what all business people can learn from the hospitality industry (1)

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What All Business People Can Learn From The Hospitality Industry What’s that? What can a server tell me about how to run my business? You might just be surprised… Let’s look at a hypothetical server, aka “service professional”, in a restaurant. This person is in sales. They know the product inside out and backwards. They are happy to answer your questions, make recommendations, and cater to your every whim. So, when prodded, they’ll steer you towards the best value on the menu. And take pride in their recommendation. And ensure that what you order lives up to its claims. In certain restaurants, that same server may have a role in the actual creation of some of your products. Maybe they’ll toss your salads, or prepare something table side for you. And quite often they’ll be the ones making the drinks you order. Now let’s consider the income model of this business. The restaurant or establishment charges you a fair price for what you consume. You then choose to leave a tip OR COMMISSION for your server based on the level of service provided. How the heck is this ANY different from being in business for yourself? Sure, perhaps you control more of the product creation and delivery. But whether you subscribe to this theory or not, customer service remains king. And you’re paying someone to deliver your product, so what you keep is, in essence, a commission. Your customers will return not based on product quality, but on SERVICE. Treat them as you’d treat your most cherished friends, and they’ll be back. But if you decide to berate anyone with “the nerve” to complain and give them a hard time, not only will they never be back, but they’ll tell 20 of their best friends about their experience. Servers have known this for YEARS. And in decent places you’d be surprised just how much they can earn. They learn pretty quickly that being salespeople, working for commissions, that SERVICE AND INTEGRITY are the 2 main components of their livelihood. So why is it so often in business, particularly in the IM space, that product vendors go on rants about their customers giving them a hard time?

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Page 1: What all Business People Can Learn From the Hospitality Industry (1)

What All Business People Can Learn From The Hospitality Industry  

What’s that? What can a server tell me about how to run my business? You might just be surprised…  Let’s look at a hypothetical server, aka “service professional”, in a restaurant. This person is in sales. They know the product inside out and backwards. They are happy to answer your questions, make recommendations, and cater to your every whim.  So, when prodded, they’ll steer you towards the best value on the menu. And take pride in their recommendation. And ensure that what you order lives up to its claims.  In certain restaurants, that same server may have a role in the actual creation of some of your products. Maybe they’ll toss your salads, or prepare something table side for you. And quite often they’ll be the ones making the drinks you order.  Now let’s consider the income model of this business. The restaurant or establishment charges you a fair price for what you consume. You then choose to leave a tip OR COMMISSION for your server based on the level of service provided.  How the heck is this ANY different from being in business for yourself?   Sure, perhaps you control more of the product creation and delivery. But whether you subscribe to this theory or not, customer service remains king. And you’re paying someone to deliver your product, so what you keep is, in essence, a commission.  Your customers will return not based on product quality, but on SERVICE. Treat them as you’d treat your most cherished friends, and they’ll be back. But if you decide to berate anyone with “the nerve” to complain and give them a hard time, not only will they never be back, but they’ll tell 20 of their best friends about their experience.  Servers have known this for YEARS. And in decent places you’d be surprised just how much they can earn. They learn pretty quickly that being salespeople, working for commissions, that SERVICE AND INTEGRITY are the 2 main components of their livelihood.  So why is it so often in business, particularly in the IM space, that product vendors go on rants about their customers giving them a hard time? 

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 Was your menu (ie sales page) not clear? Did it not explain what it was the customer was going to be getting when they ordered?  Perhaps the service or product delivery was lacking. Maybe the follow up, the classic situation where the server checks in to “just see how everything is going” never happened in some case? Or, worst case scenario but still a possibility ­ was the product itself insufficient?  Certainly in VERY RARE INSTANCES the customer is just a serial refunder, someone who likes to abuse restaurant buffets as frequently as they buy and auto refund digital products. But I can assure you this is a very small percentage of the market.  How does a server deal with someone who is upset? They refund their meal, without question. And quite often go above and beyond and offer a gift certificate for a free return visit.  Imagine the impact this would have on YOUR business if you adopted a similar model. Actually thanked refunders for their feedback, and gave them some free takeaway to thank them for their trouble. What an amazing impact on your brand.  Once you decide to take ownership of your product, your deliverables, your service AND follow up, you just might be surprised by how much you’ll learn that what you’re doing in business ain’t that much different from what the server at the local diner does every day to earn their living.  Over deliver on quality. Over deliver on service. Be up front with what’s on offer. Check in at every stage. And turn negative customer experiences into positives!  These are the lessons that top restaurant servers have known since they were just getting started, and not to ruffle any feathers here … there are a number of restaurant servers taking home more each year than you are.  6 figures easy, with PLENTY of time off. That’s fact. Maybe it’s time to take a closer look at THEIR business model, and look to apply some of their strategies to your own.  Just sayin’  

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