tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34916786414493451192024-03-21T07:29:46.435-07:00So You Want To Be a Banquet ManagerSure, it looked like a glamorous position when you attended your friend's wedding last month. Now it's time to tell you the truth!TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-66970207470016035862015-10-17T12:17:00.000-07:002015-10-17T12:17:20.115-07:00How to Use the Starfish Story to Grow Your Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, throwing starfish back into the ocean. “The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”<br />
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Starfish Story<br />
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“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”<br />
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After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…<br />
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…”It made a difference for that one.”<br />
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So, how can we use the “starfish story” in our business?<br />
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Simple, just don’t get bogged-down in the minutia of “customer service”.<br />
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Many times we fret over all the standards, procedures, and policies we must follow within our day-to-day customer interactions. That’s understandable. But the customer is not concerned about this nor are they even aware of it.<br />
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They just want attention. They desire acknowledgment and understanding. They need confirmation that their business is appreciated and understanding that THEY come first. Help me, find what I need, show me the way…that’s all I ask.<br />
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We can make a difference to each and every customer who will cross our business threshold. They are now OUR responsibility and we WILL do all we can to tend to their needs, find what works for them and do it with a SMILE.<br />
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You CAN make a difference within your sea of customers. If not, what happens to YOUR starfish?<br />
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Have you made a difference to a customer? Do you have any ‘starfish stories’ to share?<br />
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I’d love to hear them…TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-32202954083863452412015-05-19T06:59:00.000-07:002015-05-19T07:00:14.498-07:00The Daily Battle Sales Versus Operations <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82UCruSxAyedBOM1tey0CFR0EGzlhn7OVA1Jaud4jQvzPAR9eRJDcR3vTtOS_X-NvSoh6kYAegOJIwjypK4YT0pec9hxSmgs8gaYpFEn7i11tjpiiBEGuOpVXn-XTZlAtRo1n0prF3Tw/s1600/Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82UCruSxAyedBOM1tey0CFR0EGzlhn7OVA1Jaud4jQvzPAR9eRJDcR3vTtOS_X-NvSoh6kYAegOJIwjypK4YT0pec9hxSmgs8gaYpFEn7i11tjpiiBEGuOpVXn-XTZlAtRo1n0prF3Tw/s320/Sales.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the world of business there are many components that make up a successful venture. All must work as a team with the one vision in mind, which is the health and prosperity of the company. But business is also a daily battle. <br />
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The procurement/purchasing department is obliviously involved in getting the necessary goods in house that are needed to manufacture a product. But they are bound with the task of not getting more than is needed or have available capital tied up in inventory. That makes sense. But what if they are tightening their belt a little too much and under-order based on business needs? This will of course affect the customer in some way.<br />
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The marketing department is responsible for spreading the word about the product(s) or service a business offers. Regardless of their methods; through print, television or internet advertisements, through social media and direct mailings, they promote the benefits of the business. Much is dependant of the successful marketing efforts. If they fail, any potential new customers, as well as existing customers, will not learn of the benefits of the business.<br />
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Let’s now focus on the two departments that are the front-line of the most businesses; Sales and Operations. <br />
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This is where the predictable differences lay when it comes to which is more important.<br />
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No industry is better represented with this challenge than that of hospitality, hotels in fact. There is always the friction between those responsible for “bringing the business in” versus those that “make it happen”. Each has a distinct, and conflicting, view on how it should be done.<br />
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<h3>
Sales</h3>
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Most hotel sales people are broken down into two categories; room sales and meeting space. Room sales will focus on “getting heads-in-beds” and booking as many rooms as possible, whether through individual guest bookings or group business. Those in charge of booking meeting space are further segmented into corporate business, social bookings (birthday parties, anniversary parties, etc.), weddings and maybe even golf events if applicable. There is even a SMERF category, which stands for Sports, Military, Entertainment, Religious and Fraternal. <br />
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The sales staff all have one thing in mind, to book as much business as possible. And why not, their compensation is based on a percentage of revenue generated from the events booked. If they don’t book, the hotel will not have any business and the sales person will not get paid. Seems cut and dry to most. <br />
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The restaurant manager usually doesn’t need to worry if sales don’t book because their job performance is not based on that. The housekeepers pay is not affected when sales are down. The front desk agent still gets paid even with a poor performing sales staff. Or do they? <br />
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When hotel sales are down this puts enormous pressure on all departments to cut hours and do more with less. If it gets too bad staff will be cut, laid–off or terminated based on the lack of business. Then the sales staff themselves may be let go if they can’t produce. So the sales staff is under the constant demands of producing revenue. This revenue is not only actual but projected.<br />
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Projected revenue is used to make budgets, to plan the next marketing campaign and for the large investment of capital improvements in the coming year. This gives the sales staff power, power to chart a course for the future of the company. But many times it gives them the power to sell events with no consideration of the cost of doing business. This is where the problems start. Now on to:<br />
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<h3>
Operations</h3>
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This is the backbone of any hotel. No matter what is booked, and at what price, the operational departments are responsible for making the guest’s experience as special as they hope for, and even to go above and beyond their expectations. But this comes at a cost, the highest in the business; labor. <br />
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Labor costs, or “payroll” is usually the largest of the “non-fixed” costs of a hotel. When an event is booked at a low rate it still must be serviced, and done so within the hotel standards and the same business costs, regardless of the revenue generated from that event.<br />
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For this example I will focus on the areas of the Food and Beverage Departments and how they respond to the demands of a corporate meeting event. This department is divided into two sides; the “front-of-the-house” and the “back-of-the-house”. <br />
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The Culinary Department and all their support staff are the back of the house. They usually do not have any direct interaction with the guests, hence the term back of the house. The Banquet Department consists of the wait staff, bartenders, housemen (who setup the rooms) as well as the managers, and is called the front of the house since they are in direct contact with the guest.<br />
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When a sales manager sells or ‘books” an event they are not responsible for what it takes to make the event happen. Whether it is a small event of 10 people or a large multiple day event, their primary focus is to book the event, get the information needed for the operational departments to make it happen. But is that really their only responsibility?<br />
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What good is booking a small event when the cost of servicing the event is more than the revenue generated from it? Yes, this small group can be the start of a long-term relationship with the customer and may lead to multiple future events as well, but what if it doesn’t? <br />
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The chef is still held accountable to the food cost and what it is as a percentage of revenue. He is tasked with keeping his labor costs down as well. But just because there may be a small event to service his quality, presentation and freshness of the food prepared must still be first-rate. Too many of these small-profit events do not allow the chef to efficiently run his department in the manner expected of him.<br />
The banquet department then must get into the act. Setup staff as well as waiters/bartenders are next in line. <br />
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Are we to think that the sales manager that booked this group realize that the waiter may be paid based on the revenue of the event? Low revenue = low pay. Does the sales manager know that the revenue generated from the bar for ten people during dinner is not enough to cover the cost of the bartender’s hourly rate or the cost of setting up the bar? Probably not. So they don’t worry about it.<br />
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Then there are the situations where “sales” will discount the price of the event in order to make the sale.<br />
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“If I didn’t discount the price they would have booked somewhere else” is a common phrase from the sales staff. But “operations” can’t get a discount on the cost of food or lower the hourly rate of the staff needed to service the event. But we gave a discount to the event anyway.<br />
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When month’s end rolls around it is the chef and banquet manager that must sit in the boss’s office and justify why their costs are too high and not in line with budget. They are the ones that must explain to the customer why something was not done “as promised from the sales manager” when they may not have been provided with the information. And what if the compensation or yearly bonus for these positions is dependent upon them staying within their budget?<br />
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It is very easy for operations to downplay the value of these small groups because of the reasons already mentioned. “We’re not making any money on this group” someone may say, so their best staff is not scheduled to service it. “Just get the food out” is said in the kitchen, so the food presentation is not up to par. What is the ultimate outcome? A poor experience for the customer.<br />
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I will never fault a customer for asking for, or receiving, a low price. But we still must treat this as one of the bust customers we have in order to continue the relationships we value in the hopes of more business in the future.<br />
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This is where the battle begins. It takes a concerted effort for “sales” to understand what it takes in order to produce the expected results, and top customer service, for the events they book. And the “operations” must realize that if no business is booked and revenue doesn’t walk in the door then positions may need to be eliminated and the business will suffer.<br />
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The challenge is for all parties involved to work as a team, understand the expectations and responsibilities of each, and find the best solutions for the health of the business. Until that happens the battles will continue.TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-33615822731374751692015-04-23T06:30:00.000-07:002015-04-23T06:30:21.233-07:00IHOP Restaurant and the Almost Hidden Text Message<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoRDVqR1nX4WUtWWQU9CPtY6kkCkBtQZ6fgdEvfLthrmvpmZoVLcMGhKVbU9RQmA10Y6_oCvhc_w8AlX9GtaXilQetWek3vSdz76nyVlq4WgDguCgIGR700ycLzUppCD4tbzR6J2nXag/s1600/ihop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoRDVqR1nX4WUtWWQU9CPtY6kkCkBtQZ6fgdEvfLthrmvpmZoVLcMGhKVbU9RQmA10Y6_oCvhc_w8AlX9GtaXilQetWek3vSdz76nyVlq4WgDguCgIGR700ycLzUppCD4tbzR6J2nXag/s1600/ihop.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last week I stopped into the local IHOP Restaurant with my wife to get a quick lunch. Nothing fancy just a burger or two. The food was fine, service quick and waiter mostly attentive. But then a funny thing happened…<br />
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We were seated towards the rear of the restaurant and off to the side nearest the kitchen. Not necessary an optimum seat for a window view but adequate enough to see my server standing behind the etched glass partition that separated two sections of the restaurant.<br />
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I wondered why she was just standing there when she obviously has a full section of tables to tend to. Was she looking over the orders for her tables? Was she speaking with her manager that was out of my line of sight? Was she with a guest at another table? What was she doing? Texting on her phone – that is what she was doing!<br />
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What has happened to the work ethic, and frankly the common sense, of today’s young workers that they think it is acceptable to stand “out on the floor” of a restaurant and send text messages during their shift? What has happened is that the work ethic is quickly crumbling. <br />
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Customer service is not what it used to be. Customers have become a bother to many in the service industry. We just want to work our 8 hours and go home. And hope that no one complains.<br />
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Management has become too afraid, or lazy, to uphold company standards. In many corporate quick serve restaurants (QSR), the management is bogged-down with completing corporate-mandated reports and following staffing guidelines, as their primary means of judging performance, that they are not focusing on the performance that really counts…the performance of their staff in addressing the needs of their customers.<br />
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This is not an attack on the waitress but more of an acknowledgement that we still have a long way to go in our industry in order to provide the mindset of customer service and attentiveness in our staff.<br />
