Hire People Who Love Your Product
Sarah Elkins
International Speaker | Workshop Facilitator | Storyteller | Musician | Gallup StrengthsFinder Coach | 300+Episodes Podcast Host | Author | Job Interview Coach
We had intended to eat at the restaurant next door, but the front entry of this one looked so welcoming with its open windows, beautifully designed bar, and two seats right there waiting for us. We asked to see the menu and the bartender handed it to us. He was not warm or welcoming; he was professional. We had been sitting at the bar for a few minutes, reviewing the menu of food and cocktails, when the bartender came to take our drink order. My husband ordered first:
I'll have the Monkey Knife Fight.
And I asked:
Which local beer would you recommend? Something that's unique, that stands out?
That's when the bartender warmed up. He did more than that. As he placed the unusually named cocktail in front of my husband, he glowed. It was perfectly displayed and tasted delicious. The beer was also a perfect recommendation.
Vacations for me are planned around meals. I love to eat; my parents raised the three of us to be grateful, especially for our access to a variety of foods. When I leave our little town in Montana, I plan trips to other cities around the ethnic and local food options available there. When I am eating out, it's an occasion. I love to connect with those who cook and serve my meals.
Following two nights of outstanding food in Seattle, we were warmly welcomed at a restaurant in Spokane at 8pm on a Sunday night.
As much as we loved the food at the restaurant in Spokane, there was one thing missing; the server didn't truly understand the food she was serving, or the complement the wine should have brought to the meal. It took me some time to put words to my observations separating this experience from the one in Seattle that first night. I realized that when the bartender at the first restaurant presented that oddly named cocktail, he was enthusiastic. He knew the drink was delicious and that his customer would love it. He knew the beer I ordered was a great accompaniment to the dishes we ordered.
Though both dinners included unique, delicious, and beautifully presented meals, the service made a huge difference in our experience as customers. Our server in Spokane was warm and kind; she lacked knowledge, excitement and love for the menu and wine selection. We decided not to order from the menu, and instead go with the chef's price-point selections. When we ordered a lovely bottle of wine in a relatively fancy restaurant, I expected it to complement the meal. It did, but I don't think it was intentional. I'm not convinced the server even shared the wine choice with the chef. Here's one thing the server could have said to exceed our expectations and to demonstrate her love for the restaurant's products:
I'll let the chef know about the wine you ordered so he can complement it with his tapas selections.
She brought plate after plate of small tastes of truly outstanding food but didn't describe what she put on the table with any real enthusiasm for what the chef created. It would have been easy to be excited about the duck pastrami with house-made sauerkraut and stone-ground mustard. Or to describe the seasonings and methods the chef used in his heirloom tomato poke salad. But she didn't. She didn't seem to love or appreciate the food she served.
After a whirlwind weekend in Seattle and Spokane, and many hours in the car on this road trip, a conversation popped up about how the service impacted our restaurant experiences. My husband described his view of two servers, one who spoke a lot but seemed to be trying too hard, and the other more professional, less vocal server. Which is better? The question made me think about my many years in restaurants and retail.
The restaurants I enjoyed the most and in which I'm sure I provided my best service were the ones where I loved the food. The owners and chefs made sure the staff in both front & back of-the-house had opportunities to sample the food and beverages available, especially the specials each night. The chef him/herself would enthusiastically and lovingly describe the food we were sampling and make suggestions about cocktails and wine that would complement the specials.
There are two important things an employee can do to provide outstanding service:
- Love the product - It shows when you love the product you are selling and serving. It was always easy for me to sell desserts when I worked at The Wine Cellar in Fort Collins. Their desserts were beautifully presented and delicious! I described them in a way that people could truly imagine the desserts - because I thought they were fantastic.
- Observe the customer - If you are paying attention, you can tell whether the customer wants to connect with you, or be left alone. Avoid chattering with a customer who wants to quietly enjoy a meal or shopping experience. Make efforts to engage and connect when you observe enthusiasm for your product through the eyes and body language of your customer.
What are your thoughts about the difference in servers? Tell a story in the comments below; describe a fantastic service experience!
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About me:
Learning to tell your story is the most important part of your success. Learning to understand your audience and make your story effective is the next phase of storytelling. I teach people how to find their stories, organize them, and share them across platforms. I love people, which is why I'm devoted to helping people find better ways to connect and improve their lives by improving their storytelling skills. A skilled teacher and entertaining speaker, I offer storytelling and customer service trainings and workshops and one-to-one coaching for job seekers.
I believe in being human in all our faults and beauty in every environment. If you think you can separate your personal and professional brands, you're delusional. I share my thoughts on this via Twitter sometimes, @sarahelkins.
National Sales Manager/ Marketing Director
8 年You see this in the CPG business and you are spot on with your message Sarah Elkins. I've had customer service representatives working for me who, on the surface, did everything right but there was something missing. That something was they didn't love the product (or really care to even understand it fully). They weren't personally involved in the segment of the market that our products were marketed to and they had no desire for the product and no passion for the industry. It really makes a difference. Thank you for posting.
Live extraordinarily. Heal trauma. Empowering you to heal childhood abuse and/or neglect by raising your resilience, and living extraordinarily. Making Resistance Witches and Warriors. ??Aspiring drummer.
8 年The server could also been having a very bad day. Hard to know the back story.
Live extraordinarily. Heal trauma. Empowering you to heal childhood abuse and/or neglect by raising your resilience, and living extraordinarily. Making Resistance Witches and Warriors. ??Aspiring drummer.
8 年You were in Seattle? I wasn't far away..... Good post. When my son works in a kitchen, he'll often take the time to go out to the tables and talk to guests. He can field complaints, and do exactly what you described about the server: tell folks what care he took in the design of the meal.
Business Development & Account Executive | Generating Sales Across Multiple Industries
8 年I wonder whether that restaurant hired for knowledge and commitment rather than whoever would do the job for the cheapest rate. I mean, you weren't eating at Denny's...but maybe the manager had hired someone who could simply do the job, but without the knowledge and interest in good food and wine to add that extra-special shine to the evening. That's something a *lot* of retail and service organizations don't think about - retail and service famously pay low wages and then wonder why their sales are tanking. Exhibit A: Circuit City, (remember them?) who fired all their experienced, higher-paid salespeople to hire kids who knew nothing about technology. Bad, bad move...now they're a footnote in business history. (Took less than two years to tank.)
Sales Enablement Writer | Proposal Manager | RFP Response Professional | RFP Process Consulting | #photography | #poker enthusiast
8 年I was a horrible server during my restaurant days in college Sarah Elkins. The effort was there, but the knowledge was not - I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was a much better bartender. I do believe my high school career tests did say I would be good at bartending and sales, so I got that going for me. If you visit Washington DC, hit Adams Morgan for your ethnic and eclectic food choices.