ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - December 16, 2005

It is good to get away ... and it is always good to get home, even to two weeks of accumulated mail! Unfortunately, Margene's inner ear problem that started in Italy has not gone away. She is fine until she has to move around, so she is staying quiet until the witch doctor can figure out what is wrong and how to fix it.

Like you, I am starting into the holiday mode, so look for less work and more family time for the next couple of weeks. I hope your holidays are busy and profitable ... and I also hope you will make the time necessary for the care and feeding of friends and family.

'Tis the season to be jolly ..."

IT’S A WRAP
Each year, my friends Peter and David Troutman, owners of the Scargo Cafe on Cape Cod, do something that I think is really cool. They supply rolls and rolls of wrapping paper, tags, ribbon, tape, scissors, and anything else their guests might need in order to wrap their holiday gifts.

In their mailing to their e-mail list, they point out that it is a great place to get away from prying eyes, relax, and enjoy the true spirit of the holidays in a friendly and relaxing place. The encourage guests to bring in their gifts to wrap ... and to bring a friend! Best of all, this service is free.

It is the Troutmans' way of saying Happy Holidays from Scargo Cafe. How could you use an idea like this to pick up some points with your guests? There is still time to implement ... if you are willing to do the work! Visit the Scargo Cafe website at http://www.scargocafe.com

LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE
Regular readers know that every year at this time I beat you up about stocking up on those small, clear Christmas lights. If you haven't already done it, don't forget to stock up on those versatile little lights while you can still find them! In another week or so they will be off the shelves until next season ... and there are just too many good uses for them year round.

Use them to provide visual interest in the dark corners of the restaurants, to add sparkle to buffet lines, to draw attention to the front of your operation and in dozens of other ways ... but get 'em while they are cheap! The longer you wait, the less likely that the stores will have stock ... and once the inventory is gone, that's it for the year.

These things are so cheap that there is not that much to be gained by holding out for the after-Christmas sales. Just give one of your crew a $20 bill and send them to Wal-Mart or Target. They will come back with half a dozen boxes and the deed is done.

Consider yourself beat up.

BACK UP OR DIE
You know you should do it, you know there are serious consequences if you fail to do it ... and if you are like the majority of people, you don't do it. I am talking about making regular backups of the data in your computer.

For awhile I did backups with tape drives but as hard drives got bigger and the data load increased, they just were not big enough to hold a full backup. Then I backed up my key data files on DVDs -- not a bad idea, by the way. But even then it took a handful of discs to hold everything ... and as an ongoing solution, it required that I get off my butt on a regular basis to make another backup. Too much work.

Then I stumbled onto a real deal -- a Maxtor One Touch II 200GB external hard drive. It connects to the computer by USB or firewire and comes with the necessary software to automatically back up your entire computer as often as you want. In a pinch, you can make a backup just by pushing one button on the drive. Best of all, this little gem is available for only $120 ... and at that price it was an easy decision.

As my Daddy always said, "Don't make a bet you can't afford to lose" ... and if you lose the data on your hard drive, you could be out of business. (Oh, and if you think that a hard drive failure could never happen to you, I have a great deal for you on a bridge! Do the work!)

Click here to take a look at this drive.

THE DECEMBER SURVEY
I have received a lot of great suggestions for future topics. Since I know that time is tight this month, let's use the December survey as a way to "vote" on some of the ideas that seem to come up repeatedly.

As a start, I have condensed the hundreds of suggestions you have made over the past several months into 20 representative topics. The survey lists the topics and all you have to do is click on your degree of interest. This will be a great help in lining up the monthly surveys for 2006.

It should also be fairly quick to complete since you won't have to write anything, not even your name! As always, I appreciate your participation in the monthly surveys and hope you find the information as enlightening as I do.

Click here to a dd your thoughts to the December survey.

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

Loved your bit on menus in different tongues. We Canadians also fall victim to English service only in our establishments!

We have a braille menu at our front door, proudly displayed. It is amazing how many people comment on the thoughtfulness of this act. I think its only been used a few times but its something our guests don't forget.

This begs the question, "Do we really know how many languages our staff speak?" I was shocked to discover we (as a group) speak five languages here. And a small staff at that. over and above one of the staff signs as well. This is what I learned from my staff today! I look forward to tomorrow, I'm sure I'll learn more if I listen. -- Chris Phillips, Mexicali Rosas, Oakville, ON

One of my goals with the EHC is to get you thinking ... and talking to your staff. Chris demonstrates just how to turn my weekly rambles into something good for his operation ... and himself.

And he is right. He will learn more as he learns how to listen. Learning to listen respectfully to everyone you meet -- and being intensely interested in what you hear -- will deepen respect and expand your mind.

Never doubt that the most critical management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question ... and you can add comments as often as you want. Just click on the link below and contribute your insights for the common good (and your own as well!)

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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