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At least go in the back room and out of view of the guests if you have to send that text! <br />
Only kidding.<br />
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TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-42748292400694190142015-04-17T07:47:00.000-07:002015-04-17T07:47:17.050-07:00Then The Waitress Says…”Are We Bagging Today”?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35H_Tf37vdIsnWE0NcuYEPRnskk7NPq1QCiIkKz6dYdEs7iNW4rXFxAdzTI9EFFemIBQdpaNm8jQKgBoGsgeaCTax8sW1LF6aCb_CXoocnSREJFdhBeK0xzqoBCUvxY3WbBvvZdjcYao/s1600/Doggie-Bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35H_Tf37vdIsnWE0NcuYEPRnskk7NPq1QCiIkKz6dYdEs7iNW4rXFxAdzTI9EFFemIBQdpaNm8jQKgBoGsgeaCTax8sW1LF6aCb_CXoocnSREJFdhBeK0xzqoBCUvxY3WbBvvZdjcYao/s1600/Doggie-Bad.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Every server in the restaurant business has their own style, their own manner, and their own way of interacting with their customers.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Some are formal and professional, some are relaxed and carefree, and some are “by-the-book”, not showing much emotion.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>But most are friendly and really try to make your dining experience enjoyable.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>To be a little more personal, many of today’s servers will also use their local slang and familiar terms when speaking to you.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>This is where some problems arise.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Here’s my story…</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It was a brisk afternoon, sunny with a few puffs of clouds, as my group of six walked into the diner looking for a quick lunch.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>The diner, which sat on the eastern flank of a busy road, was unexpectedly full and I thought there would be a wait for a table but thankfully I was wrong.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>We were quickly escorted to a large booth in the corner and greeted by our waitress.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She was pleasant and knowledgeable of all the side dishes offered for the meals we ordered.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Our beverage orders were taken and delivered, bread and butter placed in the table’s center and extra paper napkins as well.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Then the first strange comment was made; “I’m gonna have you be my helper and pass these plates to the end”, said the waitress.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>The customer, me, is “gonna be the helper”?<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>That was not what I expected.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Of course I would be glad to assist the waitress in passing the B&B plates around the table but would have appreciated being asked in a different tone.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>OK, no big deal, we moved on.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The conversation kept to a steady pace as our waitress left the table after indoctrinating her newest recruit, me, into her fold.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>I have always been critical of the service provided by most servers but also realize that we weren’t eating in a multiple-star restaurant, just a local diner with quick food and pleasant surroundings; nothing more.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>I shouldn’t expect much.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Before we knew it, our meals came, prepared as ordered and piping hot.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Another good sign.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>But these were the largest portions I’ve seen in a long time.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>I’d hate to see their food cost, they must be losing their shirt on our table. <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Anyway, our waitress asked if there was anything else we needed then left to attend to the other tables in her section.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>We picked up our utensils and attacked our plates; the food was not too bad.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Since our portions were so large, none of us were able to finish, though we sure tried.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>With our forks given a rest and placed plate side again we continued our conversations.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Just then our waitress came over to our table and with a big smile and hand on her hip said,<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “<b>Are we bagging today</b>”?</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Are we bagging today?<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>I’ve never heard that expression before.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>We all sat there in silence while we tried to process her comment.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Oh, I guess she wanted to know if we wanted to “bag” the remaining food from our plates to take home.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>But this was a little too cutesy for me.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“I’m glad to see you enjoyed your meal; would you like to take the rest home with you?”<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>“I know we offer large portions here, I’d be happy to wrap-up the rest for you to take home”.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>These are appropriate statements for a server to make.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>I’d even be ok with “Do you want a doggie-bag” but “Are we bagging today”?<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><b>That one has to go</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today’s quick serve and family restaurants are more concerned with moving their customers in and out as fast as possible.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>The “2 for $20” type of offerings don’t leave much as profit, if any at all, so the focus is on quantity not quality.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>The food quality offered is usually sufficient for most but how about some quality customer service training to teach appropriate ways to speak with the customers you are herding through the doors?<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We don’t expect much, we don’t need a linguist or someone fluent in five languages.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>We don’t need a playwright, a motivational speaker or a server that can sell us the Brooklyn Bridge either.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>We, as customers, just want to be treated in the same professional manner as anyone else, regardless if we are taking a doggie-bag home or not.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope Fido likes his snack. <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-32573625705684990982015-04-03T18:26:00.001-07:002015-04-03T18:26:48.960-07:00The Five Best Ways to Deal With An Upset Customer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNvwKPrksy206977wuRsd9UFTUvdmfN_SWxV02n4kR__pTLbAQusF2eS8tE3gQ7s33Q_DXLYP0O-hvhA-y0leHyI5Ms8UJu3rlMUo3v0GP6qOiMugA0H9nukRFSs8Ns4FkYzpPix9Ys4/s1600/problems-and-solutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNvwKPrksy206977wuRsd9UFTUvdmfN_SWxV02n4kR__pTLbAQusF2eS8tE3gQ7s33Q_DXLYP0O-hvhA-y0leHyI5Ms8UJu3rlMUo3v0GP6qOiMugA0H9nukRFSs8Ns4FkYzpPix9Ys4/s1600/problems-and-solutions.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Regardless of your business there will be the inevitable situation where a customer is dissatisfied with your product or service. It is a situation we never want to deal with but know we must. “There is a lady out front that is unhappy with her ____________” is a term that no manager wants to hear from their employee but it does happen. So as any good manager we rush out to greet the upset guest and find out what the problem is. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But do you know the simplest and most effective way to address the situation? Are you prepared on the spot to make the situation “right” for the customer? Are you able to alleviate all their fears and concerns and to do so quickly? </span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Here are the 5 keys needed to make this happen:</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn the facts from all parties involved</span></b></span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Before we can make a decision as to what steps are needed in order to resolve the issue, we must seek out all the facts of the case. In an impartial way, speak with the customer to determine what happened and their impressions of why they believe they were wronged. Then do the same with your employee(s). </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Find out what steps may not have been taken behind the scenes that would have resulted in the customers’ dissatisfaction.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Were all standard procedures followed; are these procedures even appropriate, or must they be adjusted, in order for this situation to not happen again?</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Know your abilities and limitations in the steps available that you can take to fix the issue</span></b></span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />You need to enter the conversation knowing what you can do right now to fix almost any issue. If you don’t then you will look ineffective and low-ranking in the eyes of the customer. They want to deal with someone that can make things right for them.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There must be a system in place for a company’s hourly employees, as well as mid-level managers, to be empowered to quickly offer a refund, an upgrade, to “WOW” the customer by going above and beyond, or any other appropriate resolution without needing to first get approval from a senior manager. This only delays the process and may make the customer feel as if they are being shuffled from employee to employee just to fix what they may believe is a small and easily addressed problem.</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Inform the customer that YOU are the person that will assist them</span></b></span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do not hand-off the customer to someone else, take care of it yourself. Peace of mind comes easy to a customer when they know that the person to whom they addressed their concern will see the resolution to the end.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />But this may not always be possible so this is where the next key comes in.</span></div>
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<b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></b><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There may be times when a resolution cannot be achieved at the moment the issue is brought to your attention by the customer. Computer systems may “be down” so a refund cannot be given. Another branch office or location may be closed so you are not able to contact the person(s) able to fix the issue. </span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But most times this will not be the case.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />There will usually be someone else that is reachable and in a position to make the final decision regarding the customer, if you can’t. Explain your situation, and that you are with the customer, either in person or by telephone, and that you need assistance. This person may be able to give you the final authorization or recommendation to take care of the customer’s needs.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />The ultimate goal is to quickly resolve the issue at the moment it happens.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As part of the initial conversation with the customer you should be able to get their name, phone number, email address, etc. or will be able to do so later on in the resolution process. This gives you the information needed to finally put the issue at rest.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Once the issue is satisfactorily resolved, personally contact the customer again for an after action report. Depending of the method used the length of time between resolution and contact will vary to take into account different scenarios:</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />*A refund check was mailed</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">*A new food item cooked and presented<br />*A room upgrade was given</span></div>
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Each of these has a different length of time needed between resolution and follow-up.<br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Contact the customer. Confirm that the issue has been resolved to their satisfaction, or preferably above their expectations. Let the customer know that you value their business and look forward to seeing them again in the future.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />One method I like to use is to tell the customer that next time they planned to visit our business, call ahead and I will personally make arrangements to book their reservation, take care of them at the check-out counter or personally make any other preparations for them. Then when they arrive finish off the experience with a “gift” of some kind.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><b>This has been the best way I found to turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal repeat customer. And one that is appreciative of your efforts and actions.</b></span></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-14837438771692289692015-03-26T18:39:00.000-07:002015-03-26T18:39:24.343-07:00How The Tire Shop Lost a Customer, Me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a busy day, yes it was, but isn’t this what every business longs for?</div>
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If not for the busy days, the doors would shut, windows would be boarded-up and the suppliers clamoring for payment. So how can we complain for days like this? We’ll see.</div>
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I had a flat tire on my snow blower that needed to be repaired. The storm was coming, at least that’s what the television weather people said, so I made a few calls to see which of the local tire sales & repair shops would fix a small tire on my blower. Yes, it’s not a big job but one that must be done.</div>
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One of the first shops I called at 9:30am told me “Sure, we can fix that, bring it right over”. Great news to start my day, I rejoiced.</div>
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By 10:15am I was already in the shop with my machine. Well, not actually IN the shop, more like waiting outside the door at the back of the line. It was a busy day and it seemed like everyone in the neighborhood was looking to get new tires for their car. Remember, the storm was coming?</div>
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But the line moved fast and I neared the counter. “How can I help you?” said one counter man. “I called a little while ago about repairing the flat tire on my snow blower”, I said. “Sure we can fix that but it’s a busy day today” was his reply. “That’s fine”, I said, I can leave it here and you can get to it whenever you want, as long as it’s done by the end of today”. “Ok, we close at 6pm” he finished. I parked the blower right outside the shop window, left my name and cell phone number and was on my way.</div>
