Learn the Secret to Earning 6 Figures as a Gig Driver with Adam Strum

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Adam Strum went to Brooklyn

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College, studied law and marketing,

worked for Verizon Communications for

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20 years, and then left to work in

helping people resolve financial crisis.

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Adam retired from debt relief in

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and began working the gig economy,

now self employed, driving DoorDash,

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UberEats, Spark, and LabCorp.

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Welcome Adam.

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Let's talk about where you got

started and doing gig work these days?

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Adam Strum: Okay, Frederick,

it's great to be here with you.

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I'm really happy that you invited me.

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Yeah, I do gig work now,

but I was a corporate giant.

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I worked for Verizon for 20 years, helped

shape their customer service department.

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I left there in the financial meltdown

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chunk of change to to leave my office.

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And got to pursue the things I love.

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When I went to college back in the,

well, let's just say when Stegosaurus

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is where your transportation to school

back in the eighties, when I went to

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college, I studied law and I studied

marketing and neither one of those

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came into play in the customer service

industry that I was working with.

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So I got to flex my muscles on

what I had learned in college by

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joining the debt relief industry

and working with attorneys,

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helping consumers get out of debt.

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And after learning for about two

years, I went off on my own and

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opened several companies, two

of which I sold for a profit.

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And one of which I am actually closing

out shortly because gig work has taken

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over and my income from gig work has

exceeded my income from legal work.

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Freddy D: That's crazy.

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So it's just, when you think about

that, I mean, that's just not heard of.

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So what is it that you're doing different

in gig work and how did the career working

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in customer service at Verizon contribute

to you being successful in gig work?

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Adam Strum: Now, that's

a really good question.

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And when I was in customer service

at Verizon, there were two rules

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because the public service commission

would listen to every call that was

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made by every rep I had under me,

by myself and by my management team.

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So we had to be very customer friendly,

even when we knew the customer was

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wrong, which happens quite often,

especially in retail or retail service.

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I took that training with me to debt

relief and was able to put people at ease.

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In fact you work with me in the debt

relief business for a short while.

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So you've seen me disarm angry customers.

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Freddy D: Oh, absolutely.

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Yes.

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Remember that.

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Adam Strum: My favorite customer

is the angry customer because

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there's a three step method.

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That anyone can use if they want

to be perfect at customer service.

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All you've got to use is three of your

faculties in order every time and you

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will be great at customer service.

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Use your ear first and make sure

you don't just listen, but you

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hear what they're telling you.

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Then you use your brain and siphon

out what they're actually angry about.

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And once you've got that, then use your

mouth and chat with them and show them

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your understanding of their situation.

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And an angry customer will

be eating out of your hand.

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And It's an easy way that comes with my

marketing knowledge from college as well.

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I mean, it all blends together

and that's what made me successful

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in the debt relief industry.

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I had the giants of debt relief

reaching out to me all the time.

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I helped launch national debt

relief when they first launched.

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Freedom made me several offers to come

on board, but I preferred doing it my way

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because my way was more customer centric.

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Freddy D: Right.

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Which is at the end of the day, that's

how you build superfans, is basically

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the customer becomes your fan and

they now promote your organization

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or you individually as being part of

that organization that can take care

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of their needs because you understand

them, you listen to them, and then

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you actually follow through and doing

what you said you were going to do.

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Adam Strum: Exactly.

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And truth is I've had almost as many

referrals to me from previous clients as

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I get stray leads from different sources.

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So, building that super fan base is

everything, doing the right thing for

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your customer is everything because

when you do the right thing for your

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customer, they're going to talk about you.

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You become memorable.

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You become different than everybody else.

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You actually hear what they're saying

and cater to what they need from your

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business, whatever business that may be.

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At this point for me, it's

delivering food and dry goods and

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home goods and things like that.

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I do the same thing now that I've

always done as far as customer

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service, ears, brain, mouth.

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I just do it in a different way

and for a different purpose.

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Freddy D: So, so how can drivers

leverage gigs to establish themselves

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with meaningful connections with

customers and thereby opening

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doors for, future opportunities?

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Let's talk about that.

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Adam Strum: Okay, happily.

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In fact I want people to know

that I don't just talk the talk.

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I walk the walk.

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I deliver for DoorDash,

for Uber Eats, for Spark.

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And for Instacart as well as for

LabCorp the Blood Test Giant.

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So I've done all the major apps and

they're all exactly the same as far as

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the concept, which is you have three

customers that you are catering to as

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the delivery person with every delivery.

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First, there's the platform,

whether it's DoorDash or Spark, or

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Instacart, whatever the platform

may be, they're your customer.

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They're asking you.

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To deliver for them.

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They're coming to you.

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You're an independent contractor.

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You're your own business.

