3 posts tagged “business”
I was traveling to Las Vegas recently and ate at Baja Fresh for lunch both days I was there. I like Baja Fresh restaurants. While not the most authentic Mexican food, it is healthy, fast and affordable, which are the three things I look for when I'm traveling on my own.
I was pleasantly surprised at the customer service I received at both restaurants. The first day I ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos but was informed that there was no fish. Bummer, but I was just as happy to order the shredded beef tacos. They are both good. The man behind the told me they were going to comp me my drink because they didn't have the fish I wanted. It wasn't necessary, as I wasn't that put out by having to order the beef, but I thought it was a nice gesture and thanked him. No big deal.
I do want to interject that I often take notice of good customer service and point it out to management whenever possible. It is fairly rare so it is easy to take note of it.
The next day I found myself again at Baja Fresh in Vegas. It was a different location on the other side of town. This time they had the Mahi Mahi, (I asked), so I ordered my tacos and sat down to wait. The asked my name when I placed the order, which is nothing unusual as they use it to let you know when your order is up. What did surprise me though was when I got up to leave. The man behind the counter called out, "Hey Steve, did you like your meal." "Yes", I answered. Then the staff took the time to tell me good-bye by name. I have never had that happen to me at a fast food restaurant. Again, it was a minor touch, but I took note of it and it made me feel good about my experience at Baja Fresh.
It got me to thinking about the essence of good customer service. What makes customer service good is the human touch. On both occasions I felt that they noticed and serviced me as an individual. They did not treat me like just another one of the long line of people they serve everyday. It made a difference and I will be going back.
Short post today. It's a holiday weekend with no kids!!! And while I will be working on my sites each day (that is important), there are other important parts of life.
A little story...
When Harmon Killebrew, who used to play for the Minnesota Twins, was a kid he was out playing catch with his father one night. It was getting late and his Mom yelled out that it was time for them to come inside and that they were ruining the grass. His Dad responded that they weren't done yet,and besides, they weren't in the business of raising grass, they were in the business of raising kids.
That story has always meant something to me. It shows that it is important to recognize your priorities in life and to spend time on them. Sometimes we lose sight of the really important things because we just get caught up.
Building my business is important, very important to me, but at the end of my life what really is important is the relationships I've built with my family and friends. That is why I am building a business in the first place.
Have a great holiday.
I will comment on everyone's blog as you update them.
Steve Chambers
Yesterday I posted about how important it is to spend your time and effort on worthy targets. Speaking of shooting at targets and hitting them, check out this amazing video:
Fastest and most accurate gun in the west
Today I am going to go on a bit of a rant about selling to customers. Why in the world do companies make it so difficult to sell things?
Did you ever see the movie, Zulu Dawn? No, not Zulu, which is also an excellent movie staring Michael Caine, but Zulu Dawn.
The movie showcases the Battle of Isandlwana, which was the last battle in which native forces defeated a much more advanced army, in this case the British Army...sorry David Power, renown hypnotist. I am not going to discuss the battle in detail.
In the movie the British base camp was attacked by a far larger force of Zulus. The Brits formed a laager, which is basically a circle, and used their superior firepower and weaponry to hold off the Zulu forces. The Zulus would charge forward and the British would mow them down.
Eventually the English front line started to run low on ammunition (there is that word again) and sent back runners to get more. What happened when they arrived at the supply wagons? It's a classic mistake that cost the British their army and often costs businesses profits.
The supply wagons refused to issue the ammunition for several reasons. One, the system wasn't set up to handle the volume needed. They couldn't get the ammo out of the boxes fast enough to meet customer needs. Secondly, the runners did not have the proper forms to requisition the ammunition. The supply personnel were interested in accounting for every round and therefore held up issuing the ammunition until it could be accounted for. Thirdly, the people involved in issuing supplies did not like having to supply the native troops. They were more concerned about keeping them in their place then in meeting the immediate needs. They failed for all these reasons.
We see something similar in business everyday. Businesses often make it hard for people to buy from them. Counterintuative? You bet. But it happens because people involved in the business lose sight of the goal, which is to sell products. Without a sale nothing happens. Sales is everything. Everything else is a cost. Managing costs and tracking inventory is important, but you, and your employees, never should lose sight of the prime objective...selling products at a profit.
Now go out and sell something.
