In Sales The Customer Is king
Bernadette and I eat out several times a week. It's about
cooking - we both take turns but sometimes it's just easier to
go out. Three weeks ago, on a Saturday night, we met friends at
an Italian Restaurant in Sarasota. Some other friends
recommended the place and they raved about the food.
The restaurant was small, no more than 15 tables, and located in
strip mall. While the food was good, the noise was deafening. It
wasn't from the kitchen, it wasn't the acoustics, it was Alberto
the Mandolin player. Turns out the owner is a relative. He was a
strolling and serenading Mandolin player. All conversations
ceased when he was nearby. Since it was a small restaurant - he
was nearby a lot.
Just before the server brought the check the owner came to our
table and asked about our dinner. We said the dinner was
terrific but the music made it all but impossible to have a
conversation. She told us that Alberto was a cousin and a
fixture at the restaurant on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
He may be a fixture - but we won't be going back. I wonder how
many other customers feel the same way. I also wonder if she has
ever done the math on the lifetime value of a customer -
probably not.
The customer is king.
Last week I was getting my haircut at a place called Yellow
Strawberry. Desmond, who is the owner, cut my hair for the
second time. He did a good job the first time so I went back. He
also has a delightful English accent. We traded restaurant
stories and he told me this one . . .
A friend in San Francisco went to dinner with a group that
totaled eight people. After they were seated, they waited more
than 20 minutes for anyone to come to their table. It was down
hill from that point on. Service was slow - extremely slow.
According to Desmond's friend half the meals had to be sent back
to the kitchen for a variety of reasons.
This is a long story made short. When the bill came Desmond's
friend asked to speak to the owner. They reviewed everything
with the owner and asked for a break on the bill considering
what they had been through. To make matters worse, because it
was a group of eight, the restaurant automatically added a 18%
gratuity.
The owner conceded there were some problems and yet wouldn't cut
them any slack on the tab. As the group was leaving, the owner
gave Desmond's friend a $200 gift certificate for dinner at the
restaurant. The group had no plans of ever going back. Desmond's
friend, spotted a homeless person as they walked backed to their
cars. He gave the person the certificate and suggested he take
some of his buddies out to eat at the restaurant around the
corner.
The customer is king.
One more dining experience and this was a good one. Three times
a year I meet with 8 of my speaking friends at the DoubleTree
Hotel near Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Attached to the hotel is
Gibson's Restaurant - a fine place if ever I've been to one.
We make it an evening and it's usually impossible for us to
leave without spending $100 per person. Bill Lee, a member of
our group, was celebrating his birthday. We arranged for our
waiter and other servers, to bring a small cake, and to sing
their version of Happy Birthday to Bill.
Later, when the check came, it amounted to the usual $100 per
person. Our server looked at us and said, "I took care of the
Birthday Cake for you." It was a small thing that had a big
impact - it actually made me smile.
The customer is King.
A friend of mine is also a professional speaker. He sells lots
of books and CD's. About three weeks ago a sales rep ordered one
of his books. Two weeks later he called and said he never
received the book. My friend said he would take care of it. He
sent him another copy of the book plus an additional CD and gave
him a 100% credit for his inconvenience.
He remembered the customer is King. He also remembered what the
lifetime value of a good customer is.
How are you at taking care of the "Little things" for your
customers?
I guess it's all about the little things. Probably, it's also
the reason why so many of you wanted to get your hands on my new
CD, "75 Little Things You Can Do To Grow Your Business And Boost
Your Income."
http://www.meisenheimer.com/products/75thingscd.htm
Let's go out and sell something . . .
Jim Meisenheimer