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 You have heard
the verse many times: "Smile and the whole world smiles with you". It
has been stuck in my head for the last few days and I'm writing about it so it
might become stuck in your head for a while. Mom taught me to share.
Those words came to mind as a result of
two restaurant experiences I've had recently. The first experience occurred at
a breakfast meeting at a hotel. The hotel has a new "look". The owner
closed the place for several months and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars
on renovations. The owner sacrificed tens of thousands of dollars of revenue by
being closed for business during the remodeling process. When totaled, I suspect
it amounted to a large pile of money spent for the future success of the hotel
and restaurant business. That's what is done in business. Business owners invest
today to earn equal or greater profit in the future. As seen through my eyes, the effort it
took to create the new look of the place was tarnished in minutes as soon as breakfast
was served. While people waited in the buffet line for more plates, the two servers
in the room offered defensive comments to the guests that the meeting head count
was higher than the number they were told previously. In other words, not enough
plates. "Not my fault" their expressions suggested. Special requests
for condiments and beverages drew a blank, expressionless stare from one server
before she turned and walked away. She returned with the requested items, wearing
a sullen face that could make a mime cry. I waited for her to ask, in her cheeriest
voice, if she could get anyone else anything. It would have been a long wait,
but another meeting guest summoned up the courage to ask her for a different beverage.
The request was eventually fulfilled. In minutes, the lack of a smile on the
servers' faces dissolved the effect of all of the positive physical improvements
that had been made to the restaurant. I was dining out with my family at another
restaurant recently. The restaurant has been around for years and some of the
décor goes back to the days the Beatles were singing "I Want to Hold Your
Hand". I don't suspect that there will be any shut down for major remodeling
in the next few months. The décor may be dated but the attitude of the staff is
fresh and energetic. Our waitress handled the dozen of us at one table with ease
and with a big smile. We heard no complaints and excuses from her and she understood
the basic principle of customer service: smile and they will smile with you. Service
with a smile trumps "new" everyday. I suppose the owner of the remodeled hotel
wouldn't be smiling if he read this newsletter. After weaving thousands of dollars
into the future of his business, the simple lack of a smile unravels all. "Smile, and the whole world smiles
with you." Leave that expression stuck in your head for a few days and remember
it's the best no-cost method of promoting your business and the fastest friction
fighter you can use in all of your dealings with others. Being a Catalyst For Customer Service is
one of my 8 Key Strategies for a profitable business. Please contact me
if you'd like to know more. I promise to smile when I speak with you.
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