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The $6,000 Egg: The 10 New Golden Rules of Customer Service by Todd Duncan
New York Times Best Selling Author Todd Duncan's latest breakthrough book masterfully reveals the 10 NEW golden rules of customer service in this compelling real life story of The $6,000 Egg. Todd is joined by his wife Debra, author, writer, and Executive Producer of over 100 direct response television shows. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to have a strategic advantage in the marketplace and win their customers loyalty and business forever
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
104 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 5, 2018
Great information, It's amazing how many business owners just don't get it. A quick easy read, a must foe every owner.
October 5, 2020
Here's the basic message of the book: If you work in customer service, then you should go above and beyond to provide better service than what's expected of you.
There, I just saved you the cost of the book.
And here's a bit extra that you won't get from the book: this message really only applies if your direct financial gain is directly tied to customer service.
The book itself is chock full of obvious padding with pictures and quotes just to get it to the 100 page mark. It's as if it was made by an elementary school kid who tried to make a 2 page essay meet the 6 page requirement that his teacher gave him. It has 10 "golden rules" that are just 3 different useful tips said 10 different ways.
This "book" is also full of abysmal math that's been tortured and stretched to be used as examples.
Let's deconstruct the 6k egg story: the author and his wife go to this restaurant roughly once a week for 2 years. Their average meal consists of drinks and splitting a cheeseburger and a couple of appetizers. He says to the staff twice that they spend $6,000 a year at the place and that their refusal to add an egg to a burger made them lose 6k because they refused to go there ever again.
1; there is no way that a cheeseburger and a couple of drinks and appetizers adds up to over $100.
2; let's say, for the sake of argument, that they are spending over $100 per meal and $6k a year at that restaurant, that doesn't mean that they are MAKING $6k off of you. Restaurants have a very low margin of profit. Of that $6k, maybe $1k is actually going towards wages.
3; Still further, the wages for the staff themselves wouldn't have changed. The only profit that would matter would be going to the owner and be in the form of tips to the workers. And judging by the writer’s attitude, he probably didn't tip well. Let's say the profit that you brought in was $300 per year.
4; the money lost wouldn't be how much money you've already spent, or even how much they had "gained" from points 2 and 3, but how much money they WOULD HAVE gained from you. Let's say that if they had sold you an egg, that would have meant you would have kept going for another year and provided another $300 of profit, that's only assuming that your presence in the restaurant didn't prevent anyone else from dining there. If the place is popular enough, then your absence could mean that 2 other people who previously wouldn't be able to get a table now can... thus making their loss be closer to $0. Hell, if the author turned out to be a bad tipper and his absence meant for bigger tips from replacement customers, that would be a net gain for most of the staff.
5; Bad math aside, you're telling me that a place that is good enough to warrant your exceptional attendance for over 2 years can ruin it all with 1 sub-par experience? If I had such a loyal customer who would then refuse to ever deal with me again over such a minor thing, I would be glad to lose such an entitled prick.
There, I just saved you the cost of the book.
And here's a bit extra that you won't get from the book: this message really only applies if your direct financial gain is directly tied to customer service.
The book itself is chock full of obvious padding with pictures and quotes just to get it to the 100 page mark. It's as if it was made by an elementary school kid who tried to make a 2 page essay meet the 6 page requirement that his teacher gave him. It has 10 "golden rules" that are just 3 different useful tips said 10 different ways.
This "book" is also full of abysmal math that's been tortured and stretched to be used as examples.
Let's deconstruct the 6k egg story: the author and his wife go to this restaurant roughly once a week for 2 years. Their average meal consists of drinks and splitting a cheeseburger and a couple of appetizers. He says to the staff twice that they spend $6,000 a year at the place and that their refusal to add an egg to a burger made them lose 6k because they refused to go there ever again.
1; there is no way that a cheeseburger and a couple of drinks and appetizers adds up to over $100.
2; let's say, for the sake of argument, that they are spending over $100 per meal and $6k a year at that restaurant, that doesn't mean that they are MAKING $6k off of you. Restaurants have a very low margin of profit. Of that $6k, maybe $1k is actually going towards wages.
3; Still further, the wages for the staff themselves wouldn't have changed. The only profit that would matter would be going to the owner and be in the form of tips to the workers. And judging by the writer’s attitude, he probably didn't tip well. Let's say the profit that you brought in was $300 per year.
4; the money lost wouldn't be how much money you've already spent, or even how much they had "gained" from points 2 and 3, but how much money they WOULD HAVE gained from you. Let's say that if they had sold you an egg, that would have meant you would have kept going for another year and provided another $300 of profit, that's only assuming that your presence in the restaurant didn't prevent anyone else from dining there. If the place is popular enough, then your absence could mean that 2 other people who previously wouldn't be able to get a table now can... thus making their loss be closer to $0. Hell, if the author turned out to be a bad tipper and his absence meant for bigger tips from replacement customers, that would be a net gain for most of the staff.
5; Bad math aside, you're telling me that a place that is good enough to warrant your exceptional attendance for over 2 years can ruin it all with 1 sub-par experience? If I had such a loyal customer who would then refuse to ever deal with me again over such a minor thing, I would be glad to lose such an entitled prick.
October 18, 2021
I was asked to read this for work. And I have a lot to say about it.
In the beginning, the authors tell about how they are regulars at a Newport Beach restaurant. Every week they go there after the gym, split a burger, and have some drinks. One time the restaurant is offering a waffle special that comes with a sunny-side-up egg on top. They ask for an egg on the burger. The server checks, then says they can't. The manager is summoned. The manager says no. Thus goes some back-and-forth about why they only have eggs for the waffles, why they won't mess up their egg inventory for the burger, etc. And finally the authors declare that the place has lost $6,000 customers and that they are never coming back.
