ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - May 26, 2006

I am back after a terrific time at the NRA Show. We filled the room for my seminar again (that always feels good) and we have a batch of new EHC subscribers as a result. The recording of that program should also be terrific and I will add it to the audio library as soon as I receive it. The trick will be figuring out how to include the hundred or so photos that illustrated my various points.

I am now at home for another week or so before it all starts again. With both the LIO Program and the Pizza SuperConference coming up quickly, I surely need a little office time.

DOING THE WORK
My program at the NRA show was called "The World Doesn't Need One More Place to Eat!" It was about how to differentiate your restaurant and stand out from the herd. Long time subscribers know that this has been a theme of mine for years ... but that is not my point right now. Today I am talking about those in the audience who already took action based on what they learned in that program.

My first exhibit is a note from Jim Lyons that I received the day after the program. He wrote: I attended your session on Monday – very informative. After leaving, I continued through the show, but had an entirely different approach to looking at each of the vendors booths!

I am now looking to determine if anything that vendor has can help me DIFFERENTIATE my restaurant from others. So true, we have good food and good service, but those only allow us to keep the door open. I am starting all over at the show today... with the concept of differentiation in mind – Thanks!

My second exhibit is a note from Gary Phillips, national accounts director for Wikki Stix and a vendor at the NRA show. He might be talking about Jim Lyons here, but I don't think so. In any case, Gary said the following:

During our exhausting and very successful duration at the NRA show, a young man who owns an expanding Pizza restaurant in New England came to our booth and bought a sample package of our restaurant product. He sought us out because you had mentioned our product during a seminar. He praised the great information that you shared with the group. We are very happy to be a part of that!

What's the point?
There were 500 or so people in my seminar. At least a couple of them got an idea and immediately started doing something about it. How many hundreds of others decided to wait until they got home to do anything? How many of them do you think will ever actually do something different?

You are competing with both these types of people. Which group do you think is most likely to succeed, the ones who took action right away or those who waited for a "better time?" Which group do you fall into?

If you want rewards that your competitors are not going to get, you have to do the work that your competitors are not willing to do.

Do the Work!

ALAS, WE HARDLY KNEW ‘YA
In digging through the EHC archives, I came upon this note from my colleague, Marv Hunt. It was sent when he was F&B Manager at the Doubletree Hotel in Spokane, Washington and is worth re-visiting. He wrote:

I just went through Mothers Day. The restaurant was totally full all the time we were open. In talking with our guests, I realized that many of them did not realize what our restaurant was about. They have (or had) only been here for previous holiday buffets -- Mother's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas -- and they had no Idea about what we do day to day.

The fact is that we are a damn great steakhouse, but they seemed to think of us as an Italian restaurant, a concept we abandoned over two years ago. This just got me thinking of how we market ourselves and the message the public really hears. Good food for thought for me.

A Note From the Doc:
We are often the worst judges of how the public perceives what we do. Remember that the marketing battle is fought between the ears and that you can't count on the public to figure it out without a little (or a lot of) help from you.

It wouldn't hurt to ask a few folks at random what they know about your place. (Ask people who are NOT coming rather than people who ARE!) It will give you an idea of what you need to do to bring their perception into line with your reality.

Also, ask your regulars why they come to you. You may be surprised at what is really important to them. However that information will help you develop an appeal to other potential guests. (This process also works with your staff -- knowing what they like about working for you gives you good material to better target the message in your recruiting efforts.)

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
Next month a small group of operators will discover how to create an effortless organization and regain control of their lives at the LIO (Leadership From the Inside Out) Program in Nashville.

Will you be among them?

Next week I will give you a sneak peek at what we have in mind for Super Summit 2006, scheduled for next September in Charleston, South Carolina. Get the whole story on LIO 2006.

THE MAY SURVEY
NOTE: This is the last week to participate in the May survey (and get a free copy of the results). I will have a new survey for you next week.

A couple of months ago we took a look at motivation and incentives. This month we look at Rewards and Recognition. At first glance, these two topics might appear to be the same. Depending on your definitions, there certainly could be common elements ...but I want to approach it from the aspect of ongoing practices and policies that encourage excellence.

As usual, I will provide a compilation of all the responses to everyone who contributes to this project. Just click on the link below to participate in the May survey.

You can download copies of all past EHC surveys ... including the massive WOW Ideas collection.

Add your thoughts to the May survey.

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

I have no "what I learned" comment for you this week ... because I have already used everything that people have sent and nobody has sent something new to share with you.

A lot of subscribers have told me that this is their favorite section of the EHC ... but I have a hard time squaring that attitude with the lack of regular contributions from the masses. Your insights and observations are a learning experience for all of us and it saddens me to see the "mailbox" empty when there are thousands of potential contributors.

Should I assume that you didn't learn anything from your staff today ... or just that you didn't even try? In either case, you are just making your own job (and those of your crew) a lot harder than they need to be.

A third possibility, I suppose, is that you are content to let someone else take the initiative so you don't have to. If that is the case, please re-read the first article in today's EHC ... and then do some serious self-evaluation.

There is a deep purpose to my perpetual question, one that you will truly grasp only after you start trying to have a daily answer to it. So if you have the courage to discover how to get a lot better, a lot faster, I challenge you to sit down with your staff members one-on-one, ask a few good questions ... then shut up and learn something new.

Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable -- management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen. Try it, you'll like it!

I will continue to (try 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?

© 2006 Restaurant Doctor