Page 166 - The Apple Experience

Tom Booker: When I work with a horse, I want to know its

history. I try to figure out what’s going on in its head.

Apple Manager: We don’t hire people because they were great

trainers at another company. We hire people who can get inside
the head of a customer.

Tom Booker: It’s not a question if you can. You are.

Apple Creative: Don’t say you can’t. You can.

In the movie, Tom Booker helps a traumatized teenager find the

confidence to ride her horse again after a tragic accident. On the Apple Store

stage, Specialists, Creatives, and Geniuses play the role of Tom Booker by

helping people discover their inner strengths and providing them the tools

and the education to reach their potential.

One Apple Specialist told me that a customer, an older man, once kissed

him on the cheek before he left the store. The customer was anxious about
using computers. His kids, who seemed to be the know-it-all types, were

frustrated with their dad’s lack of knowledge and would roll their eyes when

he asked questions. When the kids went to another part of the store, the

Specialist showed the father something on the Mac that even his kids didn’t

know. When the kids returned a few minutes later, the father proudly

showed them what he had learned. Their jaws dropped, the dad had a big

grin on his face, and he ended the transaction by planting a kiss on the

employee’s cheek. In this case the customer gave the employee a “fond

farewell” he would always remember!