ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - March 31, 2006

I am in Chicago midway through a four-day marketing conference. (Got to keep my axe sharp, you know.) I find it interesting to notice that the more I invest in my education, the higher my income gets. If you are not finding the same thing true for you, perhaps you are not investing enough in your own professional development.

The anticipation is building for the European trip. In case you missed it, Margene and I will be in Italy and France from April 20th to May 15th. If you have plans to order books or anything similar, get the order in now or be prepared to wait.

RETHINKING SALADS
My note last week about the endless interrogation of guests ("Twenty Questions," EHC #425) prompted this note from one of the subscribers: Right now our servers put all of our salad dressings on the side of the salad in little plastic cups. It looks terrible and on a few occasions, the cups have fallen from the salad onto a customer! I think they do this because they are afraid they will put more dressing on the salad than the guest likes.

This may not be the perfect example of "too many choices" but may more of an example of letting the guest control what you are producing. At first for a few, OK, then it becomes a standard ugly way of serving something.

A Note From the Doc:
There are several issues in this note, not the least of which is "Who is running the restaurant?" However, since warmer weather is just around the corner and that will call for some lighter menu items, I limited my response to the question of salads. Take it for what it's worth.

The really cool way to differentiate yourself with salads is to have a signature salad dressing and actually toss the salad in it. You will use less dressing and the guest will get a tastier salad without having to do the work of mixing ... always a pain and particularly so when the salad is not in a deep bowl. Tell guests that unless they prefer to do it themselves, you will toss their salad in just X tablespoons (probably about 2-3) of your famous dressing so that all the leave are evenly and lightly coated.

You might even do it tableside for some real flash. However you pull it off, tossing the salad will help you stand out from all your competitors who just glop the dressing on top of the greens or who are still stuck in the plastic portion cup mentality. Do the work!

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
If you missed the Super Summit programs last year, you are about to get another chance. The program is now called "Leadership From the Inside Out" or LIO Program for short. It will be offered only once this year -- in Nashville, Tennessee on June 12-13. But rather than give you a long sales pitch, I will let one of last year's attendees tell you how it affected her.

"This program has challenged me to recognize that my thoughts determine my state of mind ... and my state of mind effects my entire company. I see that I need to delegate more. When I go into the business in a hectic frenzied state of mind it creates havoc in the organization and filters down.

Perhaps most meaningful for me have been the “aha” moments where I realized certain things I’m doing that I need to change. I gained focus on how I’m going to direct my management development group. We are going to have a course change. I’m going to teach them how our attitudes effect the rest of the staff. -- Lorraine Salazar, Sal’s Mexican Restaurants, Fresno, CA

Note: Lorraine attended the first Super Summit in April and brought one of her key managers. She saw the need to establish a strong foundation before she moved ahead with expanding the company.

This June, 36 operators will uncover their own secrets to creating an effortless organization and regaining control of their lives. Will you be among them?

The LIO Program is not at all like school ... or any other conference you have attended. The learning comes from your own insights rather than a canned curriculum. As your thinking starts to shift and your understanding deepens, you will become aware of more and more exciting new possibilities.

There are more comments from past attendees on the CEO (Creating the Effortless Organization) Project website.

You certainly want to find out more about this unique program.

PS: The list of applicants now includes operators from Ghana, Ireland and Canada in addition to those from the United States. It would be worth the tuition just to rub minds with this group!

THE APRIL SURVEY
Somebody once observed that if you hooked up average independent operators to a lie detector, they would all confess that the only thing they are really interested in is building sales. Whether that is a fair assessment or not, my experience is that operators will always show up for a spirited discussion about marketing. Obviously it is a top of mind issue.

This month the EHC Survey looks at marketing best practices -- what is working for you, what isn't ... and what you are doing about it. I expect a LOT of great ideas.

As usual, I will provide a compilation of all the responses to everyone who contributes to this project ... and sell the list to the rest of you! :-) Add your thoughts to the April survey.

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

I was just transferred from one retail division to another at our university campus. Being my first week, my approach was to observe and learn the operations. I asked people to educate me on their operations, tell me about their problems/challenges and provide any feedback they could.

I learned who was stressed-out, who felt left out and who had trained their student staff very well. I learned that I had a group of well-intentioned employees that had to deal with an insecure supervisor. I learned that the manager has been very lenient with the employees in his division and gave them all excellent ratings on their last performance appraisal despite the fact that the division hasn't

I learned that a few employees were abusing the manager's trust and leniency. I learned that some of the staff are enthusiastic about their jobs and have valuable insights into the student market. In short, my first week has been interesting, hectic and addictive.

On an eventful fourth day, one of the employees came back with unsolicited feedback about me. She said that I was pursuing objectives in the right direction and to continue despite the challenges I faced. She said she has been in my position before and understood the difficult situation and offered encouraging words that lifted my spirits. -- Mohammed Zafar, UMass Retail Dining Services, Amherst, MA

Mohammed has got it! In a new job or a new situation, the first thing you should do is to spend a lot of time listening ... not only because at some level you know that listening is a good thing to do, but because when you are new on the scene you really DON'T know what is going on ... and your crew knows that you don't know.

Taking the time to ask your staff for their ideas, observations and suggestions helps establish the rapport you will need to move the operation in a good direction ... and it will also help you understand exactly what that direction is.

It will also help you understand the talent that is at your disposal and how best to use it ... not to mention the first impression you will make on your new workforce by taking the time to listen respectfully to them. Some will have gems, some will be lost, but how will you know if you don't ask?

Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable -- 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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