Opening general session features Mark Sanborn and "The Fred Factor".(CREDIT CONGRESS GENERAL SESSION)

In his powerful new book, The Fred Factor, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the extraordinary mail carrier who passionately loves his job and genuinely cares about the people he serves. Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile handling the mail--and sometimes watching over the houses--of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend. Fred's actions made a huge impression on Mark Sanborn--so much so--that all that embodied Fred became his customer service benchmark.

Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves. The Fred Factor is an inspiring story that proves that position, in life, never determines performance--performance determines position in life. Fred believes that excellence and quality should be the goals of every person in any business or profession.

The Fred Factor illustrates how important the concept of customer service is: as customers continue to demand superb and impeccable service, the most important job skill of the 21st century surely has become the ability to create value for customers without spending more money to do it. The Fred Factor contains the simple, yet profound, lessons all the Freds around the world have taught Mark Sanborn.

In The Fred Factor, Sanborn challenges readers to discover his four core principles of customer service:

1. Everyone Makes a Difference

There are no unimportant jobs, just people who feel unimportant doing their jobs. In fact, nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional. Sanborn very powerfully sums up this premise by stating, "while position never determines performance, ultimately performance determines position in life," Sanborn believes that "the person doing the work determines the difference between the mundane and the magnificent."

2. Success Is Built on Relationships