We are in the PEOPLE Business – Are You?

by Tech Support | Sales

We are working on a terrific new project for one of our customers to help all of their frontline team members understand that they are salespeople. Selling can be such a hard concept for the front line to follow. In the opening documentation of this newly developed piece, Pam Weatherford, our curriculum developer, grabbed a great quote from Starbucks and I thought it was worth sharing here

Howard Behar, the former executive with Starbucks, published a book entitled, It’s Not About The Coffee. Well, if Starbucks isn’t about coffee, what in the world is it about? Howard makes it clear: Starbucks is not in the business of selling coffee to people. They’re in the people business selling coffee. Starbucks gets it—do you?

I saw a press release recently that featured a successful bowling tournament at Plano Superbowl in Plano, TX. This event is an excellent example of what it means to be in the people business. Bowling industry legend, Jamie Brooks, hosted an adult/youth doubles event that drew 173 teams from 4 states. This event was held to honor his daughter, Monica Brooks, who lost her life last October in a tragic car accident. I can’t say for sure that people participated because they wanted to support the meaning of the event. But I think that we can easily observe that parents and children took the opportunity to come together at a tournament in Plano, TX because it meant something to participate.

What are the best ways to get to know your people and help your staff “get it” that they are truly in the people business? From a TrainerTainment® point of view, we have always insisted that your staff is either “selling or unselling” your product every day! How can we interact on a daily basis with the guest who chooses to come through our door? It’s the old Cheers concept – People want to go places “where everybody knows their name!” Can it be that simple?

Teach your staff to introduce themselves to the guest: Enterprise rental car is one of the best at this approach to connecting with their customers. You walk up to the counter, and, depending on where the employee is located, they may walk around the desk or even approach you with a warm handshake (which I think is a lost art), and say, “Welcome, my name is Beth, and I’ll be serving you today.” WOW WOW WOW! I always feel like they can see the crown I pretend to wear!
Interact with the guest at least 3 times while they are in your facility:
- You greet them and help the guest decide on the best experience for the time they have today.
- Check on this guest 30 minutes into their visit. The best way to operationally handle this interaction is to assign an outgoing team member as the guest communications king/queen for each shift. Their role is to go to the facility every 30 minutes to make sure that our guests are having fun. Depending on how big your facility is and how many guests you have in the building, you may need to ramp up the number of communications kings or queens at any given time.
- Make sure that each guest receives a thank you for coming and an invitation (bounce back) to come again.
Pay attention and help a guest perform better! What I mean is that people like to do things that they can do well. Many moons ago when I coached my oldest daughter’s softball team, we were blessed with a set of incredibly athletic twins. The twins were at our house one day, and I asked them why they liked to play softball so much. The answer made perfect sense – “It’s fun, and we’re good at it!” Duh. Doesn’t it make sense that if we help people who want to bowl better, or skaters skate better, or teach new tricks to those who are playing laser tag or a video game, that the players would be motivated to come back more often so that they could get even better? BPAA has a terrific Coach–It Up® program that is designed to help your staff know how to interact and help your customer. The Roller Skating Association provides all kinds of ideas and concepts to help first- time skaters learn how to skate. A floor guard or a lane attendant can make all the difference when it comes to creating a desire to help our customers get good at all the things that go on in our center.

I hope these ideas have been helpful. Please take a couple of minutes to share your most significant challenges in getting your staff to interact with your guests. If we are truly in the people business, that means that human contact and connection is critical. What are some of the best ways you know to connect with others?

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