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As the day wore on and doing my daily chores I lost track of time. I glanced at my watch saw it was a little after 5pm and no phone call from the tire shop. I guess they just forgot to call me; it must be fixed by now, so I headed over to the shop.</div>
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The snow blower was still in the same spot as when I left it over 6 hours ago. This is not a good sign.</div>
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As I entered the now quiet shop, only a few customers took up the waiting room chairs, I said “I’m here to pick up my snow blower”. “I don’t think we got to it yet”, said the counterman. After looking around he said “You’re next”. “I’m next”, I said, “You have had the machine for over 6 hours and never fixed it, but NOW I’m next”? “We’ve been very busy today” was his reply.</div>
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Not wanting to make a bigger deal of this I patiently waited 25 minutes for the mechanic to repair the tire on my machine, paid my bill, and was on my way home.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Why do some businesses lose sight of the big picture when it comes to their customers? </b></span></div>
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We all want the big sale and prioritize the customers as they come in our doors but shouldn’t they realize that a small customer, this time in my case, can lead to a larger customer, increased business and more customers down the road?</div>
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We all have a circle of family and friends and are more than willing to recommend the goods and services of a business we like and one that has taken care of our needs. My sale was not a large one, especially compared to the replacement of 4 tires for many of the other customers, and I understand the shop not getting to the repair right away. But to forget about it and not make the repair at all? This is why I left the machine and gave them over 6 hours for the repair. I am still a new customer for them with potential business for the future. Apparently that was not important for them.</div>
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Some studies have shown that almost 80% of small business customers make their choice on trusted referrals from friends and family.</div>
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Do you think that I would refer this business to others based on my experience? Probably not. I would have more respect for the business and its management, if I was told earlier that they expected to be very busy and would not be able to fix my machine today. That would have been fine since I would just go somewhere else for the repair. But their short-sightedness came into play and they now lost the opportunity for my future business.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By the way, the snow storm never came…</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-23490145170763873312015-03-21T05:12:00.000-07:002015-03-21T05:12:35.593-07:00The Dreaded Wedding Breakfast and How to Nickel and Dime a Customer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The wonderful world of weddings. You book the event and promise the “perfect wedding”. The birds will sing, the flowers will bloom and the rainbow will shine in all its glorious colors. Well at least that’s the plan.</div>
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So the wedding night finally comes and guess what? It does indeed turn out to be the perfect wedding; rave reviews from all the guests and a packed dance floor all night. The staff does a great job; service is attentive and top notch. The kitchen cooks and presents the food so well that it should be on a magazine cover and everyone leaves at midnight as happy as a lark. A great end to the day.</div>
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All you have left to worry about is their wedding breakfast the following morning. I won’t get much sleep tonight because I need to be back the next morning at 6am but I’ve done it hundreds of times.</div>
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It’s the next morning and my sleepy staff and I are setting up the buffet breakfast for the 120 planned guests. Doors open, guests arrive and food is eaten…along with lots of coffee. As we get towards the end of the breakfast we realize that we have about 15 additional guests that were not planned for. All of them did attend the wedding but we had not anticipated them joining us for breakfast, nor I believe did the hosts of the event.</div>
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Now we have two options:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Charge the host for the 15 additional guests; after all its “business” right?</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Allow these extra people to eat for free as a gesture of good will.</li>
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Let’s delve into these two options a little more:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Option #1</strong></div>
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As a “for profit business” we are not here to provide a product or service for free. We have fixed costs such as insurance, building expenses (rent/mortgage, repair & maintenance, etc.). We also have all the variable costs like payroll, food, gas & electric, etc. We must pay the staff for working the event and if we don’t charge for these additional guests we will lose money. We can’t give food away and not charge.</div>
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Another line of thought is that each event, the wedding then the breakfast, are two separate entities and one should not be influenced by the other. Just because the group had their wedding here last night doesn’t mean that this event should be discounted or we should under charge for the guests served. “It’s business”!</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Option #2</strong></div>
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Let’s look at this from the “big picture” perspective. When we go to a store like Costco, aren’t there many stand-alone kiosks inside the store offering free samples of the food items they sell? Why do you think this is done? Is it just because they want to be nice and give you a little snack as you shop in their store? I doubt it.</div>
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When you go to the local deli or bakery, have you ever been offered free samples of their product to taste? The intent of the business is to entice you to purchase one of the items you have just tasted. Ever hear of a “loss-leader”?</div>
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Supermarkets all across this country have used this practice for decades where they offer a product at a very low price, maybe even at a monetary loss, just to get you into the store. Once inside there is a more-than-reasonable expectation that you will purchase additional items at regular full price to make up for that small loss on the one item.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This is “big picture” thinking.</strong></div>
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Now back to the wedding breakfast…</div>
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Why would a business work so hard to “WOW” a customer and earn their trust just to have the final touch point be one that leaves an impression that we “nickel and dime” them right after they spend $30,000 on a wedding? This is not smart business.</div>
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How much potential business and favorable recommendations can we receive from this customer if we let them know that we have fed these additional guests at no charge to them? They will be extremely appreciative of our gesture. This is another way of doing the unexpected for the guest and letting them leave on a high note. They can’t help but remember our actions.</div>
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It has been a long standing practice for businesses to accept competitors discount coupons. Many stores will offer a “price match” if the customer sees the same product offered at another company.</div>
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We spend untold millions of dollars on advertizing, marketing, offering discount coupons, package deals, etc., all in the hopes of generating more business and more revenue from these methods. Doesn’t this amount to giving away future revenue in the hopes of making a happy customer today? And one that will come back tomorrow? Of course it does.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So think of the BIG picture and don’t nickel and dime your customer!</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-28324715495254936712015-03-18T17:31:00.000-07:002015-03-18T17:31:36.605-07:00Don’t Let Your Employees Use Facebook, They Will Kill Your Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYFtrGejsudKH9Q5q3GqPf-mm2cBH_I2DQpvfzxEhZGniFPZUhevsPLqTI5RYb8ATEACgwu5FSJBfBVOjth1jCtRT6hw-k3HgE7f3fJz0nCUgUQEqgAAaIFP0biJhmiwrPs9OapRNlHo/s1600/Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYFtrGejsudKH9Q5q3GqPf-mm2cBH_I2DQpvfzxEhZGniFPZUhevsPLqTI5RYb8ATEACgwu5FSJBfBVOjth1jCtRT6hw-k3HgE7f3fJz0nCUgUQEqgAAaIFP0biJhmiwrPs9OapRNlHo/s1600/Facebook.jpg" height="256" width="400" /></a></div>
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Have you ever thought how much damage one employee can do to your business? If not, read on…</div>
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We all know the power that “social media” sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc. have on the youth of America. And we all have heard and read that every business must also have a presence on these sites for marketing, promotional and word of mouth posturing as well.</div>
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Having your business in the eyes, and on the lips, of the public is worth its weight in gold. So it’s a good thing when your employees talk about your business on Facebook, et al. correct?</div>
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But what happens when your employees post unflattering, incorrect or downright damaging messages to their friends or “followers”? How does this affect your business, your reputation, your impact in the business world?</div>
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Here are a few examples:<br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Employee Number 1:</b></span></div>
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Doesn’t feel that she should have to work on a holiday since “all her friends are off from work”. She posts a message on Facebook that her job is “forcing her” to work on a holiday and that they don’t treat their employees well. She also states that her company doesn’t pay her enough to work a holiday and she is sick and tired of working when “we all should be off”.</div>
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Well, gone are the days when a holiday is the quietest day of the month and the streets and business are deserted. Just ask the airline and retail industries if holidays are days that “we all should be off”. What about the police, fire and emergency medical personnel, or the utility companies; should they be off as well? Probably not.</div>
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But the friends and followers of this employee are now left with a half-truth or jaded picture of how that business treats their employees. They may think the employees there are forced to work, receive lower than reasonable compensation and other employees are treated poorly and share her views as well.</div>
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What follows next is that her friends will usually side with her viewpoint and will start a back and forth dialogue discussing the poor treatment she receives and what the working conditions are like at her “terrible job”.<br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Employee Number 2 </span></b><br /><b></b><br />Was just fired from his job for excessive absences, constant tardiness, or even theft and believes that the multiple chances already given him to keep his job is not enough. He feels that he was wronged by his termination and lashes out on Twitter when he gets home.</div>
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“They just fired me for nothing, so I came in a few times late, what’s the big deal?” he posts. “I have worked hard there for almost 1 year and this is how they treat me?” “This company is a terrible place to work” is the next post.</div>
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Of course employee number 2 will never fully explain the facts of his termination or that he has received numerous coaching sessions and other opportunities to address his job performance that ultimately led to his dismissal. But the negative comments stay out there forever.<br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Employee Number 3</span></b></div>
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Requested off from work but was not granted it due to business demands. The employee calls-out sick and doesn’t show up for work. The next day a fellow employee noticed a photo that was posted on Facebook of her out shopping with friends and going out to an afternoon movie. When one of her friends asked her why she wasn’t at work Employee 3 typed “Oh, my manager has no clue, he’s not on Facebook, he’ll never know”. “Besides, I do this all the time”.</div>
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In this instance, the business is not so much affected but the manager is. He is maligned and his competence as an effective manager is damaged.</div>
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<b>These are real-world examples of how employees can post seemingly, to them, innocuous statements on social media that can and will affect your business. Friends and family will usually take the side of their friend and believe what they are posting to be true, to be a fact, regardless if it is or not. </b><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Some of the recent statistics about Facebook alone will startle you: (8/2011)</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1.26 Billion Users Overall</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">155 Million Daily active users in USA</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 in every 13 people on Earth is on Facebook</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">71.2 % of all USA internet users are on Facebook</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In 20 minutes 1,000,000 links are shared on Facebook</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In 20 minutes 1.972 million friend requests are accepted</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In 20 minutes 2,716,000 messages are sent</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In 20 minutes 10.2 million comments are posted</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In 20 minutes 1,587,000 wall posts are written</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">48% of young Americans said they found out about news through Facebook</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Average user has 130 friends</span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Do you still doubt the power of Facebook?</b></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Do you want employees posting negative information</b></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>about your business there for all the world to see?</b></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><br /></i>Here are a few questions you must pose to your staff:</span></div>
