Lots of good stuff here, I suggest two things – don’t try to follow all of them, but do pick one. Secondly share with someone you care about the list BECAUSE you care about them.
I was 13 years old. My family had moved to Southern California from North Florida a year before. I hit adolescence with a vengeance. I was angry and rebellious, with little regard for anything my parents had to say, particularly if it had to do with me. Like so many teenagers, I struggled to escape from anything that didn’t agree with my picture of the world. A “brilliant without need of guidance” kid, I rejected any overt offering of love. In fact, I got angry at the mention of the word love.
One night, after a particularly difficult day, I stormed into my room, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, “To read when you’re…
I went for walk yesterday with a friend and we passed by a coffee shop that has had it’s ups and down in success. My friend casually commented on how the owners could give lessons on ” How to Drive a Business Into the Ground”. This coffee has been popular in the past and it’s location has a great deal going for it, and my friend and I have seen it busy busy, but the new owners did everything wrong, and customers can and will go elsewhere.
The local hangout kind of coffee shop is looking for a different kind of customer than Starbucks, Tim Hortons or McDonalds. Lots of competition for this business but if done right, loyal customers can make a coffee hangout profitable and busy.
What did they do wrong?
They didn’t have always have coffee hot, and ready and the staff didn’t know how to use the machines according to my friend. (mind boggling for a coffee shop)
They were oblivious to regulars, with no recognition so they lost them.
No papers to read.
They discouraged regulars from hanging out.
What could they have done?
Hire, and train staff to treat customers great! Customers are potential REGULARS. Regulars are there every day, sometimes more than once a day, and usually will bring customers with them, so? So treat each customer like Gold, the staff are not selling a $2 coffee, they should be thinking about the coffee shop as the customer’s coffee shop and ask the customer name and thank them by name. It cost nothing to take that extra step. One successful coffee shop owner here in town quickly could name 200 of his regulars when they came into his shop, and he made sure he made them welcome, and feel appreciated. It was his business, but it was their coffee shop was the attitude that he gave. If a coffee shop hires someone to just take the money and hand over some hot liquid, then there is no connection, and the coffee shop has blown the chance to develop customer loyalty. The customer can go anywhere, staff have to get that they are there for the customers and NOT vice versa.
Spend some money showing the regulars you appreciate them. So many businesses spend money on coupons and advertising, and so on but they would never think of doing something for the guy who already does business with them, so they miss out on the word of mouth recommendations. If a coffee shop gave away a few cinnamon buns, or muffins to the regulars it would go a long way. (For that matter any business, tire shop or banks should be spending half their marketing budget on regular customers and not just on trying to attract new ones.)
Spend some money on newspapers, so regulars come in every day to read and relax. I see some coffee shops skimp on this, and it makes no sense. If other coffee shops have newspapers and wi-fi – you better get on board, in fact you should be trying to raise the ante.
Be Quirky! A great coffee shop used to have a chalkboard and write a trivia question up there twice a day – it gets people talking, and they will come back to see what the question will be the next day.
Coffee shop staff when not selling – go around and talk to customers!
Welcome suggestions and feedback and back that up by your actions.
When something happens not right, go the extra mile to keep your customer. My wife had burnt soup at a hotel once. The hotel was super smart, the waiter apologized to my wife, brought her a big shrimp salad for free and made sure she was happy. We ate there all weekend because of that waiter.
I guess any business will drive itself into the ground when it takes it’s eyes off the customers, or is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
My very first day of University and my class Economics 101 there was a lecture called ” No Such Thing as a Free Lunch“. I suppose this was how he started off every semester to the green students, just back from summer holidays, just graduated, and still wet behind the ears.
You probably understand the premise. No such thing as a free lunch because it someone has to pay for it. Maybe you are getting that hot dog for free, but someone paid for it, and the cost of it is built or hidden into the price of what you buy from that person.
My professor was wrong, a good thing can be free.
It was reinforced to me today again that good things sometimes just take an effort, some will, some time, but the pocketbook expense is actually minimal.