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So they're your customer.

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And it's important to realize that

DoorDash is your customer or whoever

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you're delivering for is your customer.

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In addition, the restaurant or the store

or the mail facility is also my customer

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because they want me to take their

product, their service, and bring it to

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the client, which is my third customer.

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And the most important

thing is not the end result.

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It's the middle one.

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It's the businesses you pick up

from, and here's why, whether it be

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Instacart, DoorDash, UberEats, all of

those platforms allow restaurants to

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choose particular drivers for harder

or bigger or more intense deliveries.

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So it's more important to actually make

friends with your restaurants that you

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pick up from, or your retailers that you

pick up from, make sure they remember who

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you are and they'll request you for more

orders and for more delicate or larger or

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more high paying orders than they would

anyone else, and that's what I've done.

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I've established relationships

with almost every restaurant

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in my zip code at this point.

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Thanks to two years of gig work.

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Freddy D: Well, so basically

you've turned those organizations

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into superfans of Adam Strum.

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And so that's the secret right there is

they know that you're reliable, you're

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timely, you've got the right personality.

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And so, it's okay.

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I got six drivers or 10 drivers.

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10 fingers up.

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So 10 drivers up here and

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Adam Strum: that would

be a little strange.

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So I'm glad it's only 10.

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Freddy D: But I got 10 that I can pick

from, but you know what, I'm always

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going to go with Adam because I know

that Adam is going to be there on time.

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Delivered the customer's

going to be happy.

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They're going to reorder from my

organization And the platform that feeds

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you all that stuff is going to be happy as

well because they're making a percentage

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of the transaction So it's a trifecta win.

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Adam Strum: Exactly what I was

explaining all three customers happy

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is a win situation doordash is just

happy when somebody takes the order

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to be honest with you their bulk

They deal doordash deals mainly in

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numbers You know what I'm saying?

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Cause they have anywhere in the greater

Phoenix area, which is my marketplace.

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They have anywhere from one to 500

drivers on the road at any given

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time, which is a lot of drivers.

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Now greater Phoenix area is rather large.

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I mean, you have six cities, but you

know, 500 drivers on the road and you

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have people that take this position.

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Of I'm going to be my, my own

business and I'm going to drive for

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this platform, whichever platform

it may be, but then they sit there

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and turn down all the offers.

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They're getting they'll sit

there and decline because you're

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allowed to decline any offer.

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Who would let me ask you this?

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Would so if somebody asked

you to bring them a pizza 18

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miles for 3, would you do it?

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Because I wouldn't.

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It costs more in gas than

it would to deliver pizza.

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Freddy D: Yeah.

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No, it makes sense.

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So, I understand.

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You gotta make, you gotta make,

you gotta make a business decision.

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Does it make sense

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Adam Strum: Now, eventually they'll

find someone who's much closer

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than I am and for them, it'll make

sense to deliver that 3 delivery.

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Freddy D: Right.

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Adam Strum: And so, declining,

you're not you're not making the

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platform angry when you decline.

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Now, every platform has its,

numbers that they want you to meet.

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They don't want you to

decline 50 orders in a row.

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That's not good because then they're

wasting time sending you orders.

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They might as well just move on.

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But I keep my acceptance to about

seven out of every 10 they send me.

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I'll take any reasonable order because

it gives me a chance to build another

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superfan wherever they're sending me and,

I may not make a lot on this one, but

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heck, I get to go to a pizzeria in Tempe.

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And I get to meet the owner and I

get to joke with them and, put them

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at ease and let them know that I

have six pizza bags in my car and a

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catering bag, and I get to tell them,

Hey, if you have a delicate delivery,

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I'm a master of customer service.

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Make a mark because they have my name and

my delivery driver number on their screen.

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That's given to them by DoorDash

or Uber or whoever sent me there.

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And so I build, like you say it, I build

those superfans one at a time and then

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I get called back and catering orders

can really be a large amount of money.

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I mean, sometimes I'll do an

hour of work and make 140.

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Freddy D: That's crazy.

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Adam Strum: Yeah it's beautiful

and amazing lab core, which is

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the last one is not a platform.

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Obviously, they're a corporation, right?

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For Lab Core.

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Basically, they'll give me an itinerary

and ask me, do I want to do it?

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So Lab Core, send me interstate

to go pick up from places.

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They don't have regular drivers might be

two, 300 mile trip, but they'll compensate

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me really well for the 10 hours of day.

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I'm going to have to give

them to make this round trip.

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Anywhere from 30 to 50 an hour, usually.

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Freddy D: But if you think about that,

to get that kind of an account takes

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building the relationship you might get

in the door, but to keep that type of an

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account and to keep getting those long

projects, those, that's paying you, four

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or five, 600 bucks for a day, you've

got to get them to be your superfans to

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turn around and says, okay, we've got,

again, it goes back to, we got 10 drivers

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while we know that Adam can get it done.

