My Cup Runneth Over

I’ve been running around like crazy the last several weeks, or maybe I should say the last 5 years. It’s unbelievable to think that I have been in business since 2005 and that 2011 is knocking on the door. Last week I had the chance to travel to San Diego. I belong to a CEO group called Vistage. We had a national conference where I was able to spend two days immersed in learning. It was great. In my company, we really believe that we can’t be good trainers if we are not exceptional learners. I was so happy to take a couple of days to learn from other business owners as well as an unbelievable line up of speakers and authors.

What a GREAT few days. At a basic level it’s pretty awesome to be in San Diego in November. The weather is nothing short of SPECTACULAR! Add to the great weather and the beautiful San Diego bay, Patrick Lencioni, Guy Kawasaki, AmyK Hutchens, and 3 days with my Vistage chair Nancy Starr, and you have a perfect recipe for energy, learning, and “OH I can’t wait to tell you everything I learned” cake!

We had other speakers and workshops that I did not mention here but the three I’ve listed had the most impact for me. I came home with books, action item summaries, and a willingness to implement (I’d like to say all) but realistically I’ll be happy to implement some or most of the things that I know will make a difference in my business and my life.

Patrick Lencioni may be the best speaker I’ve ever heard. (Except for Zig Ziglar of course – No one can take his place in my heart or mind!) Lencioni is the author of books like The Three Temptations of a CEO, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and the book I bought for me and everyone on my team – Getting Naked! You have to read it. Lencioni writes in a fable style so the read is easy and quick and FULL of insight! If you can get to the book store, go today – If you have a Kindle or another electronic reader download it now! You won’t be sorry.

Read on to find out about Guy Kawasaki and AmyK

Upgrade Your Staff

We’ve all had crazy guest service experiences in recent months. My personal guest service experience at the Las Vegas Strip hotel that we stayed at was not what I expected. I responded to a marketing campaign in March and booked my rooms at a very low rate. I felt like I got a great deal, but in all actuality, I guess “great rate” translated into “crappy service”. Don’t make this same mistake. If you are driving business through price drop programs, you still have to keep the service up, or I think you can sell yourself out of business. I won’t go back to this hotel, and have stayed with them many times. They surveyed me. I took the survey and said it was OK to contact me . . and guess what? I have not been contacted! The service nightmare just keeps getting worse. I’m pretty sure they are past the point of earning back my business. With guest service, we like to teach managers and front line staff to not rush to refund money but rather to award a coupon or gift certificate in the same amount of dollars or more than the unhappy guest has spent. This strategy helps you get the guest service part right next time. The ONLY way I’m ever staying at this hotel again is if they award me a 4 or 5 night stay for free and the experience is a WHOLE lot better than 2 weeks ago.

You and this Vegas hotel have the opportunity to hire people with more work history and greater guest service ability because there are more people looking for jobs today. It’s time to stop expecting untrained or unskilled labor can or will put your best foot forward. Find the great guest service leaders in your group. Train, encourage, motivate, and reward them for their efforts and they’ll pass that good will on to the front line. Tom Peters says that, “the magic formula that successful businesses have discovered is to treat our customers like guests, and our employees like people”.

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