Are Your Salespeople Like Restaurant Staff?

The topic for this month’s blog and newsletter is “What it means to serve.” Beginning with the pandemic and continuing into the present, customer service has become quite “iffy.” Let’s take a fresh look at returning our commercial world to consistent, quality customer service.

Let’s now ask a direct question: Are your salespeople like restaurant staff?

Describing Restaurant Staff

In our last article, we discussed the fact that despite all the online shopping and ordering happening today, people are still going out to eat in many places. On a given weekend evening, you’ll find many eating establishments totally packed. Why are people going out when, during the pandemic, they became so used to ordering food online and having it delivered?

We gave a documented example of Olive Garden—customers rave about their service, and that company is leading the way in terms of restaurant profit today. When a business or establishment makes people feel welcome, they will not only enjoy their current experience but also keep coming back.

In a non-restaurant example, we cited Apple stores. Walk by an Apple store in your local mall and notice how many people are lined up to get in. People love going there, even though they might pay top dollar for the products and services.

As we also documented, when service is terrible, the restaurant is empty. This is also true of a business—people don’t like patronizing an establishment when they don’t feel welcome. As an experiment, try walking into a store or restaurant where you see few to no customers. See how you are treated. Chances are, you’ll find that they treat you nonchalantly or offhandedly, as if you don’t really matter. Salespeople or staff are just “doing their job.”

Creating a Similar Environment

What about your business? Are you making prospects and customers feel welcome?

If you perceive that your prospects and customers aren’t quite feeling welcome—if they seem to shy away when you try to help them, for example—go out and sit in a few restaurants where it’s apparent patrons are happy to be there. Look at how the wait and service staff behave toward them. You’ll see that the employees are going out of their way to make customers happy and feel welcome and wanted. Make a note of precisely what they do and how they behave. You’ll find that they cheerfully welcome people in, treat them with respect, make sure to service them and bring them exactly what they order. After customers have been there for a bit, they’ll then take the time to ask how their meals are and if they need anything else.

Now, carry what you have observed back to your business. Compare what you’ve seen at restaurants to how your staff treat prospects and customers. If customers haven’t felt welcome in your establishment, you’ll need to make adjustments. Create a campaign with your staff to treat prospects and customers well, to make them feel welcome and serviced.

As a side note, if you have any trouble with employees who resist taking on this attitude and persist in treating customers as if they don’t matter, get rid of those employees. Although you might have to go through some effort to replace them, they’re harming your business. Having them there, just because you’ve got the position filled, is just making things worse.

Get your salespeople behaving like restaurant staff in establishments that customers flock to. Implement this policy even if you only do business on the phone or online. You’ll see a drastic difference.

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