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“Why do some employees feel it necessary, and appropriate, to post information regarding plans, procedures or possible scheduling needs about their department on social media sites? Is it essential that your vast amount of Facebook fans or Twitter followers associated with your “pages” be informed that a company requires, as business dictates, staff to work when there is business? Especially for a business that is open 7 days a week? Should this even be an issue? I don’t believe so.”</div>
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“Each person within their department, as well as the management, has their own requests, desires, wants and obligations towards family and friends everyday of the week and not just on a holiday. Each of them has their own health and personal financial issues to attend to as well. But is this the business of anyone outside this company? The answer is a resounding no. But it becomes their business when you spread comments, posts and information on the internet. Then it becomes the business of all their contacts as well.”</div>
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Pretty cut and dry, no?</div>
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You might as well take an advertisement in all the local papers and TV news channels stating that Company XYZ is a terrible place to work and treats their employees poorly. This has the same impact as thousands of friends and followers on social media sites getting the wrong impression of your business. Is this any different than getting negative reviews on sites like Trip Advisor or Yelp?</div>
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A few negative reviews on sites like these can cost untold thousands of dollars in lost revenue, and a bad business reputation. All it takes is a few people, sitting in their pajamas and fuzzy slippers anonymously punching in harmful comments from their kitchen table, to ruin your business. It’s the same for your employees on Facebook.</div>
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Set clearly defined rules regarding posting information on social media websites and make sure all your employees are aware of the policy. <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Without it, your next customer walking through your doors may be the undertaker…because you have killed your business!</b></span></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-49411890507501492822015-03-16T23:51:00.000-07:002015-03-16T23:51:00.114-07:00Do You Have a Failure to Communicate?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“I didn’t know about that”, “why isn’t there enough staff working today to take care of this rush?”, “she never said anything about it” or “why didn’t they tell me to do it that way?”</div>
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How many times have you heard comments like these from your staff? Do they sound familiar? And if so, why?</div>
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What are you doing wrong in your business that prevents the sharing of necessary information to your team?</div>
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Here are two reasons why:</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Changing of Policy or Procedure</b></span></div>
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Did you recently change a company or departmental policy or procedure? How was this change put into action?</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Was it sent out in a memo? </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Was it told to just the department heads in a meeting?</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Was it written on company letterhead and posted on a cork board in a hallway?</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Was there a specific date and time for it to be put into action?</span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />How can you be sure that all employees are aware of the changes without doing the following?</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A written notice of policy/procedure change is given to all employees</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A general or departmental meeting is held with all employees where the changes are described, explained and reasons for the change are given</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Appropriate training is given to employees in order to be fully proficient in the new procedure</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If appropriate, additional staff or management presence is on hand to monitor the staff’s compliance of new procedures and readily available to assist in order to satisfy a customer’s need or understanding of changes</span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>You Thought Someone Else Would Take Care Of It</b></span></span></div>
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How many times did something “fall through the cracks” because you thought another co-worker was going to handle it?</div>
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Just as with other business tasks, there must be a clear-cut chain of responsibility as to who will complete any given assignment, especially one that is important to the success of the business.</div>
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In your absence have you identified who will send out the employee schedule? If you will be in a last minute meeting with your boss have you assigned someone else to meet with, or reschedule, your 3pm interview? You thought your fellow manager was going to tell the staff to come in earlier tomorrow but she never did.</div>
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These are real-world examples of how things get forgotten or overlooked only because there was not a clear channel of communication between all parties involved. <b>This is the easiest way to hurt your business…and also one of the easiest things to fix.</b></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-25684052482395101882015-03-07T06:41:00.002-08:002015-03-07T06:42:07.331-08:00I Don’t Care if it’s Against Company Policy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you ever walked into a store or been a guest at a hotel and had a problem that was “out of the ordinary”? Of course you have, it has happened to many of us.</div>
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It may be that the store “sale” was over and you wanted to return a product for credit or your room was not exactly to your liking. Either way, something about the product or service you paid for did not live up to your expectations, or to the advertized sales literature.</div>
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So like a good customer you mention this to your salesperson or hotel front desk agent, expecting a quick resolution to your seemingly reasonable request. Your response… “It’s against company policy” for me to do that…</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well I don’t care if it’s against your company policy. I just want my issue fixed.</strong></div>
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The policy of a store/business should never be recited to a customer. They don’t care about your policies; they only care about their questions or concerns being answered and addressed in a timely manner. If they ask something of you that you are not allowed to do; example: take a return of an item that is damaged and not covered within your usual return policy, then explain that you are not allowed to accept the return because of the damage. Don’t explain why and how it’s written in your employee handbook.</div>
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It is perfectly acceptable to inform a customer that; “Sorry but I will not be able to offer you ______________, <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">but I CAN do this</strong>”. Maybe you can’t give a credit back on the sale item but you should be able to offer a store credit to your guest. Or offer a discount coupon towards their next purchase. Just as when we never want to tell a customer NO, there usually is another way to offset the needs of the guest.</div>
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In the above example, a better response would be “I’m sorry that we cannot accept this damaged item for return but I can offer you a discount coupon good toward your next purchase here” “I trust that will be a good way to show that we value your business and hope you continue to be a customer”.</div>
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In the hotel example, if a guest is unhappy with their room, maybe it doesn’t have a good view or the room has a stale odor, the best way to help the customer is to change their room and maybe even upgrade them to a larger suite, if possible.</div>
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But “company policy” states that if the room has a stale odor, you are to have someone from Housekeeping come and spray a deodorizer in the room. That’s not the best way to address the problem; the guest knows you took the easy way out. Better to change their room and send up a complimentary amenity as well. This is how you “WOW” your guest.</div>
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Being in the retail or hospitality business is a challenging one to say the least. There are countless opportunities to make a customer happy, but this also comes with the occasional upset customer with a situation that needs to be addressed.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Don’t recite company policy, don’t point to the policy listed on the poster behind the cash register (better yet, tear down that poster) and don’t let your guest walk away unhappy.</strong></div>
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There is always another way to address a problem. I have taught my employees to put themselves in “the shoes of the customer”. “How would YOU feel if you had this same problem and you couldn’t get it fixed”? Does this make you want to do business with this store again? Do you feel like you have been taken advantage of? Do you think they really care about your satisfaction?</div>
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If you would not like to be treated in this manner then most likely your customer will not either!</div>
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<b>Businesses that “think like the customer” are better prepared to offer solutions that make the customer feel appreciated and want to return. That is the essence of customer service. Not policy, but solutions.</b></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-14844429505313807962015-02-27T04:33:00.000-08:002015-02-27T04:33:05.658-08:00The Implication of Correctness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the dilemmas a business must face is the “implication of correctness”.</div>
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With this comes the trust of the people, whether warranted or not. Business owners are put into a position where they are looked at as being right or correct and endowed with power, esteem and virtue.</div>
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“The advertized product MUST be as good as they say or they wouldn’t say it” is something I’ve heard from many people after watching an effective TV commercial. “It must be true; it looks like it will work great”. Automatic validation of a product or service is a powerful force. A business now in the possession of this can no longer “fudge it” or fake their way through.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So how do you handle the implied correctness of your product or service?</strong></div>
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Just because you hang a sign above your door and sell a product are you doing all you can to make it the best it can be? If you offer a service do you really go out of your way to make the guest experience memorable? Do you “drill-down” on all the steps involved in the purchase of your product or service, from the moment the prospective customer is aware of you, in order to make them as smooth and direct as possible?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If not, what are you waiting for?</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-9486398523683105142015-02-20T05:24:00.002-08:002015-02-20T05:24:41.972-08:00Why You Can’t Be a Perfectionist Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the challenges faced by a perfectionist is longevity.</div>
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When we are younger and have energy to burn, we can relentlessly work through exhaustion and jump through hoops daily to achieve the perfection we seek.</div>
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Usually this perfection is attained solely from our personal labor since “no one else can make it perfect but me”.</div>
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But as we move through time we slow down, slow down enough to the point where we don’t have an unlimited supply of energy, not enough time can be spent away from our family or illnesses arise that supply the setbacks of life.</div>
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This is when the perfectionist wished that he/she had built a team around him so others can continue his dream of perfection. We can only do it all ourselves for so long. And be perfect for even less.</div>
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So have you built your team around you?</div>
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You haven’t? <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So how do you expect your business to prosper? How long can you do it all?</strong></div>
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Your customers expect much from you, they look towards that perfection you offer, that you promote, that you insist will happen and that you will provide. But is this realistic on behalf of the customer, of from you for that matter? Probably not. So why do we insist on being perfect and how will you get there all by yourself?</div>
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Most, if not all, of our customers don’t really believe all the hype that the average television commercial states or what that print ad promises. But they do want value, they need assurance that their money has been well spent and they desire a customer experience second to none. So how will you provide this by trying to be perfect? You can’t, so stop trying.</div>
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Hire the best people, people with a customer-first mindset. Search for the candidates that are goal oriented and “teachable”. You can always train them the necessary job skills but attitude, desire, forward thinking and a heavy dose of common sense must already be present.</div>
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Encourage a “group responsibility” to look at a product or service challenge from all angles, especially from the customer’s point-of-view. “What would I expect if I was buying this product?” “How would I feel if I had to wait on hold for 20 minutes just to speak with a live person on the phone?” “Are we delivering what we advertize?” “Is this the best we can do?”</div>
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Before long you will be surrounded by a team of like-minded “ambassadors” that will treat your business as their own, for the good of the company and the customer.</div>
