Electronic House Call - February 23, 2007

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 23, 2007

I am just back from Baltimore after an intense couple of days with my new Mastermind Group. I return with lots of fresh possibilities, dozens of new ideas to put into play ... and a minor sleep deficit! I also discovered what may be the best crab cakes in Baltimore at the Olive Grove. Good to know since I will be back with the group twice more this year.

I wasn't sure how we would make things work with so large a group but the model turned out to be very workable. Necessarily less personal attention than we can do in our group of nine but a viable alternative format that could work at a lower price point.

With my upcoming travel schedule, I doubt that I can devote much time to the idea until summer but I do plan to offer a coaching level that falls between my Gold Group and the Mastermind Marketing Group. It will only be open to Gold Group members, though, so if you would like to be on the inside track, be sure to take me up on my Best Free Offer Ever.

BE EXTRAORDINARY
The world doesn't need one more place to eat!

We have plenty of places to eat ... and if you are just another place to get a burger amidst a dozen other places to get a burger ... that makes you ordinary.

If your advertising looks pretty much like everyone else's advertising or if your Yellow Pages ad is the same as every other ad in the book ... ordinary.

My colleague Joel Cohen talks about similar restaurants offering similar food to similar people at similar prices ... ordinary.

The difference between an ordinary business and an extraordinary business is differentiation.

The difference between an ordinary income and an extraordinary income is implementation.

The odds are you know at least a few things you could do to set your place apart ... but you haven't done them. There are also literally hundreds of approaches that have never occurred to you ... and are not likely to unless you get out of your restaurant and stop breathing your own exhaust!

You can't make yourself extraordinary without actually implementing the steps that will make you stand out from the herd. As a start, you have to defy the industry norms and break a few rules -- the more the better. Then you have to have a thick skin, because something unique enough to set you apart is guaranteed to draw criticism and probably upset a few people.

Still, if you have the will -- and the courage -- to be extraordinary, the process is exciting --and the financial rewards significant. As they say, Medals Are Not For the Timid.

If you are tired of being ordinary, fed up with average sales volume, weary of busting your butt for peanuts, ready to go from mediocre to memorable ... you might reluctantly be facing the reality that those big changes are unlikely to happen without some strong outside input and support. If so, we should talk.

THE FILM FESTIVAL CONTINUES
When Harry Met Sally

Among the all-time classic movie scenes is this one from "When Harry Met Sally" starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. I suppose that this is technically not a restaurant scene ... but it is set in a restaurant and the punch line is definitely a restaurant line. Watch this one purely to get a good laugh!

FREE PUBLICITY

Have you ever done a fundraiser for a worthy local cause (Fire Department, Humane Society, Food Pantry and the like) but nobody ever knew about it? Here's a hint for those of you who want to be more closely identified with the community -- and that should be all of you!

Let's say you ran a promotion where a portion of the proceeds were going to be donated to the Fire Department. When the promotion is over and you have the check, you call up the Fire Chief and say, "I have a check for $1000 to donate to the department. You can have it as soon as you can get a reporter with a camera over to my restaurant."

You will be amazed at how quickly you will have an article and a picture in the local paper! You will also be amazed at how quickly you will come to be seen as an integral part of the community.

LAST CHANCE FOR THE FEBRUARY SURVEY

[Editorial Note: This is the last week for the February survey. Next month I want to find out how you are planning to deal with the upcoming increase in the US minimum wage.]

This month we look at menus and menu items. Never changing your menu is a recipe for boredom. At the same time, abrupt shifts in menu presentation or content can confuse your staff, kitchen crew and regular guests.

How do you balance the need to change with the human tendency to resist change? I think the comments will be eye-opening.

As usual I will send a compilation of the responses to all who participate. In the meantime, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys -- including the massive WOW Ideas collection.

Add your thoughts to the monthly survey.

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

Bill ... are there some particularly good questions you would recommend for the "what did you learn from your staff today" sessions/interviews ... some that would prove to be insightful w/o prying? -- Frank Gregorich, W. Des Moines, IA.

First you must establish rapport -- personal connection -- so that you are comfortable with each other before you can expect to hear anything of value. I can't tell you how to do that because the process will differ with everyone but you have been in the business long enough to know what I mean.

The best questions are the ones that occur to you in the moment, but you can always fall back on open-ended questions like these:

What's the best part about working here?
If this were your place, what would you change about it?
What are we doing that makes absolutely no sense to you?
What aren't we doing that we should be?
What do you need that we aren't giving you?
What's making your job tough?
What can I do to make your job go more smoothly?
Do you look forward to coming to work?
Would you recommend us to a friend looking for a job?
What could we do to make things better around here for the guests? For the staff?

You get the idea. Once you ask the question, SHUT UP AND LISTEN. If your thoughts wander off in another direction, let them go and bring yourself back to the moment. Remember that others can tell when your attention is elsewhere. When that happens, the message you deliver is that you have something going on for you that is more important than they are right now. Not good.

It is also important not to assume that you know what they mean by their responses. You know what the works means to YOU, but that isn't the point of the exercise, so always follow their answers with a clarifying question to dig a little deeper:

What makes you say that?
Tell me more about what you mean when you say that
Exactly how did that come about?

Consider what they say but don't defend your position or argue with theirs. You don't have to agree, disagree or have an opinion one way or the other about what you hear.

You are listening for new information -- things you didn't know before or things that never occurred to you. This is not a training session, it is a learning session ... and you are the student.Good luck ... and be sure to let me know how it goes.

Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable – management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.

So what did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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 above and contribute your insights for the common good (and your own as well!)