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He'll be there.

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He'll do it.

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He's got the right personality

and we know that he's reliable.

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That's a huge difference because

that's a monster account.

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Adam Strum: Now I'll tell you a secret

for those that are watching this

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podcast, something that most people

never think of in the gig economy.

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I have a Surface Pro, little baby laptop,

and it's in my car, and when I start

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driving and that first order comes in, I

can see where I'm going to be sent, and I

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can type that into my Surface Pro before

I say yes or no to this order and see if I

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had problems at that location before, have

I had problems with the customer before,

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the restaurant, and if I have, I just

decline it because I don't need problems.

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Efficiency is the key to keeping

everything moving smoothly.

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Freddy D: Right.

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Adam Strum: And so that's something

that the kids today, you know, that

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the 18 to 23 year olds who do this

and, most dashers are in that zone.

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They're in college and just trying

to make enough money to get by.

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tHey don't do something like that.

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It doesn't even occur to them to do

something like that, and they think

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of themselves as employees of Uber

Eats or DoorDash and they're not.

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They don't realize they're

actually running a business.

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And this is their chance at that young

age to run a successful business, so

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that when they graduate into whatever

field they're coming out into, They'll

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already have experience at running a

business, at marking your tax deductions

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down knowing where your price points

are, all the other things that come into

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running a business, whether or not you

need employees or you can contract out

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work, because it's always cheaper to

contract out work than to hire employees.

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Freddy D: Sure.

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Adam Strum: So you learn a lot

about business from doing gig work.

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If you remember that you don't work

for the platform that you work for you.

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Freddy D: Yeah.

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And you got to be able to be

smart enough to fire customers.

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So what you just basically said is, in

a sense, is, oh, this location didn't

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have their act together last time I went

and dealt or did a delivery for them.

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The food wasn't correct, everything else.

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So when you delivered it, the customer

was unhappy because their order was

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messed up, had nothing to do with you.

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You're just a mechanism,

but guess who catches it?

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You catch.

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Adam Strum: Exactly.

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I could be de platformed for that.

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That's the crazy part on these apps,

whether it's Uber, DoorDash, Instacart.

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If a customer complains to the platform

that they a didn't get their order or

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their order was missing items, the blame

will always fall because they can't

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afford to lose the restaurant or store.

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So the blame will always

fall to the delivery person.

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Even though we may not

have stolen anything.

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Even though we may not have stolen

anything, even though we may have done

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everything right, we'll get dinged.

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And if you get dinged one or

two times more than you should,

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they'll de platform you.

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And then you don't have that

platform to work with anymore.

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Freddy D: Right.

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So it makes sense that if this is

a reoccurrence at this particular

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location to fire that, that location,

basically, like you said, it's a

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review and not, you know what, that's.

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ABC, restaurant, no pass.

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I'll go to, DEF because

they got their act together.

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Adam Strum: Exactly.

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I mean, we have I'll give you, I'll

give you actual names because they'll

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be proud that I'd be talking about them.

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I have a pizzeria here in

my area called Vin Citorios.

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It's an Italian restaurant and pizzeria.

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I love going to them.

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I've met the owner.

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I've met his wife.

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I know most of the employees by name.

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When I walk in, it's like Norm at Cheers.

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They're like, Adam, great.

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And if they have a catering order, as long

as I'm on the road, they'll request me.

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Now the opposite is true of another

restaurant in the same exact parking

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lot that does Thai food and it's called

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And there's constantly sauces missing,

items missing, and I will only take

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an order from that restaurant if

there's nothing else available.

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I don't like to completely fire.

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What I like to do is suspend.

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Freddy D: Okay.

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Adam Strum: Cause you never know

when you might need, I need to

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make 8 more to complete my day,

make 400 for the day, be happy.

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And incomes this 8 order from UFAS.

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But I do know when I go there to

double check that order before I take

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it and go deliver it, make sure it's

hot, make sure all the sauces, cause

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they do tell you what's in the order.

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Make sure the receipt matches

everything in the bag before

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I take it to my car and leave.

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So it's going to take me a little longer.

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But I will go to the restaurants that

I would if I could fire them, but

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only if it's a necessity or there's

a good reason to I try to make sense.

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I try to skip a lot of restaurants

that cause problems or have long

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wait times or sometimes they don't

make the order to you show up.

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Well, now that's crazy.

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I just spent 15 minutes driving here.

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This could have been ready and bagged.

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But instead you wait for me

to drive all the way here

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before you even start cooking.

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Now my poor customer, the end user, right,

they're waiting an hour for their food.

