Way back in the late 70s, there was a high school kid named Tommy Mapother.

He wasn’t that great of a student and focused on sports instead of bookwork.

He got into wrestling, but unfortunately, he was below average there as well.

He didn’t win any matches his first year and eventually began winning a few matches his junior year.

What Tommy really wanted to do was play football, but at only 135 pounds, his mother feared he would get hurt.

Every Summer, Tom would beg his mother to let him go out for football.

But his mom said, “Tom, look at you.

You’re too small to play football. If you do, you’re going to get hurt.”

The Summer before Tom’s senior year, he begged his mother relentlessly to let him play football.

Pleading, “Mom, it’s my last year of high school. If you don’t let me play football now, I’ll never get to play.”

Well, Tom’s mother gave in and allowed him to play.

And, just as she had warned, only five weeks into the season, Tom sustained a severe leg injury.

He was out of football, and the school doctor wouldn’t clear him for the wrestling season either.

As you might imagine, poor Tom was crushed. He was completely out of sports.

Tom was down but not the kind of kid to give up so fast.

So, he decided to audition for the lead part in the school play, “Guys and Dolls.”

And he gets the part.

Well, just as they’re getting ready to open the show, the girl who got the female lead part had what’s referred to as a “Stage Mom.”

This girl’s mother thought her daughter was going to be a big movie star.

And she had the connections to arrange for a New York City theatrical agent to be in attendance at the opening of the play.

The day of the play, the theatrical agent showed up, saw the girl, and dismissed her as nothing special.

But, he did see something in Tom Mapother, saying to himself, “This kid has something going for him.”

So, he spoke to Tom after the show, gave him his card, and said, “Look, Tommy, I want you to study in New York.”

Three years later, Tom Cruise Mapother is a movie star.

Of course, they dropped his last name, opting for his cooler-sounding middle name instead.

Young Tom just happened to be in the right place at the right time. And so can you.

Getting your business in front of people exactly when they need your services is what you want.

And that means getting on Google’s front page for all of the keywords and questions people have about your services.

But, just like Tom Cruise, it won’t make you an overnight success.

He had to study first and learn his craft. And while he may be successful, I’m sure he’s continually working on being better.

In business, your value is what you bring to the table in terms of the service you provide and the relationships you build in your community.

Anyone can buy a tow truck and start a towing business, but those who are the most successful are adept at making others feel good about themselves.

In the movie, “Blast From The Past,” there’s this quote that defines the term Gentleman. It goes like this.
“A gentleman is someone who always tries to make sure the people around him or her are as comfortable as possible.”

If you’re in the towing business, gentlemanly conduct translates into making people feel ok about needing to call you.

So, rather than talking down to someone who’s locked their keys in their car or doesn’t know how to change a flat tire, make them feel good about their decision to call you rather than trying to fix the problem themself.

Remember, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Make them feel comfortable with their decision to call you and you’ll be remembered.

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Don Archer