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Only then can you produce a product of the highest level and provide the best guest experience possible. It may not be perfection but it will be close. <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And you will not have to do it alone anymore.</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-27136678513031518742015-02-11T19:13:00.001-08:002015-02-11T19:13:30.222-08:00Great Customer Service from Seasonal Employees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I was asked to teach a customer service training class for the new hires of a ski resort.</div>
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The seasonal resort just completed their job fair and had their newest set of fresh-faced recruits all ready for work; they just needed to know how to deal with their customers.</div>
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In preparation, I met with the resort’s management to find out some information about the new hires, if there were specific topics they want covered and what their expectations were for the class. Here is what I learned:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Job Fair attendees: 200</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Employees Hired: 180</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Positions Hired: ski lift operator, equipment rental associate, retail store clerk, cashier, waiter, cook, housekeeper, etc.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Employee Age Range: 16 – 21 years old</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Salary: $7.25 per hour, the minimum wage, for all new hires </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Perks of the Job: Free ski pass for the season</span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wow, this should be a challenge!</strong></div>
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So after a week of training for their specific job category they will then be expected to sit in a meeting with me to discuss the company culture, guest relations, expectations of service and much more. There would be role playing, word scripts and job related phrases to learn, customer conflict and problem resolution examples, etc. All this for a 16+year old employee. Like I said, this will be a challenge.</div>
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The “skill positions” such as ski instructor, EMS and medical staff, bartender, etc., were staffed with older employees, many of whom have returned there to work year after year and are the foundation of the resort. They were not included in this wave of hiring.<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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Next, I asked for the work history of the average new hire and was told that, for most of the employees, this will be their first job and to not expect much of them. So why did they want me to teach a customer service training class to people that have never dealt with customers before? How much of the training did they expect the new employees to remember or even understand?</div>
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Customer service skills are greatly influenced by life experience, experience gained through years of interaction with friends, family, coworkers, and the strangers we meet every day.</div>
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A strong work ethic doesn’t happen overnight but is either ingrained in the psyche of a person or heavily trained into them. How much life experience or work ethic does a 16 or 17 year old have? Not much a venture to say.</div>
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I laud the resort for giving this next generation an opportunity to work and potentially grow within the company but was that the main reason for hiring this collection of people? Or did they just hire the first, and only, “warm bodies” that entered the door? Out of 200 job fair attendees, 180 were hired so I guess we have the answer.</div>
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What was the motivation for the employees to apply for the job? Was it an opportunity to work for a company at a young age with the intention to start their career? I doubt it. Was it the opportunity to serve chicken fingers and fries or clean restrooms to the masses as they come in from a day of skiing? Of course not. Is it their excitement of earning $7.25 per hour with most of their 8 hour shift spent 3000 feet up the mountain? Not on your life. Then what could be the motivation for these youngsters to take this foray into the customer service job of a ski resort?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Free ski passes for the season, what else!</strong></div>
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So if this is the only realistic reason for the employees to apply for the job can we expect them to take direction properly and provide the customer service experience to the guests of the resort in the manner that their management and owners expect? Not at all. Sure there will be the young stars that rise through the ranks and provide great service, all with a pleasant attitude, warm welcoming smile and an attention to detail. But most won’t.</div>
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Seasonal businesses all over the country are used to this method of hiring; many times they have no other way of operating. Think of the numerous small towns that dot the countryside where if it wasn’t for the local college and its students, there would be no business at all. Then there are the seaside restaurants and shops that are closed all year expect the few months the summer beaches are open. But can we expect more from this temporary staff? Of course we can and must.<br />The customers of any business are not concerned with the challenges you may have in hiring seasonal staff. The customer is not, nor should they be, aware that you’re your business model does not allow for a higher hourly wage to pay the staff. They just want the product or service you offer.</div>
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The customers don’t care that you can’t get an experienced employee to work for you when you offer work for just 4 months of the year and that ‘forces” you to hire anyone that walks into your door. The customer doesn’t care that this is the first job your new hire has had and doesn’t understand that he/she will be expected to work for a solid 8 hours each day and can’t be on their phone texting or posting on Facebook every chance they get. The customer expects more than this, they deserve more than this.</div>
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The life-blood of any company is the service that is provided by its employees. Sure, a fantastic product goes a long way but if the service is poor, how long can a customer expect to tolerate it?</div>
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If your new iPhone suddenly stopped working and you took it into the local dealer, would you except poor service from the sales rep? If you had to send in your phone for repair and it took 3 weeks to get it back would you be happy with the service? If this happened more than once, would you consider changing to another brand of phone? Maybe so.</div>
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If your luxury car had to go in for service and your dealer treated you as if he didn’t care about your business or that you spent $100,000 for the car and now it doesn’t work, would you consider dealing with another car dealer in the future? Or maybe even getting another brand of luxury car? You can take your money anywhere; why not take it somewhere that appreciates your business. These are realistic scenarios. Just because the product is good will you as a customer be willing to take poor service?</div>
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We must spend time in our hiring process to ensure that the motivation for employment is more than just a free ski pass or discounted merchandise from the business. Our customers expect much from us and only the best hired, best trained and best customer service personal can deliver it. Even if they are only temporary personnel.</div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-34722447309578398952015-02-06T04:13:00.000-08:002015-02-06T04:13:15.172-08:006 Reasons Why Senior Managers Get So Soft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://stevedigioia.com/blog/?p=39" style="border: 0px; color: #117bb8; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" border="0" height="540" src="http://i0.wp.com/stevedigioia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Pointing-at-Manager.jpg?resize=320%2C270" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a></div>
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Remember that guy you used to work with years ago, the one that was always “burning the midnight oil”, and the one that was driven like no other and was on a<span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> fast track to promotion </span>after promotion? We all knew he would “be the boss” someday.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well it finally happened…he is now the boss. He sits in the big cushy corner office and rules his department with an iron hand. Week after week, month after month he is still blazing a trail for others to follow. Not taking any stuff from his underlings he doles out discipline when needed; a stern warning today, a firing tomorrow. He is known as “very tough but fair” and someone that could lay the law down.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>So what happened to him now?</b> <b> </b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Why has he changed?</b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />You see, as time goes by, that same tough manager has turned into a softie. So soft in fact that his employees are running circles around him, doing whatever they want. He doesn’t check on their daily performance, doesn’t bother to discipline anyone, budgets and payroll numbers get out of control and he even seems to turn a blind eye to many of the shortcomings of the company’s product or service. So I ask again, what happened?</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Well, these could be a few reasons why:</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Burnout</b></span></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Our superstar manager may have worked so many hours over his career that he no longer has the stamina or drive to keep up his past performance. So he does his usual required tasks, walks his department, checks in on the things he wants to and no longer expects the best from his staff. This manager is now just passing time and is no longer a productive part of the company.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Entitlement</span></b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Our manager is so happy he is now “the boss”. He deserves that title. He was the best salesman, saved the company the most money or a litany of other accolades, that he was destined for this position. Now that he reached the top he feels he no longer has to perform like he used to. The hard work is now for his subordinates to do, he will make sure they do it. He seems proud to be pompous and since he no longer has to prove himself for advancement, he will just collect his paycheck…as long as he reminds others from time to time that he is the boss.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Meetings</span></b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />I once worked for a new General Manager that thought it was appropriate to hold weekly “all manager meetings” right smack in the middle of the day, from 11am – 1pm. That may be fine for some industries but certainly not in the hotel business!</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Our hotel had the largest amount of meeting space in the state and thankfully we were busy, very busy. So busy in fact that the G.M. expected us to recite, in full detail, the operational aspects planned for the events that were on property for the week. He wanted to know everything that was going on, who was doing what, and what was happening in the building.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Well, what was happening was that each week our staff was left without any supervision for hours during the busiest time of the day. Even the best employees will come across situations where they need assistance, guidance or correction but they couldn’t get it from the management because we were all in meetings!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">In addition to this “operations” meeting, there were customer service meetings with HR, maintenance meetings with our Engineering Department, weekly meetings and conference calls with the regional Vice President for each department, budget & payroll meetings with Accounting, etc. It seemed we spent more time in meetings then we did dealing with our staff or customers.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Do you really think many managers will then rush back to their departments and “crack the whip” on their staff? Of course not, there’s too busy rushing to another meeting!</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reports</span></b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Being the boss is great, except for the paperwork! There are reports to be done, budgets to make, “cost-of-goods analysis” to do, marketing research and predictions, inventory to take, etc. The list goes on and on. Oh, where’s “the boss”? He’s in his office under a mountain of paper…</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Guilt</span></b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Just because someone is promoted to “the boss” doesn’t automatically mean that he/she is the best qualified for that position. People are put in positions of power for various reasons; they ARE the best qualified, they are a great “networker” and have multiple connections that can ultimately benefit the company, they are the favorite of the even bigger boss that is now repaying his buddy with a promotion. </span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Or maybe the big boss needs a puppet that will do what is expected of him/her and won’t question the decisions made. Do you think he will rock-the-boat with his staff for fear of reprisals? Reprisals that will put into question why he got the job in the first place? Of course not. Just shuffle some paperwork around and be thankful you got the promotion.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><br />Wants To Be a Friend</b></span></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Many managers believe that being too stern or strict with their staff will lead to resentment from their team and failure to do as expected. They worked hard to get to this point that they won’t do anything to mess it up, so they want to be the “nice guy”. The same thing happens to parents of teenage children.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />They want to be liked, want to be the cool parent so much that no guidelines are set for the child. It’s past your bed time and you still want to watch TV, that’s ok. Don’t want to clean your room and would prefer to live in squalor, sure go ahead, I’ll clean your room again for you. Want to stay out all hours of the night, fine. I will just have daddy drive through the neighborhood worried sick about you.</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />That’s bad enough as a parent but as a manager that’s a recipe for business disaster; a disaster either for the company or for you. When you set no guidelines or expectations for your staff, don’t be surprised when it’s your job on the line. <b>“But he was such a nice manager” someone from your staff may say as security is escorting you off the property!</b></span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b> </b></span></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-39597942402226732382015-01-31T16:28:00.000-08:002015-01-31T16:28:31.014-08:00Speak to Me as a Person and Don’t Read a Script<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrT7z90qxfv_aMw4M0TnCYmhV1Cwt14H1OWDAiOrZncoZBQag760BfDX5a2XBbInsQbsx0QxswSyCVXqEb3rV92AjVHuF5Q-AY3Q7MGd71G8EeuD8KRaUZSndRS6JYfMMyzh8NyCrSeg/s1600/Scripted-Words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrT7z90qxfv_aMw4M0TnCYmhV1Cwt14H1OWDAiOrZncoZBQag760BfDX5a2XBbInsQbsx0QxswSyCVXqEb3rV92AjVHuF5Q-AY3Q7MGd71G8EeuD8KRaUZSndRS6JYfMMyzh8NyCrSeg/s1600/Scripted-Words.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Too many businesses continue to offer a workplace that leaves no room for the employee’s personality to come through. </span></div>