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It makes no sense.

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Right?.

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Freddy D: So that's a trifecta lose.

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Adam Strum: Exactly.

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I mean, I look for efficiency.

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It comes from 20 years of corporate.

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Freddy D: No, it makes sense.

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Adam Strum: I look for efficiency.

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I look for profitability.

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It doesn't have to be high profitability

because now I'm only working for me.

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I'm not answering to shareholders.

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I'm not answering to a board of directors.

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Freddy D: I'm answering to me and the

boss of my house, which is the missus.

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But that's it.

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I'm only answering to those two entities

so I can be a little more flexible.

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I can make a little less profit.

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To create more superfans to create more

businesses that want me to come and pick

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up the food or more customers that want

me to be the one delivering their food.

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Right.

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Now, do you also, I think you mentioned

that you also drive people around.

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So you do like Uber and Lyft stuff.

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Adam Strum: Occasionally, but not often.

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I'm not big on having strangers in my

car and I've come to the conclusion.

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When I sit down and think about it,

most people are calling an Uber or

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Lyft for one of three major reasons.

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One is they don't have

a car, and that's fine.

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But the other reasons are they're too

drunk to drive, or they don't feel well.

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And in both of those cases, my

car is at risk of needing a very

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thorough cleaning afterwards.

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And that eats up a lot of time, and it's

quite expensive, actually, at times.

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I try not to have people, I'd

rather have any kind of, I've

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delivered television sets.

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I've delivered 20, 50,

60 items from home goods.

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So, I've delivered all kinds of things,

but I prefer not to take people unless

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it's a really slow day for deliveries.

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And then I'll turn on taking people, but

you know, it also requires you get your

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car up to snuff and, the people are going

to say, Oh, it's very nice in here and

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it doesn't matter what my car looks like

inside if I'm delivering goods or food.

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Freddy D: Right.

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Okay.

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Makes sense.

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That makes sense.

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It's, those are, good points there.

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So what actions should a driver do

or really avoid, I should say, when

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it comes to engaging customers?

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Adam Strum: That's a very good question.

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Avoid over interacting.

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Keep it short, keep it sweet, because

they're waiting for whatever you're

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bringing them, even if it's a person.

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They're waiting for the end users,

waiting for their food, their

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items, or their family member.

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They're not in the mood

for a long conversation.

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So you want to keep it short and sweet.

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I'll give you a quick, for

instance, I'm picking up pizza.

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I get there.

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I text the customer and just say at

the restaurant waiting for your order.

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That's it.

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Once I have it, I'll tell the

customer that I have your pizza

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on board and I'll say ETA and

give them an ETA 10 to 15 minutes.

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This way, at least they're prepared.

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If they have dogs, they can move

the dogs away from the front door so

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they don't go nuts when I knock etc.

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If they have a sleeping kid, they

can tell me, they can text me back

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and say, you know what, don't knock.

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I'll meet you outside or leave

it at my door, which I can do.

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You can document those.

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So, that's it.

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Keep it simple, but make them feel like

you're treating them with extra respect.

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Freddy D: And that's

important because, I've used.

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Some delivery services or I've, I've

gone on rides and stuff and there's

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times where the platform app says,

going to be there in 15 minutes, 15

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minutes go by, nothing's happened.

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You don't see the car moving.

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You don't see anything happening, and

I've had where the person just flaked

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and it just gave me a bad impression

of not only the person but the platform

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that was utilizing it So the fact that

you were taking that extra step to

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tell person, hey, I'm at the pizzeria.

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I'm waiting.

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I got it I'll 15 minutes.

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That gives your third customer,

the acknowledgement that their

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time is valuable and you're giving

them a heads up, which in turn

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is great customer relations.

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Adam Strum: Exactly.

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It's letting them know someone cares

that they're getting their food or

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items delivered on time by someone

who actually respects them without the

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third end user, the platform and the

stores don't have customers, right?

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So, they're quite important in the chain.

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They're just not as important as the

stores to the business runner like me.

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Platform is somewhat important, but the

end user is actually the third in the

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link of three, as far as importance goes.

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And as long as you're being

respectful to them, it's a non entity.

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You follow me?

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You don't even have to think about the end

user, the customer that you're delivering

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to, because if you respect them enough

to tell them, Hey, I'm at the restaurant.

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They 10 minutes before it's ready.

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Then on my way, keep it short,

keep it sweet, show them respect.

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Once you have the food on board.

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Be there in 10 to 15 minutes,

and that's all you need to do.

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As long as you're doing those two things

for your end user, you can concentrate

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on the two that are important, which

are the restaurant and the platform.

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I use the platform where I don't get

orders and, I need the business to want

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to recommend me as much as possible.

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Freddy D: Right.