I am talking about taking the time to acknowledge service, good service, a friendly smile, dedication to excellence. I think as Canadians we are most of us wonderful with saying thank you, but periodically taking the time to write an email to the company really is counted. As I understand it, one email represents 1,000 people. I guess that means that only one in a thousand will take the time. Sad.
I have been writing emails for years, petrol companies, pharmacies, banks. I write to pass UP the line recognition and appreciation for the efforts that employees make on a daily basis.
What will surprise you is how much corporations LOVE these letters. Anyone can complain and pick out shortfalls after all we are all imperfect, my wife will support that.
But what if someone takes the time to recognize you, it reinforces that positive thing you do and encourages you, doesn’t it?
I was recently at my bank, the manager was helping out at the counter with transactions. He mucked up my transaction, but he caught it and waited until he could talk to another cashier to fix it. I didn’t mind waiting, and I didn’t mind the muck up because I saw he was focusing on fixing it and getting it right. Sure the line up behind me grew a bit, but he didn’t let that pressure him to just push me through the chute so he could lessen the line up. I grabbed his card and a few days later I wrote to the bank head office.
My surprise today was a heartfelt card in the mail of appreciation from that bank manager, and even a gift card for Tim Hortons.
Full circle of appreciation, and back again. I felt great to hear the result of my email.
safer here out of the waves
My economics professor was wrong, there is such a thing as a Free lunch, plus I get the bonus of knowing I let that corporation know the good attitude and approach of that man, and they let him know that they got that feedback. He got a great feeling out of that also, that’s kind of a free lunch isn’t it?
Take the time to give someone a free lunch metaphorically, give some acknowledgement, I think you will like it, cancel that, I know you will love it, and you will make someone else feel good also, that’s always a nice result.
I grew up where I saw my Dad seem to know everything. He finished basements, he put in concrete floors,
he even built his own garage doors.
He allowed me to be his “gopher” which meant I ran and got what he needed but I never ran saws, measured boards or did much hammering.
He was a great example of DIY (Do It Yourself) albeit I didn’t learn much more than the lesson that you can do lots and succeed if you are willing to buck up and try. He said he’d never done that stuff before but that didn’t daunt him one whit.
Being my father’s son, I try to be a DIY also because it makes me feel good when I succeed. So I try, and I try. Most minor stuff I do satisfactorily but lots of times my efforts result in multiple, and I do mean multiple trips to the hardware store. I have learned to ask for directions at least there, on the third or fourth trip.
Plumbing stuff drives me nuts. Last year I went back and forth trying to fix a hose, replacing washers, and lots of stuff. Finally I spoke to one guy at the store, and he explained that there are different size fittings for outside hoses so you have to get that stuff in the seasonal side of the store. I should asked in May instead of waiting until September. (head scratch)
Today I continued my runaround ways to fix a faucet but only three trips to the hardware store, Bless you small town! My front outdoor faucet dripped last year and despite my herculean attempts to prevent the slightest drip, it still did. Finally I learned that there is another washer INSIDE the faucet and so I took it apart.
On my third trip of trying to find the right rubber O washer, I took the piece of the faucet with me into the store and hunted around and kept hunting until I found it, or at least I think I found it. When I turn the water on outside in a week or so I will know, cross your fingers and toes.
Doing the little things that are invisible but help my family makes me feel good so I will remain determined. Being determined accounts for a lot of achievement in life.
I remember resurfacing my daughter’s desk for her bedroom. Learning to cut that counter top and contact glueing it into place and in what I thought was a cool colour also. Doing that for her meant a great deal to me so that 14 hour project for me was a learning experience so what if it should have been 2 hours. I still learned! Determined Dad that’s me.
That’s why Dads have stashes of crazy glue and weird little clamps and stuff!
So in achieving my little handyman victories, I encounter bumps along the way, and sometimes it takes me awhile, and admittedly sometimes I even fail but I am glad I learned at my father’s knee to being open to trying, and being determined, and not giving up. Not having ever done it before is no obstacle, or excuse. Doing something for the first time should be an opportunity to be seized.
Nothing of any real value has shortcuts, or is instant, whether it is home repairs or great relationships.
he even built his own garage doors.
Life and Random Thinking 