ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - November 2, 2001

Enjoying some home time before getting on the road again next week to San Francisco, South Bend, Toronto and Phoenix. This gives me time to record the next Management Insight Series interview, write the November issue of Home Remedies and send goodies to the members of the Coaching Program. No airplanes. Sleep in my own bed. Very civilized!

IN CASE YOU HAVE BEEN ASLEEP . . .
According to The Washington Post, despite a modest increase in retail sales and consumer confidence, many U.S. companies are worrying about the economy and are laying off workers and scaling back travel, creating a self-fulfilling downward spiral. This view has aggravated U.S. economists' consensus that the nation is headed for a recession by the end of this year.

A note from the Doc:
What are you doing differently now than you were two months ago? If the answer is "nothing," you are asking to be a statistic. Get busy. The game is not the same and the road is likely to get a bit rocky, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. (If you are looking for ideas on where to start, order the tapes of the October tele-seminar, How to Prosper in Tough Times. Details are on my website.)

THE UNEXPECTED EXTRA
Last week I told you about my dinner at Five Sails in Vancouver and what a nice job Martin Repicky and his staff did personalizing the service by using my name. They did another delightful thing that you can easily adapt. It is what "Coach" Don Smith would call the unexpected extra -- essentially something for nothing with a big WOW to it. In this case, it was a little pre-appetizer of warm goat cheese in a phyllo pouch, ". . . with the compliments of the chef." I loved it, and so did the other diners in the room.

Does this sound too sophisticated for you? Focus on the concept rather than the details. The unexpected extra is essentially what Domino's is doing with their "free" cheesy bread (although they lose some points for advertising it rather than making it a surprise.) It is what Lou Mitchell's in Chicago does when they bring complimentary fresh fruit with your breakfast order. The examples go on but the point is that people love something for nothing. OK, we all know there is really nothing for nothing, but the impact you can create for a few cents is incredible. Just build the cost into your price structure and have some fun! This is a time when people are looking for something to raise their spirits. What are you doing to help them out?

TELE-CONFERENCE
A reminder to Management Insight Series subscribers and Gold Group members: the tele-conference with Loret Carbone is this Monday, November 5 at 330 EST. Mark your calendar and join us to pick the brain of one of our industry's most innovative leaders. The number to call is in your October letter or on the website in the MIS and Gold Group sections.

While we are on the subject, the November MIS interview is with Stan Clark of Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Just what Stan has done with his four restaurants would be enough, but wait until you hear about what he has created -- and how he did it -- with his clothing line! (Hint: only Hard Rock sells more shirts than Stan . . . and he is not exactly in the population center of the world!)

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