ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - April 13, 2007
Spring is springing in the Pacific Northwest and while the weather in many parts of the country still hasn't quite made up its mind yet, you can sense that the seasons are changing and warmer weather is upon us. It is a lovely time of awakening, full of promise ... including the promise of a lot of yard work!
This is also the time of year when we think of spring cleaning. This is a good idea, particularly if you expand the definition as including clearing out old ways of thinking and the general mental clutter that gets in the way of realizing your full potential.
Along this line, if you have ever thought that you (and your operation) were capable of far more than you have seen to date, you owe it to yourself to look into the Foundations Program of the Project to Create the Effortless Organization, coming up in Granville, Ohio (just outside Columbus) in July.
I just got back some of the video testimonials from past attendees and some of the stories of personal breakthrough will bring tears to your eyes. I am so glad I can finally share this powerful understanding with you. For more information, click on the link above and check out the Foundations Program.
As we get closer to our April 30 departure date for Italy and Greece, the pace is picking up. What to pack? What clothes still fit? We each have it down to one small suitcase and a carry-on, but I want to find ways to travel even lighter. Maybe I should just go with an empty bag and buy what I need when I discover I need it! Interesting concept ...
People ask how we can get away every year and the answer is simple: we pick the time we want to go, write it on the calendar and when those dates arrive, we go. Frequent flyer miles help, but if you wait for "a good time," you will never get across the county line. You went to work for yourself so you could set life up the way you want it ... so who is to blame if you never get away?
BUILDING THE HERD
Permission-based e-mail marketing can be a highly effective way to stay in touch with those guests who know and love you ... but first you have to know who they are and how to reach them. More important, you MUST have their expressed permission to do it. Contacting anyone without their prior approval is spamming and you will create a lot of ill will if you do it.
The most effective way to build up a database is probably a Birthday Club. Everybody has a birthday and it is the event that people are most likely to celebrate at a restaurant. When someone joins the birthday club, give them a free meal (free pizza, whatever) during their birthday month. Period. No conditions, no small print.
Be generous. This is not the place to try to save a buck. Besides, most people will come with a group and operators tell me that the per person check, even with the free meal, is usually higher than normal for these groups ... and of course you will sign up the rest of the group for the Birthday Club as well!
(If someone comes in alone on their birthday, be kind. They lead a sad, lonely life and need all the compassion you can muster!)
Here's the trick as far as building your database goes: On the sign up form, have a check box with this note: "Check here if you would like to receive notice of special promotions and insider events that will not be advertised to the general public."
People like to know things that others don't know, so the idea of being "in on a secret" is far more attractive than simply asking if they will give you permission to market to them. It shows that they will get some value for agreeing to receive your messages, making it more likely that they will agree ... and that they will open your e-mails. If they decline, DO NOT under any circumstances send them e-mail!
Then, of course, you have to deliver on your promise to let them in on unadvertised secrets and not make every message a sales pitch ... but more on that in a future issue.
THE RESTAURANT TOUR
Nectar Wine Bar, San Francisco
One of the most delightful evolutionary steps on the Internet is the ease with which you can now create streaming video. Wine Spectator has an extensive series of short features on and about wine that I recently discovered and I would like to turn you on to it.
When I lived in San Francisco, there was only one wine bar. Now there are dozens and their level of sophistication is impressive. It is always productive to visit different operations in different markets and see what sort of ideas you get. To save you airfare, here is a brief look at Nectar, one of the better SF wine bars. I hope you see some approaches you can (and will) adapt to fit your operation.
THE WOW SURVEY
The world does not need another place to eat! To keep from becoming lost in the crowd, you have to stand out from all the other dining choices.
This month we once again look at the WOW factor and how you are creating it in your restaurant. This has traditionally been the survey that gets the biggest response, probably because everyone wants to get a look at the results.
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 first massive WOW Ideas collection from June 2005.
Add your thoughts to the survey.
THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
"What did you learn from your staff today?"
I was reminded today, that people want direction. Some managers think that they are motivating their crew by saying, "You figure it out. Whatever you think." This is great if you have someone who has worked for you for a long time, knows what your expectations are, knows how to do a task and has proved that he or she makes good decisions.
However, for the poor soul who is uncertain about what direction to take or the frame work in which to make a decision, you have just made that person feel insecure, uncertain, unwilling to move forward - OR given them the green light to do something and make a decision based on what they did at other jobs. The result could be good or could be disastrous (to you, your business and the person's confidence and motivation).
We own a coffee shop that my stepdaughter runs. She has never been a manager before and is just learning. She asked an employee to come up with a catering menu and pricing because the person had worked with this at other jobs. When I was in there today I asked how things were going. The employee said she had been given this task but felt uncomfortable making pricing decisions because it is not her business and had not had time during the day to do anything on it. Hmmm.
I plan to work with her and my stepdaughter over the next few weeks one-on-one to figure out what is needed, how to do the costing and what is expected so she can complete this important task and get lots of positive feedback for her efforts. -- Natalie Milholland, Brew Ha! Espresso Café, Ossian, IN
There is a difference between delegation and abdication.
Never turn anyone loose unless they have been thoroughly coached or they may panic and fail. As a world-class manager, you want to make sure they are successful in their new work. Failure will not help anyone. You may want to do a job until you have mastered it before you turn it over to someone else. In some cases, where you know that you just do not have the temperament for a particular task, delegating it to someone who does may work out better for everyone. It is OK if your staff knows more than you do.
Don't delegate to people who don't want the responsibility.
Not everyone wants to advance and it is futile to force activity on someone who does not want it. If you have a history of successful transitions and people are comfortable that they won't be set up to fail, they will be more eager to take on something new -- particularly if you reward their achievement.
Reflect the new job responsibilities on the paycheck.
You have to deal with the question of "what's in it for me?" It is only fair to reflect someone's increased contributions to your profitability on their check. If you don't give for what you get you will not find many volunteers for new duties. Don't view delegation as increasing costs. Rather, see it as a way to break you loose to identify more ways of increasing revenue. Even if delegation does nothing other than give you time to have a life (!), any additional costs will be more than offset by your own increase in productivity.
Expect mistakes.
A "mistake" only shows you the extent of a person's understanding. We all slip a few times when taking on new challenges. Since no one likes to fail, making a big deal of an error will only destroy the desire to learn and add another "rule" to the book. Approach your job as a coach would ("This is good, that is good, let's work on this part now.") and you will do fine. Bear in mind that you, too, are also learning - in this case, learning how to delegate successfully -- and you should expect a mistake or two yourself as you learn how to do it effectively.
Listen.
Talk to your crew and really listen to what they are saying -- not necessarily with their words, but with their tone of voice and body language. Listening happens on a number of different levels. Clear your head, drop distractions, establish rapport, pay attention and be curious. If you can do that, you will instinctively ask the right questions at the right time and earn a reputation as a super coach.
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!)
© 2007 Restaurant Doctor