First, the reality part of the story: It was 8:57 on a Saturday morning. I was standing in front of what the Miller kids call a “haircut store.” I needed a trim, but waiting forty-five minutes in a busy hair salon on a weekend to get one is not one of my life goals. So, as I always do, I arrived just before they opened at 9 a.m. And then, surveying the parking lot and seeing how many other people had a similar idea, I slipped out of my truck and went to lean on a pillar in the store’s entryway, trying to look casual and not too obsessed with being first in line. At 8:58, I noticed a woman hurrying along the sidewalk toward me with key in hand. She came right up to where I was, did not acknowledge me, put her key in the salon door, unlocked and opened it just a bit, and then quickly squeezed through the newly created opening. When I moved to follow her, she turned and curtly said, “We’re not open yet,” and proceeded to shut and relock the door from the inside—right in my face.

That’s when I began to dream.

“Good morning, sir! Wow, so, so good to see you! Isn’t it just a fine Colorado day? And it’s not just about the weather—it’s about you, because I know why you’re here. You’ve come to fork over some hard-earned cash so that my colleagues and I can pay our bills, put food on our tables, and send our children to college. You, sir, at this moment, are the most important person in my world! We open in a few minutes. Would you like to come in and have a seat while you wait? Do you like coffee, sir? Great, I’ll get a pot brewing right away. Welcome!”

Wouldn’t that have been terrific? That’s the sort of thing I dream about: organizations treating their customers like they’re the most important people in the world. Unfortunately, for too many organizations—like my haircut store—it’s only a dream. And the woman who shut and locked the door on my nose? She was the manager!

In Flipping the Switch, I suggest that service—real service—is simply doing for others that which we don’t have to do. And it’s true: Whenever a customer is absolutely delighted, it’s because someone did something for them that they didn’t have to. Organizations have spent untold dollars, time, and energy on customer service training, and yet all we really need to do is follow this simple—and profound—idea. Keeping it in mind will help each of us remember to go above and beyond for the people who pay our bills.

The salon manager didn’t have to let me in, and, of course, she didn’t. But think of the impression it would have made on me if she had.

Whether it’s a nonprofit working with donors, a church and its parishioners, a government entity serving citizens, or a corporation moving products around the world, we all have customers and without them, no organization would exist. I know that may seem like an obvious thing to say, but it’s easy to forget sometimes, especially for those individuals who are higher up or deeper inside the organization and don’t deal directly with customers each day. But here’s the deal: Outstanding organizations never forget who pays the bills.