PART SEVEN
How to Direct Dial Their Hearts
Hundreds of people have formed impressions of you through that little
device on your desk, your bed table, your kitchen wall. And theyve never
actually met you. Theyve never seen your smiles, felt your frowns. Theyve
never grasped your hand or enjoyed your hugs. Theyve never read your
body language or seen how you dress. Everything they know about you
came through tiny filments, sometimes from hundreds of miles away. But
they feel they know you just from the sound of your voice. Thats how
poweful the telephone is.
Powerful, yes, but not always accurate. For years I dealt with my travel
agent only by phone. Rani, my faceless agent whom Id never met in person,
got me rock-bottom prices on airfares, cars, and hotels. But her snippy
phone personality really ticked me off. A dozen times I vowed to find
another agent.
One Monday morning several years ago, I received bad news and had to
book an immediate flight home for a family emergency. I had no time to
wait in line at the airport, so I jumped in a cab and asked the driver to wait
in front of the travel agency while I grabbed tickets and a boarding pass.
Like a lit fuse, I zipped into Ranis agency for the first time. Seeing my
frenzied rush, the woman sitting at the front desk sypathetically jumped up.
She gave me a reassuring smile and asked
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how she could help me. As I blithered on about my need for an
emergency ticket, she smiled, nodded, and lunged immediately into action.
What a terrific lady! I thought as she printed out the tickets.
Moments later, darting out gratefully grasping the tickets in my fist, I
called out over my shoulder, By the way, whats your name?
Leil, Im Rani, she said. I whirled around and saw a thooughly congenial
woman with a big smile on her face waving to wish me a safe trip. I was
dumbfounded! Why had I previously thought she was so snippy? Rani was,
well, so nice.
Sitting back in the cab on the way to the airport, I figured it all out.
Ranis friendlinessher warm smile, her nods, her good eye contact, her body
language, her Im here for you attitude were all silent signals that didnt
travel through wires. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the voice I had