want me to download their app on my phone. They don’t care that I’m trying to unsubscribe from their mailing list. I tried the app. Sorry, I love Rdio.
Does anyone who has ever said “have a good one” actually mean it? It’s absurd. Have a good what? Have a good time? Have a good weekend? Have a good life? That would actually be meant as an insult. “Have a good one” is a conversational exit. Nothing more.
Does the generic “Business in the Cloud” company care that I’m upset they whored out my email address from a webinar I forgot to attend? Nope. Five companies have emailed with me “following up” about services I never expressed interest in.
Does your server really care how the first few bites are? Or are they just hoping you have the standard, “It’s great!” response when the food is mediocre?
Does the cashier at the coffee shop I go to really care if I order something from the bakery? Does she think it will improve my morning? That I really wanted it, but forgot to order it? No, she cares about her manager seeing her ask for the up-sell.
Does any man care that a razors have 5 different blades that are strong enough to shave a yak? No, and that’s part of the reason Dollar Shave Club is successful.
You should care because nobody else does
Gary Vanerchuk is unique because of how much he cares. Himself personally and WineLibrary. I received a personal email from Gary and wine recommendations from the Vice President at WineLibrary, as well as a thank you call from the “Thank You Department” after ordering.
Mark Cuban is more likely to write back quicker to your email than your friends. He’s written back to a few of my emails in less than 5 minutes. It seems insane, but maybe that’s why he’s a billionaire.
MediaTemple answer my tweeted support questions within a few minutes. And they just mailed me a t-shirt.
Half the reason people love Apple products is because they feel the company really cares about making a good product.
While writing this, the creator of TimeDoctor sent me an email asking for feedback (with the promise of an actual response) as I’m in the trial stage.
The easiest way to be different, to separate yourself from everyone else, is to care.
The world craves people who care. People who are passionate about what they do.
Because nobody cares, you should.
Find me on Twitter where I write shorter things @BenNesvig
