What’s that saying? You get one time to make a first impression. Boy, isn’t that true? We have a new Mexican restaurant in my home town, Anéjo House of Tequila. My friend Mary and her husband tried it out on the weekend and loved it. Mexican food is my favorite and when Mary mentioned this place we headed there for lunch on the following Monday. The food was good but the service was lousy. During the same week I received a “Groupon” that had a compelling offer for this same location ($15 off of a $30 purchase). I knew Mary was scheduled to go again with a group of friends later in the week so I sent her the Groupon
Pay attention, Mary is giving this place another opportunity – Watch what happens. The service was just as bad or worse. Even with a 50% discount guess who’s not going back. Isn’t that crazy? Look at the depth of influence. Mary gave the place a great try. I love Mexican food more than any other kind of food; and even though I only went to this restaurant one time, based on someone else’s experience, combined with my own poor first impression, I’m not going back. Mary won’t go again, and the four other couples that went to dinner with Mary won’t be back. Here’s the really bad thing – they’ll tell two friends, who will tell two friends – WAIT, I forgot about Facebook, and Twitter, and the fact that they probably texted someone during dinner. I’ll be interested to see how long the Anéjo House of Tequila stays open.
GREAT SERVICE = GREAT SALES – and the opposite is also true.
I believe it is very difficult to overcome lousy service. As a matter of fact, give me mediocre food and awesome service, and I’ll be back every time. During our GREAT GUEST SERVICE IS GREAT SALES training class we ask the audience what it takes to have a great sales experience. Every single time we get an answer that just fascinates me:
In a sales/service experience – and they are the same believe it or not – people want to be taken care of. Our audiences tell us that they know they’ve had a great sales experience when the sales person knows what they want before they even know. This revelation stopped me in my tracks. I asked the audience, “You want me to be a mind reader?” And the answer is always yes.
Go back to the lousy restaurant experience. The wait staff is the sales person – right? Of course they are. Heck, their wage depends on them selling themselves as a great server in order to receive a good tip. From a very basic level a wait staff person is on commission. So how do we best know we’ve had a great server? Here are some biggies for me:
- They are helpful with the menu – they have product knowledge.
- They ask me qualifying questions – “What are you in the mood for, do you prefer beef or chicken, May I get you something to drink to start the evening off right?”
- If my water glass is empty they fill it without being asked (look, they know I need it before I know I need it)
- They don’t just bring a refill back for me but they are aware of the needs of everyone else at the table.
You probably get my point by now. So that’s great if you’re a server in a restaurant. But what about you? Maybe you work behind the desk at a bowling center or a skating rink? Maybe you run a ride at a theme park or take tickets at the fair. Better yet, let’s say you work in the sales office at a beautiful Family Entertainment Center.
How do you anticipate the needs of the people you serve? Instead of “How can I help you” – why don’t you thank them for coming in today. Assume they want to have fun and ask that question. It goes something like this, “Thank you for coming out today – how much time can you stay and play?” Now you have some real information that gives you a clue as to the best product to sell them.
You know, if you want your staff to become more sales oriented – then call us today to come teach our Great Guest Service Is Great Sales class. It’s a terrific model that teaches everyone in your center how they can become that sales/service team member. Your guests will pick you over the competition every time when you staff learns that they are truly selling or un–selling your product every minute of the day!
Remember – sign up for our next webinar, October 14, 2010, Make the Most of Your Holiday Season.