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They must recite a script written by someone that sits in an office far removed from the customer or by a development team that has never been “on the front lines” with the guest.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They think they know better…but do they?</strong></div>
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Too much money and resources are spent on focus groups, surveys & varying advertizements. All that is left is a cocktail of words with no meaning, phrases that are cold, removed from any true feelings and fake.<br /><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Treat me like a person. </strong>Don’t recite verbiage from a set of “guest interaction cards” that was just delivered last week and that your manager told you to use. My needs are not listed on those cards. My experience at your business is not dictated by the words on those cards. It’s dictated by YOU.</div>
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If I am dealing with a store clerk, or manager, over any length of time, I would prefer him/her to have flexibility in how I am dealt with and be able to show some genuine interest in my business. Deal with me as a person versus the way you are scripted by the corporate offices.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That only works on paper, not in person.</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-70478197633440179882015-01-28T07:01:00.001-08:002015-01-28T07:01:21.152-08:00It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghR55RP-uRu-M1sbPVYBrJCELBWQxbK7tChUQoFH5AFEzHoeg8KH8nbjUI4Uuj0TEckpX2C0-heuymVqW5Fw16Ra9mCUPWGnpImgCHj1GtFqcGSPsQuOSkesobjGTMMdJUawoDZqdisZ4/s1600/Family-Walking-on-Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghR55RP-uRu-M1sbPVYBrJCELBWQxbK7tChUQoFH5AFEzHoeg8KH8nbjUI4Uuj0TEckpX2C0-heuymVqW5Fw16Ra9mCUPWGnpImgCHj1GtFqcGSPsQuOSkesobjGTMMdJUawoDZqdisZ4/s1600/Family-Walking-on-Beach.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s only personal when we make it so. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As managers, we must allow our staff to breathe, to take time off for their family, to appreciate all their efforts with a hard earned vacation or granted off on a special day. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Business, for most non-management staff, is not their life; it’s their job/career. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We can make it business..<b>.but not at the expense of being “personal”</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Question from Steve:</span></div>
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<b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“<i>Do you treat your employees as a person and with respect or do you ride them hard each day since you are paying them to do a job and expect 8 hours of work for 8 hours of pay”?</i></span></b></div>
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TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-18019964214522906582015-01-23T16:53:00.000-08:002015-01-23T16:53:27.194-08:00The Granny Food Thief Strikes Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA5vgC69gufdfuAVbi8Z9tVOXF5tseuVMdP8L2N7FgJygzO_vzE8AMrRchdKBtojW_MUFmYllj3h0Y9syPNwiG7APvn9XGlcxC0B2TvpvQhzQe0SIhYOOFOi45JTBqRm4F7tBDIP7y7Q/s1600/Granny-Food-Thief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA5vgC69gufdfuAVbi8Z9tVOXF5tseuVMdP8L2N7FgJygzO_vzE8AMrRchdKBtojW_MUFmYllj3h0Y9syPNwiG7APvn9XGlcxC0B2TvpvQhzQe0SIhYOOFOi45JTBqRm4F7tBDIP7y7Q/s1600/Granny-Food-Thief.jpg" height="400" width="290" /></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Many years ago, while working at another hotel, there was this sweet little old lady that would constantly crash the cocktail hours for the business events. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My property hosted many groups that, after their day-long meeting, would have a 1 hour farewell cocktail hour for the attendees. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They would network with their fellow associates and anyone else that was invited. To prevent gate crashers, they organizers would even have a separate registration table where the attendees would need to submit their business card to be allowed to enter. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Guess what this sweet little old granny would do?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She apparently had an unlimited supply of “official-looking” business cards of various professions that she would hand to the registration desk staff and then be allowed in. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She’d work the room – but instead of networking with the other people – she was “food-working” with a pair of tongs and the plastic bag she kept in her oversized pocketbook.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In went some bacon-wrapped scallops, mini beef wellington and even tuna tartar. Then I saw her grab a handfull of bev-naps from the bar and wrap 3 pieces of cheesecake and shove them in her “thief-bag”. I was waiting for her to ask “Where’s the “cheesy-poofs”. Did she have a colostomy bag hiding under her coat to pour the fruit punch into? Probably…</span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Anyway, what was I supposed to do, throw her out? My soft side got the best of me and I allowed her to continue raiding the buffet until she was so weighed-down she had to leave or she would explode. </span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><b>Does this fall under the heading of customer service? Well, what do you think?</b></span></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-43113415090441573122015-01-19T05:08:00.000-08:002015-01-19T05:08:29.409-08:003 Things I Learned About Customer Service by Being a Plumber First<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsEF1UfbUZnU9LXVsRvdodJkZOryPIH7Yivq99l9aaBKE7-TT7afMRQveKzEdqJiGoJh5l__Cfb0-iJM9MHiks0zyI4Nn-0mUIfsLLAOZVZ4uvIeI7UYxFywBHfcKDq91s1ua8lghGCA/s1600/Customer-Service.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsEF1UfbUZnU9LXVsRvdodJkZOryPIH7Yivq99l9aaBKE7-TT7afMRQveKzEdqJiGoJh5l__Cfb0-iJM9MHiks0zyI4Nn-0mUIfsLLAOZVZ4uvIeI7UYxFywBHfcKDq91s1ua8lghGCA/s1600/Customer-Service.png" height="640" width="553" /></a></div>
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I once read that if you can’t learn something new each day then it doesn’t make sense to even get out of bed. Well that may be a little harsh but there is something to this statement.</div>
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In all our interactions with others, with all the snippets of information we have gathered from books or television and with all we have learned through trial and error, we hold a plethora of valuable information that can readily be transferred to another business, hobby or endeavor.<br />This is true in my case as well.</div>
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Prior to my foray into the fabulous world of hospitality, I spent a stretch as a plumber and heating/air conditioning mechanic.</div>
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Not a very glamorous job but one where I learned more about a customer’s expectations than I have from all the information crammed into the dozens of business books I have read since.</div>
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A customer doesn’t enter into a transaction before they are assured that the product or service you provide is not only something that can benefit them but is of the highest quality and value.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why else would they buy from you over someone else?</strong></div>
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But during the evaluation process prior to their purchase I have learned 3 valuable things that can be used in almost any business.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Keep Your Pipes Straight</strong></div>
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Now, most businesses don’t have to deal with pipes but as a plumber I was knee deep in them. I had the opportunity to briefly work with a man with 50+ years of plumbing experience. Bob was a fountain of knowledge with every conceivable method and trick in the book on how to get the job done.</div>
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The one thing I will always remember from him is that a customer will always think one plumber is better than another just by how much attention is paid to the way his pipes are straight and level. Bob would say “Who would you rather deal with, someone that has a hodgepodge of crooked pipes or someone that has made a piece of art with his work? Seems like an easy answer.</div>
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But how does this relate to your business?</div>
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Just as a customer will initially judge your plumbing work on a photo or visual inspection of how it looks, and of course operates, so too does a customer as he/she enters your business.</div>
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Are your clothes arranged neatly and straight on their racks? Are all the products on your shelves constantly reset, moved to the front and in easy reach for your customers? Do you provide an organized and easy-to-navigate flow throughout your “store” or website or are your customers forced to wander around looking for help just to find an item?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Remember</strong>, the layout or “look” of your business is the first impression your potential customer receives. Make sure your “pipes are straight”!</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Customers Buy From People They Like</strong></div>
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As I entered each home or business of a prospective customer I always remembered that I was just another blue-collared guy trying to make a living. But what could I do to separate myself from my competition?</div>
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Sure I could spend a small fortune in advertizing to get more customers, but I understood that my best tactic was just to be me.</div>
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I found that by being honest and explaining exactly what steps I would take to fix their problem went a long way to put my customers at ease. They realized that I had their best interests at heart and put much thought into how I would do the job.</div>
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Never use industry slang or jargon, never speak with the customer as if they are an amateur or have no idea of what was involved in the work. Take their concerns and ideas and find a way to incorporate it into the process. Make them a part of the effort.</div>
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At the end of each hard day of work I would send a thank you card to my customers with a hand written note of appreciation. One day I paid a repeat visit to an old customer and noticed my thank you card on their kitchen table.</div>
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“Wow, I’m surprised you still have my thank you card”, I said. “You kidding”, she answered. “I was so amazed that I got a card from a plumber that I leave it here and tell all my girlfriends about you when they come over”.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That really is a WOW for both of us!</strong></div>
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I received many recommendations and Christmas cards from my customers, many times there was hot coffee and bagels when I visited my repeat customers and always I was welcomed with a warm smile and greeting. What more can you expect from your customers?</div>
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How do you endear yourself to your customers? What sets YOU apart?</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Leave the Place Cleaner Than it Was Before You Got There</strong></div>
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Whether it was the quick repair of a faucet or an all day installation of a boiler, my job was not to just fix what was broken but to make my customer glad that I was the one doing the work. I learned this the hard way.</div>
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Once, during the middle of a very hot summer, I was replacing the fan motor on a small window air conditioner and was happy that I was able to get the unit back the very next day. But I never expected the response I got from my customer. Instead of being grateful at my quick service he was upset that the unit was returned with the same caked-on dust and with dried leaves still stuck inside.</div>
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I was just focused on the task at hand and didn’t realize that the customer’s expectation was different than mine. He expected the unit to be returned clean. I felt foolish and that I let him down.</div>
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From that day on I carried a full complement of cleaning products, a broom and rags. I swept up all debris from my work, placed it in MY garbage bags and carried it out to the trash cans. I would clean and polish the top of the boilers, remove my work boots on rainy days when entering a carpeted home, and do anything I could to do just a little more than what was usually expected of me.</div>
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In your business, do go one step further in your guest interactions? Do you assist your customers to their car with their heavy packages? Do you have an easy way to return a product and even include a postage-paid return label with each mail order item? Do you still offer the advertized discount even though the customer doesn’t have a coupon?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you do to exceed your guest’s expectations?</strong></div>
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In conclusion…</div>
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It wasn’t so bad being a plumber. I was able to put many traits & skills to good use in my later hospitality career. Traits that have allowed me to provide a “WOW” customer experience to many. I wonder what I would have learned if I was a cab driver?</div>
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Don’t splash puddles on the people walking on the sidewalk. Don’t make sudden stops and turns that make the backseat riders nauseous. Don’t smoke those nasty cigars before picking up a customer.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just common sense things but ones usually don’t fall under “customer service”, or should they?</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-78774260336613117542015-01-17T16:54:00.001-08:002015-01-17T16:54:13.887-08:00The Secret Customer Service Trick One Landscaper Used To Get My Business<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Finding a landscaper to plant some shrubs and flowers in front of your home should be an easy task. One landscaper is pretty much the same as another? Or are they?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What makes one landscaper better than another? What is the secret customer service trick?</strong></div>