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Which goes right into my next

question, which is, what ways can a

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driver interactions enhance customer

experience, converting them into superfans

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that helps drive positive reviews?

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Adam Strum: That is where going

above and beyond comes in.

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So quite often, Especially on the

lower pay orders, you'll find that it's

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students or seniors or disabled people.

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They order more, believe it

or not, because they can't

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get out and do it themselves.

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Half the time, students are busy studying.

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A lot of them don't have cars and they

want to order from places far away.

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They're not going to take

two buses to go get Pad Thai.

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I mean, it's just not going to happen.

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Right.

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Seniors, they don't like

to go out in the evenings.

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If they're hungry at seven o'clock and

it's already dark out, the odds are

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they're not going to want to jump in

their car and drive and take the risk of

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driving at night, et cetera, et cetera.

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And for disabled people, these

are the bulk of customers.

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For me, anyway, I see

more of those than I do.

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regular average everyday people,

regular average everyday people

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tend to jump in the car and go get

the pizza themselves, to be honest.

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Now I do get, a fair share of those.

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So above and beyond, I've texted them.

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I'm coming, right?

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I get there.

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I'm walking up to the door.

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They opened the door.

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I see they're in a wheelchair.

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I asked them, would you like me

to put this on your table for you?

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You want me to carry it in

if it's groceries, which I

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do quite often groceries.

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Do you want the bags in any

specific spot so that it's easier

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for you to get access to them?

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Go above and beyond because not only do

customers have the ability to tip when

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you've completed your order on every

app, all of the major apps allow for an

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add on tip after you complete the order.

433

But again, you've built a super

fan, you've built someone who's

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going to tell the platform

that you went above and beyond.

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Right.

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And the platform will disseminate

that to the restaurants, and they

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might if they weren't willing to

talk to you because they're too busy.

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And, I've gone to lots of we have

a Benihana not far from here.

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They are packed every night,

there's an hour wait for a table

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no matter what time you go.

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They don't have time to talk with me or

interact with me management's running

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around like chickens without heads.

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But if the platform is telling

them hey we've sent one of our

444

senior dashers our best dashers to

pick this one up, they'll actually

445

come out, they'll say hello to me.

446

And there's my in there.

447

There's my superfan

building right there, right?

448

That's your opportunity.

449

I didn't even have to do it.

450

The customer did it for me, right?

451

Freddy D: Right.

452

And yeah, so now the owner's gonna

say, I appreciate you delivering this

453

because you're making the restaurant

like the Benihana's you're saying

454

you're making a Benihana look like

a rock star to the customer because

455

they've got a good delivery service.

456

Adam Strum: Exactly.

457

And they're getting their food

hot and fresh and you're talking

458

sushi or cooked Japanese food.

459

That's what Benihana does.

460

Sushi sits too long

without a refrigerator.

461

You don't want to go near it and

Japanese hot food, if it gets cold,

462

basically becomes a grease ball.

463

So, you need to keep your hot

food separate from your cold food.

464

And you need to, I actually keep a

bag with several of those freezer

465

bags, those ice bags, those ice packs.

466

Right.

467

So I have a cold bag and I have a

hot bag in my backseat at all times.

468

And I give you up the orders.

469

I pack them properly

before I start driving.

470

I have a drink carrier,

a professional one.

471

It's, solid plastic, has

eight holes, holds eight cups.

472

I don't have to worry about

spilling a customer's drink ever.

473

I mean, people don't think

of these little things, but

474

these little things mean a lot.

475

I've had customers when I'm walking

up with their six or eight drinks from

476

Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and they're

like, I didn't know how you were going

477

to carry those, but that's amazing.

478

I'm like, well, I wanted to make

sure you got your drink full.

479

It'd be terrible to get

half a cup, wouldn't it?

480

And they start laughing.

481

Freddy D: Well, because again,

you're treating this as a business.

482

It's not a hobby.

483

It's not a.

484

Gig, this is a business and

you're treating it as a business

485

and you're treating it as the

owner of the, your business.

486

Adam Strum: Now I have a little,

like you do, I have a little in there

487

because I've owned several companies.

488

So I know what it's like

to be a business, right?

489

And I wish younger people would just take

a little time or even older people retire.

490

This is a great job, gig,

whatever you want to call it.

491

Business to own for retirees.

492

I mean, nobody can live on a social

security check anymore, not with the way,

493

last four years have gone with inflation.

494

And I'm talking both presidents.

495

It's not political.

496

went up, rents have gotten outrageous.

497

So social security doesn't cut it.

498

And I hate when I see seniors on

their feet at Walmart for six hours

499

straight being a breeder at the door.

500

That's what they give

seniors to do, or cashiering.

501

Seniors shouldn't be on

their feet that long.

