I drive an hour and ten minutes to work every day.  The first part of my journey involves Sound Avenue- with only one gas station over a 35 minute ride.  The second half of the trip puts me on a major street, with a station on every corner.  The thing is, I HATE PUMPING GAS.  PERIOD. 

I happened to stop at a station at the midway point, just before Sound Avenue.  The owner was out pumping gas for customers- despite the self serve sign.  My lucky day!  A few days later...same thing!  Bonanza!  The sign is usually 2 cents per gallon higher than the competitition- TWO CENTS.  Who cares.

The owner is incredibly nice, and had no way of knowing my dislike of pumping my own gas- just decided that people probably don't like it, and does it himself every single day.  He is friendly, and by the third or fourth visit, has become part of my daily routine, and my life.  Lately, he's been offering a free cup of "the best coffee in the world"- I finally took him up on it, and he's right.

He has become, for me, my...gas guy.  I WANT him to have my business, and I don't consider going anywhere else, even if I have to arrive on fumes.  He is practicing something so easy for the rest of us- doing just a liiiitttle bit more, being friendly and unassuming about it, and creating a bond in the process.  He simply figured out that pumping gas sucks, and took the problem away- a huge problem on a windy day, dress on, and gas dribbling on my hand.

While our sellers have differing levels of stress with the process, I'm reminded again that getting to the core of their biggest issue is the most important aspect of a listing appointment.  Solving the problem in a friendly, unassuming way...and creating a bond in the process.  My gas guy is offering the free coffee not to keep me coming back, but because coffee among friends is...what friends do!