Page 181 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

151 Quick Ideas to Get New Customers

having the highest quality tires. When their 14 cars (more than
half the field) pulled out of the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix in India-
napolis, thousands of people were up in arms that they had
been cheated. Almost immediately, Michelin protected their
reputation by apologizing to the people who had bought tickets,
and spending a reported $10 million to give refunds to those
who felt they got a raw deal from Michelin. You can bet that
was a painful event for Michelin, but in years to come, they will
recover all that money, because they did the right thing to pro-
tect their reputation.

Epilogue
It is said that past performance is the best predictor of
future performance, and that means your reputation tells a
story. If it’s good, you’ll win customers. If it’s tarnished,
you’re in trouble.

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Invest In Yourself

Do you take good care of your family, your spouse or sig-
nificant other, and your parents? Do you support your commu-
nity, civic organizations, and the important things that take place
in your neighborhood? Good for you! You deserve a pat on the
back. Now, how about taking care of your self? Isn’t it time
you invested in your future and your success in dealing with
people? Regardless of the product or service you sell, the real-
ity is that you’re in the people business, and you just happen to
sell the product or service you’re dealing with today.

When Jimmy was 19-years-old, he had such a poor self-
image that he hated to look at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t

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