502

It's not good for circulation.

503

They should be moving around more.

504

These people stand still.

505

This job allows them to sit for at

least 60 percent of the time because

506

they're driving, and the other 40

percent, they're never standing still.

507

They're walking into the

store, grabbing the items.

508

They're walking up to

the customer's house.

509

They're placing the items

or handing the items.

510

It keeps them active.

511

And it's a great additional income.

512

Yep.

513

20, 20 hours a week.

514

You can probably make 500 a

week if you're disciplined.

515

Freddy D: Yep, and what's a tip that

you can give that ensures that you

516

receive a good tip from the customer.

517

Adam Strum: Okay.

518

On some platforms, you don't know

whether or not you're going to

519

be tipped till after you deliver.

520

And on some, you know what,

there's at least X amount of

521

tip before you take the order.

522

So the door dash, the tip is included.

523

So when they send the amount, they're

going to pay you to do the order

524

in the very beginning, before you

accept it, you're getting at least X.

525

But to boost the tips, just follow

what I taught in customer service,

526

just follow the three keys, listen

and hear, think, then speak.

527

Sometimes speech is not your mouth

moving, but speech is what you do.

528

Just like with the first amendment,

speech, freedom of speech can be art,

529

but you don't have expression can be art.

530

There's no verbalization there.

531

It's just a painting.

532

The same thing happens here.

533

When you get to somebody's

door, does the door open out?

534

If so, make sure the food is

off to the side so they can open

535

their door and get to it, that

they don't have to knock it down.

536

I've seen so many people, so many

delivery drivers in their rush thinking,

537

if I rush really fast, I'll get more

deliveries and I'll make more money.

538

But at the same time, yeah, you'll

make more money, but you'll be

539

deplatformed within a month because

you've made so many mistakes.

540

Slow and steady does win the race.

541

That's been the key since

the beginning of time.

542

Freddy D: Right.

543

Adam Strum: Slow and steady.

544

Get it right.

545

Be kind at all times.

546

Even when the customer's being obnoxious,

be kind because then they go inside

547

and they think about it while I was

yelling at this guy and it's the

548

restaurant that packed the bag, not him.

549

And the bag is sealed by the restaurant.

550

A lot of them have that tape now that they

take everything closed with and they'll

551

go back inside and they'll consider it.

552

And I've had 10 and 20 tips come in

an hour after I finished my shift.

553

And those are from people who

were angry at the delivery point.

554

They're yelling at me, why did it

take an hour for my food to get here?

555

Well, I don't know.

556

I've only had your order

for the last 16 minutes.

557

Four minutes to go pick it up and

10 minutes to deliver it to you and

558

two minutes to converse with you.

559

That's it.

560

That's the extent of my

involvement in this transaction.

561

Freddy D: Yeah, you got proof

of that because you texted him.

562

Hey, I'm here picking up

the food and I'm on my way.

563

So, they've got that window

that was at 16 minutes.

564

That's it.

565

Adam Strum: So they're

not thinking that though.

566

They're so angry about the hour.

567

But when they go back inside and they

realize I didn't yell back at them.

568

I didn't fight back.

569

I simply stated, I'm glad I

was able to get it to you.

570

It's still hot.

571

Enjoy your meal.

572

Even though they're yelling at me that

it took an hour, when I drive away

573

and they get to thinking about it.

574

Most people, and I'm being honest here,

even when they're really crazy people, but

575

most people will get to thinking about, I

abused him and none of it was his fault.

576

Freddy D: Right, the

conscience takes kicks in.

577

Adam Strum: And so I'll get

higher ratings, even if I don't

578

get tips, I'll get higher ratings

because every delivery gets rated.

579

One to five stars.

580

My rating on DoorDash is a 4.

581

96 out of a five, which is extremely high.

582

Freddy D: Right, so, before we started

the show, we were talking a little bit

583

and you said you've got a technique

that that doesn't burn you out.

584

So what is that technique?

585

Adam Strum: That technique is

being married for 26 years.

586

My wife actually delivers with me.

587

Not every time, but most of the time

because she's bored if she just sits

588

home and I'm not home and, just watches

TV for hours, she'd rather be out there.

589

It's good exercise, get

fresh air, get sunshine.

590

So we do this together and

we run the business together.

591

And a lot of husbands and wives

run mom and pop businesses.

592

And that's what this is for me, a mom

and pop business, run them together.

593

Now not everybody's married, not

everybody's spouse, if they are married,

594

would want to be in a car delivering food.

595

That doesn't mean you can't find a buddy.

596

A friend, someone else who's retired

and just walking around at the park,

597

feeding the ducks, someone else

who complains all the time that, he

598

needs to get his car fixed, but he

just doesn't have the extra cash.

