Be Remembered For Good.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about being remembered for good.

Do you know the parable of the Good Samaritan? If you know the story, do you also understand its significance? Well, either way, I'm going to tell you.

A Jewish man was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell among some robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. It was reminiscent of the horrible stories we see every day on the evening news.

The man was in dire shape, just dying there. By chance, a priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Similarly, a man from his own neighborhood saw him and, despite the man's calls for help, he passed by on the other side.

Later, a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was. Moved with compassion, he came to him, bound up his wounds, set him on his donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he gave the innkeeper some money and said, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond this, I will repay you when I return.'

The message of helping a stranger is clear. However, the significance of the Samaritan may be missed without understanding the cultural context of the time. Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other. The Jewish man's neighbors and spiritual leader ignored his plea for help and left him for dead, while the Samaritan, his enemy, cared for him.

By caring for the man and taking him to the nearest inn, the Samaritan met and exceeded any social standard of being helpful. If you saw your neighbor with an overturned vehicle on the side of the road trying desperately to wave you down for help, you would at least pull over and call 911, right? Of course, you would. There is a minimum standard for helping people that feels quite expected.

Businesses also have a standard level of service expected. They must deliver a product or service on time, within the agreed price, and to the satisfaction of the customer. Any business not meeting this basic standard consistently is considered poor and may not survive negative word of mouth.

However, the Samaritan didn't just do the minimum. He cared for his enemy, nursed him back from near death, paid the bill, and promised to cover any additional charges. Would you go out of your way to help your enemy this way?

Occasionally, a customer will encounter exceptional service or experience an extraordinary product that far exceeds the cultural standard, which, depending on its remarkability, will likely be remembered and shared for years.

A friend was once bumped off a flight back to Boston for the second time. After hours of waiting and being passed over, he tweeted his displeasure. Within moments, a competing airline offered him a complimentary ticket to Boston. Ever since, he has shared this story with everyone he meets.

He wasn't their customer, yet they went out of their way to help him for free, asking for nothing in return. Whether you're a business going the extra mile for customers or a citizen going above and beyond for your fellow man, people will never forget your willingness to serve. It's not the good intentions that people remember, but the will to do good that remains unforgettable. As today's fortune says, "No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he only had good intentions."