Bob Farrell is the mastermind behind a wildly popular ice cream parlor chain in Southern California during the seventies and eighties.
They dwindled down to one store, with the next to last in San Diego a welcome nostalgia during medical school,
Recently new ones have opened in the area, and at a grand opening I got an autograph on his book, Give Them The Pickle. The gist of it, is find out what your guest really wants, and even if it doesn't 'go' with the menu, give it anyway and make that person happy! A customer had been upset because the server would not give her the pickle she wanted with her--no, not ice cream!--with her sandwich.
I would like to share with you today an example of how I put that concept in action at my work today: a little lady who had worn dentures since twenty-four was reluctant to take them off and put them into the little cup before surgery.
I smiled, for I know her kind. This isn't the first time I have run into this type of patient. I offered to take them out for her once she was asleep. I could not keep them in, like she asked, for they might get damaged, and Dentures are not cheap. She agreed, but pressed me further to put them in before she woke up.
At the end of surgery, while she was emerging from her anesthetic, I noticed she was breathing really well and in no trouble whatsoever with keeping her airway open. I asked the nurse to bring me the cup. Acting quickly, I maneuvered them back in to her mouth without getting my fingers chomped hard as she kept waking up!
You should have seen her beautiful delight when she came to. I hadn't promised her anything in advance. She felt and saw they were in and smiled so bright!
She got the pickle and it meant so very much to her! Be sure to look for 'the pickle' with your loved ones, your coworkers, and your patients!
Namaste,
Reiki Doc