599

You'll hear that all the time, right?

600

Tell him, look, I'll do all the driving.

601

All you got to do is when we get to

an address, get out of the car, walk

602

it over to the door, put it down,

take a picture and get back in the car

603

and I'll split the earnings with you.

604

Freddy D: There's no downside on that

one because it still stays in the house.

605

Adam Strum: Exactly my point.

606

Well, for me, it stays in the house.

607

Yeah, my wife and I, but if it was

a friend, heck, the good news about

608

that is if it's a friend and you

split the earnings, at least you're

609

splitting the work so that there's no

differential, it's the same, you're

610

doing half the work you had to do alone.

611

You're also able to park where you

wouldn't normally be able to park

612

because you don't have to park you

can stand For instance in the handicap

613

spot standing is legal parking is

not As long as there's someone in

614

the car who can move it if requested

You're not going to get a ticket.

615

You can stand at some fire pumps.

616

You can stand in some no parking zones.

617

Sometimes parking is really tough to find

at some of these restaurants, if they're

618

popular their parking lots packed Correct.

619

Yeah.

620

Or Starbucks with the drive

through blocks the part you can't

621

even get into the parking lot.

622

Well, now I can double park.

623

Leave someone who can move the car

if requested, and I can run in and

624

grab the order and be back out.

625

So, there's a lot of pluses to having

that second person in the car, plus you

626

can concentrate on driving and let them

work the app, let them check the address

627

let them map the address, let them handle

the phone because they're not driving.

628

You'll have less accidents.

629

You'll have less close calls.

630

You won't have to speed

too many drivers speed.

631

It's crazy.

632

So, having that second person in the

car who can hold the food, make sure

633

it doesn't spill, sometimes you'll

have six or seven trays of food.

634

You make a hard right turn.

635

Those trays start toppling.

636

You got to pull over, fix everything

and then get back to driving.

637

You save a lot of time.

638

Freddy D: Yeah, it's a co pilot.

639

Basically, it's just

like flying an airplane,

640

Adam Strum: Call them in the

industry, by the way, in the

641

industry, we call them the co pilot.

642

Freddy D: Oh, there you go.

643

Adam Strum: Yeah.

644

And it just, like I said, if it's

a friend, split the money with

645

them, work a few extra hours,

you'll be less tired because you're

646

not doing all the work yourself.

647

You could still make the same amount,

but you're also helping out a friend.

648

And when you help out a friend,

they become a super fan too.

649

Freddy D: Yep, absolutely.

650

Adam Strum: So it's a no lose proposition.

651

Freddy D: Right.

652

Any other tips that you can

share to that would be benefit

653

gig workers like yourself?

654

Adam Strum: Definitely.

655

There's about four, four tips.

656

Get a memo notebook, just

a simple binder notebook.

657

And when you're doing deliveries of

any kind, whether it's food, dry goods,

658

blood tests, A lot of communities and

a lot of businesses are gated, which

659

means getting in can be a problem.

660

You take your book, you mark your

address, you mark that gate code

661

the one time you're given it.

662

And the next time you show up,

you're able to get right in.

663

You don't have to sit and wait for someone

to either A, open the gate or B, send you

664

by text the gate code so you can get in.

665

So that's number one.

666

It saves a lot of time.

667

Keep a record.

668

Keep a record.

669

Of deliveries that go south, whether

it's delivering people as well

670

for Uber and Lyft drivers who,

shuttle people all over the place.

671

There are some people that get in

your car and immediately want to

672

start talking religion, politics,

and everything that you really don't

673

want to talk to strangers about.

674

You don't want those people.

675

Make a note of it.

676

And if you see that person pop up on

your screen, just say, you know what,

677

I'd rather not pick them up today.

678

Give me a different one.

679

Time is everything.

680

When doing gig work of any kind,

it's all about time management.

681

So if you can save yourself time,

you can do more orders in the same

682

amount of time that you're out there.

683

So I can do two deliveries an

hour and there'll be picture

684

perfect from beginning to end.

685

And I mean, picture perfect,

or I can do four deliveries and

686

make sure I'm above average.

687

If I'm doing four, I

make twice as much money.

688

So I'd rather be above average

than picture perfect, which is

689

why I say keep it short and sweet.

690

You don't want to have a long

conversation with your customer.

691

You just want them to know that

you respect them, that you're going

692

to do the right thing by them.

693

And I've actually gone back

to stores for customers.

694

How about that one?

695

I've had a delivery of,

let's say, wings and a soda.

696

And I get there and they're like,

it's supposed to be two sodas.

697

It is.

698

Okay.

699

I paused my app.

700

I'll go back and get you the other soda.

701

What's it supposed to be?

702

You call the restaurant and let

them know they forgot to pack it.