Some thoughts here:
1. These people claim that they are spending $6,000 a year (or $115 a week) at this restaurant. These people share a burger. How expensive is this burger? Or are they negating their gym visit in alcohol calories? How are they spending so much? Or are they just exaggerating here?
2. The restaurant is so strict about their eggs that they can't spare one. I feel sorry for the cooks in the kitchen who have only the exact number of eggs and cannot screw up a single sunny-side-up egg.
3. The authors decried that this place lost them as customers over a single egg. They'd gone there 100 times and had excellent experiences, but let this time ruin it forever. Yes, sometimes it can be like that, but if they are going to get picky over the egg, then so can I--they let a single egg ruin their experience. (Side note: there's a local chain of restaurants near me that I bet messes up orders 75% of the time--yet people still go again and again. It's not always about the missing egg.)
4. The restaurant was wrong, but the customer is not always right. There was a lot of stubborn pride here.
The book is full of stories of over-the-top customer service experiences. A jeweler who gets on a plane to deliver a ring. A tailor who drives to the author's house to deliver pants. A time when the author parks illegally to get some food and then the restaurant owner offers to pay the parking ticket.
How on earth are these two constantly getting fawned over like this by every business?
I get that the message here is customer service and going above and beyond. Yes, you can really do great things that way. But I also 100% believe that not every customer is worth keeping, and that the best customers won't continually ask for discounts, favors, or special treatment. The best customers know what something is worth, and value the time of the person doing the work.
Listen to your customer
Don't take things personally
And "fire" any client that isn't good for your business
In the beginning, the authors tell about how they are regulars at a Newport Beach restaurant. Every week they go there after the gym, split a burger, and have some drinks. One time the restaurant is offering a waffle special that comes with a sunny-side-up egg on top. They ask for an egg on the burger. The server checks, then says they can't. The manager is summoned. The manager says no. Thus goes some back-and-forth about why they only have eggs for the waffles, why they won't mess up their egg inventory for the burger, etc. And finally the authors declare that the place has lost $6,000 customers and that they are never coming back.
Some thoughts here:
1. These people claim that they are spending $6,000 a year (or $115 a week) at this restaurant. These people share a burger. How expensive is this burger? Or are they negating their gym visit in alcohol calories? How are they spending so much? Or are they just exaggerating here?
2. The restaurant is so strict about their eggs that they can't spare one. I feel sorry for the cooks in the kitchen who have only the exact number of eggs and cannot screw up a single sunny-side-up egg.
3. The authors decried that this place lost them as customers over a single egg. They'd gone there 100 times and had excellent experiences, but let this time ruin it forever. Yes, sometimes it can be like that, but if they are going to get picky over the egg, then so can I--they let a single egg ruin their experience. (Side note: there's a local chain of restaurants near me that I bet messes up orders 75% of the time--yet people still go again and again. It's not always about the missing egg.)
4. The restaurant was wrong, but the customer is not always right. There was a lot of stubborn pride here.
The book is full of stories of over-the-top customer service experiences. A jeweler who gets on a plane to deliver a ring. A tailor who drives to the author's house to deliver pants. A time when the author parks illegally to get some food and then the restaurant owner offers to pay the parking ticket.
How on earth are these two constantly getting fawned over like this by every business?
I get that the message here is customer service and going above and beyond. Yes, you can really do great things that way. But I also 100% believe that not every customer is worth keeping, and that the best customers won't continually ask for discounts, favors, or special treatment. The best customers know what something is worth, and value the time of the person doing the work.
Listen to your customer
Don't take things personally
And "fire" any client that isn't good for your business
May 14, 2019
I loved the stories told in this book of incredible customer service people showed the author Todd but I was not impressed with the expectancy of this service with the author
Unfortunately, in the world of quick transaction industries the advice in this book are necessary
I believe in building up relationships so I have the ability to say no
But, the advice in this book reins true for a majority of industries, including retail, travel, and online where the best policy is to always say yes
Unfortunately, in the world of quick transaction industries the advice in this book are necessary
I believe in building up relationships so I have the ability to say no
But, the advice in this book reins true for a majority of industries, including retail, travel, and online where the best policy is to always say yes
January 23, 2024
A short book that underlines the importance of customer service through some great (and even better, true) stories. If you have a customer-facing business, this short book is a great one to share with your team.
August 26, 2018
Great advice for top notch customer service
April 14, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars (Outstanding)
Great business book!
Great business book!
June 29, 2016
Everyone needs to read this very short book. It takes all of 15 minutes. The story that propelled the writing of this book is very thought provoking. Whether you consider your work a career or just a job, this method can change your outlook. Applicable in your personal life as well. In a rushed, unfriendly, constantly "plugged in" world, we all have a choice to make an impact by going way beyond what people expect of us. The foundation of the book is about customer service-two words that have become an oxymoron in and of themselves. Every company, whether 2 employees or 20,000 employees, should make this required reading, starting with the CEO!
March 3, 2016
Excellent quick read, thoughtful stories and great advice. It has me thinking ow we could improve our customer service!
May 18, 2016
Quick read (about 15 minutes) of some good old common sense that I forget daily in giving exceptional service to clients. Will keep this little nugget handy.
December 17, 2019
Seemingly obvious tips for providing high quality customer service presented as real life examples. Accessible, quick read.
January 8, 2024
I had to read this for work. It was ok, it’s just about sucking up to the customer and going above and beyond for them. Which is already what customer service is about and what everyone knows.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews