Gentle Giant doesn’t just bring a truck filled with boxes and tools to jobs, they bring something else that is a key to our success: ENTHUSIASM.
When most people think about moving, they think of a hot day filled with lifting heavy items through small doorways and multiple flights of staircases. When Gentle Giant thinks about moving, we enthusiastically think about moving everything quickly, safely, and efficiently. Plus, chatting and joking with the customer and everyone on the crew!
In Gentle Giant’s infancy back in the early 80’s, we worked 18+ hour days, seven days a week – but we still felt blessed. We were in a city we loved, with guys we could depend on, and blowing away customers that we knew would be with us for life.
During one job in Boston’s North End, our owner Larry O’Toole and long-time Giant Rooty Leonard provided outstanding service. When they arrived at the customer’s house, she was almost in tears and started apologized profusely because she was not yet ready for her move. Rooty immediately put her at ease, with a perfect mix of confidence, humor and enthusiasm, and he and Larry got to work.
Larry and Rootie blasted up and down the stairs, packing boxes and clearing furniture out of the apartment. The delighted customer was at ease and enjoyed the entire move, her laughter filling the hallways. One of her neighbors even asked why he wasn’t invited to the “party” she was hosting!
Just when Rooty and Larry thought we were done, the customer reverted back to almost crying. When asked what was wrong, she said she had gotten a phone call from the person she was planning to sell her treadmill to; the deal fell through. Before she could even finish the sentence, Rooty was in his toolbox, grabbing the necessary tools for disassembly. To take the woman’s mind off the stress she was experiencing, Rooty started telling one of his great stories, and before long they were ready to get the treadmill out of the apartment.
They got the treadmill down two flights of stairs, but it got completely jammed up in the hallway. Rooty assessed the situation and made the decision that it would be best to bring the machine back up the stairs to the roof, so they could hoist the treadmill down.
Soon enough, the treadmill was being hoisted down to the street where it was met by a group of onlookers who had stopped to see what was going on. Their questions were answered when our customer popped her head out of the window and yelled with enthusiasm, “These are the Gentle Giants, and they are the best!”
Now that’s the great word of mouth we like at Gentle Giant!