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Is it the plants that are picked or the mulc<a href="http://stevedigioia.com/blog/secret-customer-service-trick-one-landscaper-used-get-business/" style="border: 0px; color: #117bb8; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Secret Customer Service Trick" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-219" height="192" src="http://i0.wp.com/stevedigioia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Whats-The-Secret.png?resize=300%2C192" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></a>h color that is chosen? Is it the size of the shovels used or the horsepower of his truck? Does the program used to design the plant arrangements matter more than the timeliness of the installation?</div>
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Well, each of these are important, with the exception of the truck horsepower, but what ONE thing can be used to “clinch-the-deal” and get the customer to say yes?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Think like the customer, of course!</strong></div>
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I contacted multiple local landscapers in order to get estimates and ideas for some foundation plantings at my house. Gone are the days when I was able to work hour after hour in the hot sun all for my vain attempt at beautifying my home. Now it’s time to bring in the professionals. But how to choose one over the other?</div>
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For me it came down to something that should be so simple, so basic in the world of landscaping, that I wondered why they all didn’t do it. Provide me with a visual.</div>
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The company I ultimately choose had the foresight to take a clear photo of my home and superimpose images of the exact plants and shrubs that were included in the estimate and in their correct locations. Brilliant!</div>
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What more could I ask for? Now I can see my home in all its soon-to-be glory.</div>
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Why wouldn’t the other business use this tactic as well? Why were they so sure that a standard estimate coldly listing the names and quantities of plants on a sheet of paper would “WOW” me enough to get my business?</div>
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I guess it’s just them doing business the same old way. But that’s not good enough anymore!</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A business that doesn’t find a way for their customers to make an easy decision, one that puts their mind at ease, will be left behind by others that do.</strong></div>
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It’s as simple as that.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Find out what is the ultimate reason for a purchase</strong>; it is a nice suit for an upcoming job interview, or a reliable used car that gets good gas mileage for that student going away for college or is it as basic as a homeowner wanting his home to look nicer with a few shrubs and flowers?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">►Identify the reason for the purchase and provide the customer with the best method to experience the product or service prior to making the decision to purchase.</strong> That’s when it gets easy. That is what customer service is about! Fulfilling a need, but do it smartly.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A business that doesn’t find a way for their customers to make an easy decision, one that puts their mind at ease, will be left behind by others that do.</strong></div>
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You will have removed the uncertainty for the customer and the questions of how it will happen or what will it look like. That’s when the sale is made. Before any money is exchanged. When it’s still just an idea, a want, a desire.</div>
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For me it was a photo…now I just have to get my wife to agree to the work.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So, what separates your business from the rest of the pack?</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-14141216596796176402015-01-11T17:32:00.000-08:002015-01-16T17:33:15.774-08:00Are You The Go-To Guy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every office has a “Go To Guy”.</div>
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You know the type, the one guy in the office that always has his projects completed ahead of time, always has the answer to the problem, and always is looked to in time of need. <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A leader</strong>.</div>
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How does he do it? <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, not by luck, that’s for sure</strong>.</div>
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Knowledge, attention to detail and foresight is usually the successor to hard work, patience and an ability to look at things in a slightly different light. A willingness to do what is needed and complete a task is an everyday “chore” of this leader.</div>
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Stepping out of “the office” setting, how does the “go-to guy” succeed in the world of customer service?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He, or she, uses his knowledge to identify the needs of the customer.</strong> He designs his methods of operation to take advantage of the latest industry trends and rising market segments. What do today’s customers want? Are the needs different on the East Coast versus West Coast? Does this product or service satisfy a gap in the market?</div>
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Today’s customers are more savvy than in years past. We can thank the internet for this, amongst other things. Market research can now be done while in your pajamas sipping coffee at the kitchen table. Multiple websites are available to compare one product versus another, one hotel versus their “competitive set”, this feature over another.</div>
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He must find the available advantage(s) over the competition to be successful.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The go-to guy pays attention to all the small details the customer will expect.</strong> Are there other menu options available for a guest’s discerning palate or dietary needs? Has the product specifications and packaging needs been taken into account in order to speed-up the delivery to the customer? Remember, one size fits all doesn’t usually work.</div>
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Can you be counted on to be ready for the occasional upset customer and know all your options in order to fix any situation that may arise? Have you thought-out the steps needed to tend to the customer’s needs/wants if they don’t fit exactly as you have planned?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Foresight; the ability to plan or predict for the future, is a needed skill for the customer service professional. </strong>Instead of hoping for the best outcome, he takes steps to ensure the success of the customer experience.</div>
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“Plan for the worst, hope for the best” is a term widely used by those that are successful. One can’t expect the best outcome if all obstacles are not removed from the perspective of the guest experience.</div>
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All the above skills are only a part of the toolbox for the go-to guy. He must also be respectful of his coworkers & peers, professional in his interactions with others and determined to find the best way possible to satisfy the guest.</div>
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He can always be counted on in times of need and when leadership is thrust upon him.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So, are you the “go-to” guy?</strong></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-14631229799537899572015-01-04T00:31:00.000-08:002015-01-16T00:33:41.390-08:00My Boss Appreciates Me, and 4 Other Business Untruths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We all believe that our boss appreciates the work we do, cares enough about us to realize the day-to-day challenges we face and is concerned about our quality of life. But is this true?</div>
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Let’s delve into a few untruths about business…</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My Boss Appreciates Me</strong><br />Your boss expects you to complete all tasks assigned to you in the manner prescribed.</div>
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He may give you the latest high-profile assignment, not because he appreciates the work you do, but because he needs the task completed now. He may say thanks for a job well done but the underlying thought process is that one task is now completed, let’s move on to another.</div>
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If you are late at completing a task he will not be concerned about your already-heavy work load or your personal problems at home. He will focus on why his directions were not followed and the task not completed.<br />Get the work done and don’t worry about who gets the credit.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My Boss Will Let Me Take Off on Sunday</strong><br />For those of you that have the pleasure to take off on most Sundays, or even Saturdays for that matter, you may have made plans to go to the beach, attend a friend’s party or relax at that bed and breakfast your wife has been talking about for months. Then you get the call…</div>
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“Steve”, your boss says on Friday, “I need this project done quick and ready for Monday’s presentation no matter what”. “Whatever your plans are for the weekend, cancel them, this must be done”. Wow, there goes my weekend.</div>
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So what do you do? Upset your wife by telling her your weekend getaway is cancelled or risk repercussions from your boss? Unfortunately the wife comes second.</div>
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“But I thought my boss cared about quality of life in this job, and wanted us to have our proper time off” you say. Well yes, that’s true…as long as his new project is completed when he wants it.</div>
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I bet he is taking the weekend off.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m Next in Line for That Promotion</strong><br />I have heard this stated so many times and have seen enough dreams shattered to never take things for granted.</div>
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No matter how hard we work or what value we bring to a business, the boss is in control. He, or she, has the final say as to who gets the promotion. Your efforts are noticed but that is not always the driving force behind who gets the next shot at the promotion or the job.</div>
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Is it the best qualified, or the most trusted employee? Is it the one what has the most connections and can bring in that large account? Well what about the “suck-up” that is always a half step behind the boss as he walks the floor? Does he get the job?</div>
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In my early years I once had a conversation with the department head of another division I was interested in getting into. I heard through the grapevine that a position had opened up and I wanted the job. So I strolled into his office and asked about the new position and how I may go about applying.</div>
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He was very nice and sympathetic but told me that he had already promised the job to the son of his long-term neighbor. That stinks! I was much more qualified than his pimply-faced neighbor’s kid but I wasn’t in control, the boss was.</div>
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Don’t take for granted that the promotion is destined to be yours.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I Don’t Need To Hire Another Salesperson</strong><br />Oh I forgot, you’re Superman. You can do it all, run the business, make the product, balance the books, take care of payroll, and you’re a “marketing master” and can do all the promo needed. Yeah sure.</div>
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There a very few business that can run with any semblance of success and profitability without having the right person for the job or hiring the additional person to get it done. Don’t be cheap, hire the help you need, don’t think you can do it all.</div>
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And frankly, even if you CAN do it all, should you? Do you want to spend time with your family? Do you want to take up that hobby you had hoped for? Can you follow doctor’s orders and reduce the stress in your life? Well, not by being a Super-businessman you can’t.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My Childhood Friend Will Make a Great Business Partner</strong><br />Now we’re getting into dangerous waters. Learn this business fact: a friend is a friend, until your business ruins your friendship.</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Don’t think you need a lawyer to draft a partnership agreement detailing each person’s responsibilities and the repercussions for failing to do so? Think again.</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Be the one that puts all the money in to start the business while the “friend” keeps his in the bank because he is a little short on funds now? Get ready to kiss that money goodbye.</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Think your friend will look out for your best interests? Well maybe, but what if his best interests get in the way, then what?</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Treat any business as if entered into with a stranger. Make sure all legal business documentation is drafted ahead of time and prior to signing any outside agreements. If your childhood friend balks at signing your paperwork, you realize NOW that your friend was not the best partner to have. He may be a great friend, but not a good partner. It’s time to move on.</li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In conclusion</strong><br />The world of business is one of excitement, uncertainty and fraught with setbacks and frustrations. Never enter it wearing rosy-colored glasses or being unprepared for the inevitable setbacks. Be realistic and understand that not all bosses think the same.</div>
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Some are prepared to show appreciation and do so with ease, but many are not. This doesn’t mean that your efforts are in vain or must go ignored. It just may take a different approach on your part to get noticed.</div>
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• Write a weekly/monthly summary of your actions and completed tasks<br />• Get customer feedback regarding your accomplishments and the service provided<br />• Track the revenue generated or payroll dollars saved through your labors<br />• Seek out specialists in your field to train your staff in the latest industry practices<br />• Etc.</div>
