ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - April 29, 2005

This is it -- the last weekend in the US of A for about three weeks. I make a quick detour to Boston on Sunday and Monday for another Pizza Expo Conference, then we leave on Wednesday for three weeks in Italy and our annual corporate meeting. Don't look for us again until May 26th.

As is my custom, I will be posting a diary of our daily doings. This will be part travelogue (with photos) and part journal. The idea is to chronicle not only what we do and see, but what we learned along the way -- quite a daily assignment. I will include a link to the trip report in next week's EHC.

TELL YOUR STORY
Have you won awards? Have any rave reviews? Were you written up in any publications? Has your restaurant been visited by a celebrity? Have guests written you glowing, complimentary letters about your staff, your food or your service? Do you have photos from various catering events?

These pictures, articles, stories and testimonials are worth thousands of words. Inevitable reactions are all these people can't be wrong and these people would not keep coming back if they were not being treated well.

In any sort of service business, testimonial letters and comments from satisfied clients are the most valuable selling tools possible. You need to carefully consider how you can collect testimonial type evidence of customer satisfaction and then use that evidence to attract and motivate other customers.

Bayona Restaurant in New Orleans turned a restroom hallway wall into a chronicle of their excellence. Why couldn't you do something similar?

Anything you have done that is noteworthy is a story that needs to be told ... and you are the one who has to tell it. Break those archives out of the file cabinet, invest in a few frames and get your story up on the wall!

WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY ... AND HE IS US!
Awhile ago, I received the following note from Denise Herrera, a unit manager for a Denny's restaurant in South Carolina.

My goal is to own a restaurant and to apply all the principles and common sense rules, etc. you discuss throughout your website, without being ridiculed about being too nice to the employees. Funny though, my shift has less labor cost, less complaints, and definitely more teamwork than 1st shift. They (owners) always say sales are higher on 1st (okay they have breakfast and lunch) not to mention we are only talking anywhere from 300 to 500 dollars higher.

When I want to discuss TOTAL profit they never want to discuss it because it takes twice as many employees on 1st to do the higher sales than it takes on 2nd shift..... I know you understand the rationality I am getting at. We want even get into waste etc... Anyway love your website!!!! I always print the articles which reflect on the owners and sort of leave them laying around for them to find and read. Hopefully if they don't listen to me they will take you a little more serious.

A note from the Doc:
It is an operational paradox of the restaurant business -- it takes a certain strength of ego and independent spirit to get into this business in the first place, but that same ego and independence can be what keeps us from listening, learning and being as successful as we might be. Often a working definition of "wrong" is "different than the way I would have done it."

Denise's note suggests that the owners of her restaurant are passing up a powerful opportunity TO WORK LESS AND MAKE MORE MONEY because their ego will not let them open up to possibilities that are right under their own roof. If nothing changes, they could also lose a superb manager. What opportunities are you missing because of ego? What did you learn from your staff today?

LAST CHANCE
These are the last few days for the April survey. Please take a few minutes to fill us in on the current state of your training and how you expect it to evolve in the next year. Add your thoughts to the April survey.

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
"As a result of the Summit, I have taken a step back and slowed down when dealing with difficult or "headstrong" employees. Even over the phone, before the Summit I found myself inclined to shut down because of their "bad habits" or their inability to take responsibility for their actions. My memories of them contaminated my ability to listen.

"But now I am a calmer self as I listen and talk with them on the phone about the status of the restaurant and their everyday lives since the fire.

[Note: Nancy's restaurant was destroyed by fire several months ago. They are getting close to re-opening.]

"I also have become quieter with my two teenage sons. What they have to say is important and by not imposing my opinion so quickly on them and listening there appears to be a better form of communication -- if there is such a thing with a 17 and 16 year old.

"Not only did Steve and I learn a lot [at the Super Summit] but it caused us to slow down, let down our hair a little and reflect on where we are going. We have been fortunate to have been given the opportunity by this fire.

"I know that sounds funny but it is a rebirth, a re-commitment to all the things we were doing right and the ability to change what we weren't. I expect the challenge is equally as great with a restaurant that is in continuous operation. Thanks again." -- Nancy Butcher, Co-Owner, Nutcracker Family Restaurant, Pataskala, OH

Super Summit 2005 will help you develop a new frame of reference ... from your own insights, not from someone else's "good ideas." This will awaken your natural "people skills" which will lead to a calm mastery of the human factor in your work -- even when you are faced with totally new situations, demanding guests, difficult staff, or just your own natural human ups and downs.

Best of all, this will all happen in a way that will enhance the productivity and morale of your staff, improve the well-being of your guests and put more money on your bottom line. In short, you will be able to get more done with less work in a manner that will seem effortless ... and restore balance to your life in the process! That is the simple -- and powerful -- promise of Super Summit 2005.

If this sounds like your idea of a good time, you owe it to yourself (and your family) to find out what Robert Kausen and I have planned for 44 select people on June 6-7 in New Orleans. Apply before the end of the month and you qualify for an early registration scholarship.

This is the last program of this sort that we have planned. Don't miss it. Submit your application today. Get the whole story on the Super Summit.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

I learned that giving my staff full attention when we are discussing things seems to give them more confidence in themselves. -- Lewis, Keko Cafe, New York, NY

A Note from the Doc:

Folks who attended the Super Summit understand why Lewis' approach produces that reaction in his crew. They also understand that my perpetual question is really a lot deeper than it may sound.

You may come to understand that improving your listening skills may be the most valuable management talent you can develop ... and you may not get it at all. It all depends on how serious you are about finding out what you and your company are really capable of becoming.

I will tell you that the really effective managers can give a fresh answer to this question every day. No problem. If you don't have a response immediately at hand, what does that say about the quality of your listening?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question. Just click on the link below and contribute your answer for the common good.

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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