2017 is almost a done deal. What better time to share a past holiday observation?
The scene: I was having lunch with my wife Barbara when we heard a commotion at the table behind us. It seemed like the fellow in charge of paying the bill decided that his wait for the salad was not worth the salad. The waitress turned things over to her manager once the patron’s voice raised to the same pitch used when hailing a cab in New York City. She tried in vain to satisfy the guy.
At my table…we were all ears. After all, this is where I get much of my article fodder…from real life situations. “Fuh-ged-aboudit” was his insincere rebuttal.
That is where she made a mistake in my book. She insisted that she remove the salad from his bill. “Whatever” was his retort. (Can somebody please tell me what “whatever” means? It is a stupid retort so if you ever hear yourself saying it, you can remember what I just printed…stupid. Our youngsters use this phrase all the time and they lose me every time.)
Marchev’s Suggestion and Rationale:
If by chance the restaurant goofed…and if this guy was really mad…and if the salad was removed from this guy’s bill…there is a better than ever chance that he will exit never to return again to learn whether the restaurant in question really is a pretty good place to chow down.
By simply removing the charge from the bill, the manager would be waving bye-bye to this future income generator. Chances are pretty good he will embellish his side of the negative story and share it with a handful of his drinking buddies down at the American Legion.
But if the manager had said, “Please accept my invitation to a full 50% off of your next meal here,” or “the next time you come in, I would like you to be my guest” or provide a two-fer at his next visit, she would be steering him back to sample the establishment again. This next time could be engineered with the old WOW Factor in mind. Are you seeing where I am coming from?
In this way, she (the manager) would be setting up a favorable walking billboard for the joint. Get me?
Now let’s talk about you.
When things go wrong, don’t simply repaint the canvas so the snag will disappear. Set the stage for a return engagement whereby you can bring your audience to its feet. This can only be accomplished with a few “what-if” scenarios.
Practice among yourselves a first-class response to just about every imaginable circumstance. This, my friends, is what separates the professionals from the ducks. You have just a few more days in 2017 before you have a full fifty-two weeks more to make a difference.
What have you done to make you a better person since we last spoke? As my good friend Michael Jackson once sang:
“If you want to make the world a better place, take a look in the mirror and make a change.”
If today’s shoe fits, wear it. If not, tune in again tomorrow.
Mike Marchev has plenty of stories, strategies and tactics to keep you on top of your game.
Mike will be conducting his 5th annual Travel Sales & Marketing Business Development Cruise, sailing the Freedom of The Seas from Ft. Lauderdale. Email him at mike@mikemarchev.com for complete details. Five cabins are still available.
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