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It’s the employees that prove their worth that are successful. <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Then it is much easier to get the appreciation from the boss, that Sunday off and maybe even that promotion you desire. </strong>Good Luck!<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">P.S.</strong> Does your boss appreciate you? <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Leave me a comment below</strong> and tell me how he/she shows his appreciation. With a letter of thanks, or pat on the back, does he “talk-you-up” to the big boss, take you out to lunch?</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This article was originally distributed as part of the <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140617120157-244751073-my-boss-appreciates-me-and-4-other-business-untruths?trk=mp-reader-card" style="border: 0px; color: #117bb8; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">author’s LinkedIn Publisher</a> account and is reprinted here with his permission.</em></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-11559630317673920962015-01-01T03:25:00.000-08:002015-01-15T03:25:21.970-08:00Hey Work…Don’t Call Me At Home On My Day Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6KDvX16GZrXrADTcASj6g9ABGGYOOXjsSuYwkyJ6zQyizee5nn3DvI5VEVpi8fI4WdJam8ODbDvr5c89QX89NhgtEKHHctgsqupO8b6h792wu6pN-cJdgh2iWDSPq7E3QKN1h4vMkNw/s1600/Call-From-Work-at-Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6KDvX16GZrXrADTcASj6g9ABGGYOOXjsSuYwkyJ6zQyizee5nn3DvI5VEVpi8fI4WdJam8ODbDvr5c89QX89NhgtEKHHctgsqupO8b6h792wu6pN-cJdgh2iWDSPq7E3QKN1h4vMkNw/s1600/Call-From-Work-at-Home.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I work way too hard,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for way too many hours a day, and have given up enough holidays and special events all for the sake of my job.</div>
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So I’ll be dammed if I have to take a phone call from work on my day off! Phew, I got that off my chest.</div>
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Now, let’s look at this in another light…</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why am I getting a call from work on my day off in the first place?</strong></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Is there something I forgot to do? An important deadline missed or follow-up response to my boss that I forgot?</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Is there some emergency that they are calling me about? Is the building on fire?</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Is there an issue with one of our top customers that only I have the solution for?</li>
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This list can go on and on forever. But the thing that usually causes the most occurrences of “work-to-home” calls is lack of preparedness.</div>
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Have you put in place the appropriate policies and procedures so that others can “make-the-call” in your absence? Have you trained your staff and direct reports well enough so that they can properly adapt to any situation? Have you put them in a position to be successful?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If not, you better get used to these kinds of calls.</strong></div>
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Too many supervisors want to be noticed or to be singled-out as the person that has all the answers and can fix all the issues. But what happens on your day off? Does your operation come to a screeching halt? Of course not, the business must still go on.</div>
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But does it operate in the same manner, with the same level of consistency and professionalism when you are not there? I hope so.</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Policies and Procedures</strong><br />Do your employees fully understand what is asked of them and under what guidelines they are expected to work by?</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Staff Training</strong><br />Are your employees REALLY trained fully or are they constantly coming to you during the workday to ask questions and opinions on their basic job functions? Did you leave a junior staffer or manager alone on a busy day, and without additional support?</div>
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►<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Position to be Successful</strong><br />A waiter can’t be successful without enough glassware or plates to serve the guests. A technician can’t do his/her job if the parts and equipment he needs is locked in a cabinet that no one other than you has the key to. Did you schedule the proper amount of employees to handle the anticipated business today? And don’t expect your customer care representative to have anything other than irate customers if your network consistently goes down whenever the call volume is high.</div>
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So, how do you deal with work issues like these?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You get a call from work, even on your day off?</strong></div>
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No one wants that? You should be in the park playing with your kids, out to dinner with your spouse, enjoying the company of a few good friends or just relaxing in your favorite lawn chair taking in the sun.</div>
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Make sure you are prepared for the inevitable time when your employee is tempted to pick up the phone to call you but stops and says “hey, I don’t need to call the boss, I know how to take care of this”.</div>
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That’s when you can enjoy your day off, and your employees can enjoy their job because they know you have confidence in them to make the right call…<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the one that is NOT to you.</strong></em></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-23319035021817292182014-07-06T18:16:00.000-07:002015-01-09T18:17:36.329-08:00Which of These 2 Restaurants Would You Choose?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why do we go out to eat?</strong></div>
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Just to fill our stomachs, or to fill our stomachs and to be taken care of, to be catered to? We can get food anywhere but why do we go to a specific restaurant? Or a specific business, regardless of what type it is?</div>
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Because we feel good when we go there. Because of how they make us feel welcome. Because they make us feel special.</div>
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If you don’t feel special why keep going back?</div>
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Good question. Now let’s see these 2 examples…</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Restaurant #1</strong></div>
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Has great food but terrible service. Service that makes you feel as if you weren’t appreciated, or it didn’t matter if you spent your money there or not? Wait staff that never checked back with you during the meal; silverware that was spotty; food that was usually prepared wrong and not the way you wanted.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Restaurant #2</strong></div>
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Has average food but the hostess and manager knew your name, greeted you as if you were family, and even remembered the table you liked or the specific drink you always requested. The waiter was always very attentive, you never had to ask for your beverage to be refilled and he proudly stated that his main focus was that you had a great evening.</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which restaurant would you want to go back to time and time again?</strong></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which restaurant would you recommend to your friends?</strong></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which restaurant DESERVES your business?</strong></li>
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The answer is Restaurant #2.</div>
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So what is different in these 2 examples? <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CUSTOMER SERVICE</em></strong>.</div>
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It starts with a mindset that you will take care of every guest that walks into the door as if they are your family and has just come to your house for a holiday dinner. If that was the case would you ever let them feel unwanted or unappreciated? Made to feel that you didn’t care if they left happy or not?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Would you ever treat your grandma that way? Of course you wouldn’t. So don’t treat your guests that way either</strong>.</div>
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Oh, another question or two:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which of these two restaurants do you think is busier and makes more money?</strong></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which restaurant would you want to work in?</strong></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In which restaurant do you think the waiters make bigger tips?</strong></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which restaurant do you think has the happiest employees?</strong></li>
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Ok, so you don’t run a restaurant, well what if it was a shoe store, or an insurance business, or a carpet cleaning company, does it really matter? Of course not.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Treat your customers like guests at your house party</strong>. They will notice the difference and reward you with repeat business, referrals and increased revenue.</div>
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It’s a win-win situation.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So I ask you again, which restaurant would you choose?</strong></div>
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TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-60815774514857347862011-05-19T21:23:00.000-07:002015-01-01T01:15:04.773-08:00It's National Waiter and Waitress Day, Again!<div class="Section1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">
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…are they kidding?<br />
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This is a great country for so many more reasons than I could ever name, especially here. We celebrate political, religious, cultural and sexual diversity in every form. We even go so far as to name a “special day” after various types of people to remember and commemorate them.</div>
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<u>We have the normal days:</u></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Presidents Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Mothers Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Fathers Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Grandparents Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">D-Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Independence Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Flag Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">All Saints Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Veterans Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Thanksgiving Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">New Years Day</li>
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<u>Then we have the “cute” days</u>:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Groundhog’s Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Girl Scout Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">April Fools Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Administrative Professionals Day (give me a break!)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Beautician’s Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Forgot Day (I forgot that one)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">National S’mores Day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Left Hander’s Day</li>
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Now guess what the brain trust of the country came up with?</div>
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Drum roll please………..</div>
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it's...</div>
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<b>The National Waiter and Waitress Day! </b>(May 21)</div>
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WHAT! You have got to be kidding!</div>
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I have an idea for a day to celebrate waiters and waitresses. How about a few of these winners:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Get your butt to work on time day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Wear a clean uniform day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Take off those gangster earrings day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Get the order correct day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Don’t let the buffet run out of food day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Serve from the left and clear from the right day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Offer them a second cup of coffee day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Stop complaining day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Do your closing side-work before you go home day</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Punch-out for your shift day</li>
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<b>I can go on forever…</b></div>
TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491678641449345119.post-19033497426331295372011-05-07T22:21:00.000-07:002014-12-31T22:30:49.746-08:00Now I Gotta Call More People In For This Shit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have a large social church group in today that ends at 5pm tonight. That's great 'cause it gives me plenty of time to flip the ballroom for Mother's Day tomorrow. </div>
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I have my housemen all set with tomorrow's floor plan since we closed-out the seating and it should be an easy flip.</div>
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A few minutes ago that fabulous "Sales Chick" comes by, yes she's here this early today, and says that the social group today wants to delay the start of the the event by 1 hour to give them more time to get back here from the church. Now since I know the history of this group since they have been here 2 times before and that really means 2 hours not one.</div>
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Then when we try to get them outta the room it takes another hour or so 'cause they move as slow as shit.</div>
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Bottom line is that I know they won't be outta the ballroom until around 8pm tonight I can bet the house on this. So now I need to call my pm housemen and change their call-times or they will be sitting around with nothing to do waiting for these slow-pokes. Plus I probably will need another guy on as well.</div>
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Just the kind of shit I need before Mother's Day...</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">Enjoy your day with your mom. Hope she enjoys it too.</span>TonBadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12572053761050329400noreply@blogger.com