703

Now the customer has a job to do.

704

You follow the logic here.

705

I'm sure you know it, but yeah, you're

turning your, that customer's becoming

706

your superfan of the fact twice over.

707

Because not only am I making them

feel like, Hey, I respect you so

708

much, I'll go back and make sure the

restaurant does the right thing for

709

you and gives you your second soda,

710

but that's the above and beyond you

were talking about earlier, right?

711

I also want the customer though, to

do a little bit of work for it by

712

calling the restaurant and telling them

they forgot to pack the second soda

713

so that it's ready when I get there.

714

Freddy D: Right?

715

Adam Strum: So it only takes me

an extra five minutes to go back

716

and come back because I don't, I

already know exactly where I'm going.

717

I don't need A directional

map or a GPS or any of that.

718

I've done that for plenty of

customers, especially if they

719

tip well, I'll be honest, you

tip well, you get better service.

720

That's the same in a restaurant.

721

When you go to eat, you tip.

722

Well, the waitress is going to

always take better care of you.

723

Freddy D: They'll remember you.

724

And, oh yeah, this is the guy.

725

This is the good guy.

726

We all take care of this guy.

727

Adam Strum: Well, that guy left me

a 20 for one sandwich last time.

728

I'm going to make sure

his food comes out first.

729

Freddy D: Sure.

730

Adam Strum: It's really not difficult

and people make it difficult.

731

There are about a thousand

channels on YouTube of DoorDash

732

drivers saying, watch me DoorDash.

733

And when I watch them DoorDash, my stomach

turns at all the mistakes they make.

734

And they complain that

DoorDash is ripping them off.

735

And I'm like, no, you're shortchanging

yourself by not following procedure.

736

For a business.

737

You're a business.

738

You don't work for DoorDash,

739

Freddy D: Exactly.

740

Adam Strum: The mindset is wrong.

741

It's I use mindset that proves

I'm corporate America, right?

742

Mindset is wrong.

743

You don't work for DoorDash.

744

DoorDash actually works for you.

745

Freddy D: Now, do you ever do deliveries

where you're requested by a customer.

746

Specifically through a platform?

747

Adam Strum: Not on doorDash,

but on Uber Eats, a customer

748

can request a specific driver.

749

On Instacart, they can.

750

On Spark, which is Walmart's

delivery service, they cannot.

751

There are a couple of others.

752

LabCorp is different

because it's not a platform.

753

Like I said, it's a corporation.

754

But on the other platform

apps, it's 50 50.

755

Half of them do allow a customer to choose

their driver, if that driver is available.

756

If the driver's offline, of

course, then it's just going to

757

go to the next available driver.

758

Freddy D: So that's where it's really

important to build that superfan with

759

that customer so that on the platforms

that where they can request you as

760

the driver, that's the it's customer

relationship and having them as your

761

business superfan because it is your

business and that's the big differentiator

762

because if I'm, if I'm on Instacart

and I say, Oh, Adam's available, great.

763

I'm going to request

Adam to go pick this up.

764

Adam Strum: I want Adam to shop

for me because I always get

765

fresh produce when he does it.

766

I always get non dented boxes.

767

I always get, and well, you can

make, you can, like I said, there

768

are chance, there's a chance to make

three super fans with every delivery.

769

Freddy D: Right.

770

Adam Strum: The platform can become your

superfan because your ratings are so high

771

and you're showing that they are a, an

excellent service for the customer to

772

use because a customer who wants to order

from say, McDonald's has six choices.

773

They can order through DoorDash, Uber

Eats, Grubhub, Postmates, et cetera.

774

They have a bunch of choices.

775

Why do they want DoorDash?

776

That really nice guy who comes with

his wife and his wife comes out and

777

brings it right to us and let's order

through DoorDash so that they bring it.

778

Yeah, that goes back to, customer

relationship building those

779

relationship and getting turning

those people into business superfans.

780

So exactly.

781

And like I said, you have with every

delivery, you have three chances to

782

turn three entities into a super thing.

783

So they have the business

and the customer.

784

Freddy D: So there you have it.

785

Adam, it's been a pleasure.

786

Adam Strum: It's always a pleasure

when I get to talk to you, Frederick.

787

Freddy D: Well, thank you, buddy.

788

And we'll look to have

you on the show again.

789

And again, if you're looking for delivery

and you're on one of the platforms where

790

you can request Adam Strum is your guy.

791

Yep.

792

It would come up out of Adam S.

793

And if you see Adam S as a driver,

just request me, you'll be respected.

794

That's the most important thing.

795

Your order will be respected and you

as a person waiting for whatever you're

796

waiting for will also be respected.

797

All right, Adam, thank you much.

798

Adam Strum: My pleasure.