
A few years back, I was sailing in the Dodecanese with my wife. It is probably the best place in the world to go sailing in, but the winds can sometimes get rough, and when they do, there is no messing with nature. So we got stuck for a couple of days in the island of Pserimos.
There isn’t much to see in Pserimos (it is a hidden treasure, in marketing gibberish), but it is a common stop for retro pirate ships that take tourists for day-cruises in the archipelago. They come, let the herd out for a couple of hours to swim and eat, and signal with horns when it is time to stop swimming and eating and get going again.
Where the ships berth, there was a small kiosk that sells refreshments. When the red and idle cruise customers slowly floated back towards the ship, it was the peak business hour for the local entrepreneur running the stand. The only business hour of the day, actually.
Stuck as we were in our boat by the kiosk, and with not much to do, the sales process soon became our main source of entertainment.
“Hello, cold drinks, cigarettes, ice cream. Yes, hello, cold water, coffee, ice cream. Yes, ice cream, cold drinks, everything. Yes, hello, drinks, cigarettes, coffee, ice cream, everything,” he would endlessly go on the pier.
And then, finally, the ultimate slogan we had been waiting for: Yes, hello, everything.
That was clear customer focus and business devotion demonstrated. It is the spirit I wish to convey with my consulting work and with my writings on the wall.