“Tips are to be Earned”

I recently read a story about a North Carolina waitress who lost her job at a pizza place after blowing off steam on her Facebook page about a $5 tip she got. The article does not mention the amount of the tab or anything about the service given. It does say that a couple sat at their table for three hours, causing her to work an hour later than scheduled.
On more than a few occasions I have had a server explain that he or she was getting off work, and would like to settle the tab, and start a new one with another server. That’s understandable.

Attitudes Show

Is it possible that this server showed “attitude” instead and thus “earned” the small tip? It’s hard to say. The restaurant has a company policy banning workers from complaining about customers or making the resturant look bad on a social network, so the firing was apparently in order.
I see a few good things to remember in this story:
-The customer is always right.
-Tips are gratuities given by customers based on the level of service they feel was provided.
-Employees should be aware of and follow company policies.
-Badmouthing a customer publicly is stupid.
-Anger is one letter short of danger.

Contemplate:
When researching successful people to write Think and Grow Rich, Napolian Hill discovered that they all practiced what he labeled “R2A2.” Whenever ANYTHING comes up on their life’s screen, they see it as a “lesson”, and they RECOGNIZE the principle within it, RELATE that principle back to their own life or business, then ASSIMILATE what they just learned, and finally APPLY it.
Recognize
Relate
Assimilate
Apply
When you practice R2A2 you learn and grow all day every day as a result of the things you encounter.
There are lessons EVERYWHERE for ANYONE and EVERYONE. You just need to think positively as you encounter the “Stuff of Life.”

The Big “O”
At my Success Rally this morning with the KumuKit Sales Team, I asked for a show of hands of those that recall hearing about R2A2. Kauanoa (”O”) instantly shot his big arm up higher than any one, so I asked him to share it with the team, and he nailed it perfectly. Not so coincidentally, he leads the way in terms of total sold and installed solar systems out of a team of 36 salespeople. It is not unusual to see the best people also among the most eager to learn something new.

“Dumb it Down”
On my way to the meeting this morning I stopped in at the Starbucks in Waikele for a cup of coffee. While paying for it I noticed the bags of beans and asked if they had any that were already ground. The friendly barista behind the counter said, “I can grind them for you here.” I said, “Great, I’ll take them.” He then asked me what type of coffee maker I have at home and I drew a blank. As I stood there staring at him he stared back and I asked why he needs to know that. He said, “Because it makes a difference how fine we grind the coffee.” Well, because I don’t know, I decided not to get the coffee beans because I needed to find that out first, I surely didn’t want to leave with the wrong product. About that time his coworker stepped up, looked at me and put her hands in the form of a V and said “Is your strainer V-shaped like this or a flat one like this?” as she put her fingertips pointing to each other, making her palms flat. I told her it was V-shaped; she smiled and turned around to grind the beans for me. I then said to her male counterpart, “The lesson here is to dumb it down for your customer, we have not been to coffee making school.” He understood, and said, “I will remember that.”
Coincidently, my purpose this morning at the KumuKit Success Rally was to talk about the importance of explaining some of the terrific new technology that was being introduced in a way that the customer will understand it. Practicing R2A2, I sat down to drink my coffee, and completely re-wrote my notes for this morning. My message to the sales team was reduced to, “To gain customer confidence; know it well and then dumb it down for your customer.”
In an automobile television commercial, they don’t take you on a tour under the hood and into the engine to see how the pistons are moving in the engine.  Instead they show you someone driving through a beautiful tropical forest with the windows down, their hair blowing and huge smiles on their face as the car gracefully goes around turns and then slowly disappears off into the sunset.
Get it?

Running a Tight Ship
Jay Tiposo manages the warehouse and delivery team at Rapport International Furniture on La Brea Blvd. on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. On Friday evening I had the pleasure of meeting with Jay’s complete team. It was at the end of their work day on a Friday night, but they willingly listened to my message, which was to visualize the faces of the satisfied customers who are anticipating the delivery of the furniture they bought. When buried in the warehouse hauling boxes, assembling furniture and loading trucks it’s easy to forget the real reason for it all.
Customers that have been shopping for months finally find the right piece and then suddenly want it NOW! Salespeople, eager to make the sale are tempted to promise the unreasonable and then the burden of that promise lands on the backs of the delivery team to fulfill the promise. These guys are the unsung heroes that sweat all day to make everyone happy.

Sell, Sell, Sell!!!

On Saturday morning I met with the sales team and congratulated them on having the best month ever in a store that’s been there since 1946. Record sales mean record deliveries for a company that does it all in house to assure that it’s done right.

Join the KGB
In Success Made Easy I challenge readers to “Join the KGB” and then jokingly point out that I am not referring to the legendary Russian Terrorist Organization. It simply means to constantly KEEP GETTING BETTER. The better you do, the more difficult it is to do better, but by having that attitude you find ways to do so.

I spent the entire day with the owners and managers plotting and planning on how to KEEP GETTING BETTER - KGB!

Party Time
The last sale of the day was a $3,500 sofa sectional and coffee table to two Hollywood Hills residents that were shopping late for a Grammy Party on Sunday. They insisted on a Saturday night delivery and got approval from the salesperson. Unreasonable? Yes; Impossible? No.
The warehouse closed at 5:15 PM. At 6 PM the customer called asking when the delivery will be made.

The warehouse, delivery team had gone home for the day, ready to spend Saturday evening with their families. But, when the owner called on Mynor Garcia and Juan Vega, they returned to the warehouse, loaded the truck and headed out to make the delivery.

Going the Extra Mile

It was dark as the owner and I were leaving the building. We heard some cheering and saw the company truck backing into its parking place with Mynor and Juan smiling from ear to ear and giving up high fives as they told us how good it felt to see how happy the customers were to get that furniture. I don’t think that they will ever forget how good they felt, and we talked about it all through dinner and on the ride back to my hotel. YES; it’s all about satisfied customers; they make it all worth while.

MORE:

Great customer service always pays off. Here is a another recent example of great service and the payoff by and for this great company:

Dear Peter,

     Thank you so much for your service.  I know it was all a bit of a hassle for you but it was definitely the right thing and we are extremely pleased with the couch exchange.  It turns out that Nick was right, there are color differences as well as texture differences in the sectionals and we could clearly see that when they were all outside in the light.  So we went ahead and accepted both sections, willingly.  It was that exact floor model we first saw at La Brea, and we actually like the color of this one even better, in our home.  We also noticed other slight places of damage on the cushions of the original one (same chase lounge section only), once we had it  outside in the light, which leads me to believe that it wasn’t your delivery guys that damaged it in the first place, but someone or something between Italy and your store.  I’m sure that is a hard thing to determine.   Anyway, we are thrilled with the new one, its color, and we have already purchased two new lamps from you since then (the “Z ” desk lamp and yesterday,  the Natuzzi floor lamp that rises up and floats over the couch in a semi-circle).  I must tell you that this lamp is BEYOND beautiful with this couch.  Alison is over the moon about it, as am I.

WE have Rapport in every room of the house except the kitchen and bathrooms, and again, I thank you for your excellent taste, diversity, and kindness.  Alison and I very grateful for all that and will be back in your store shortly to continue furnishing our new home.

Sincerely,

Chuck McCaughan

OH NO!!!
My beloved 27″ iMAC Solid State computer opened up like this right after the Super Bowl game ended. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with the power outage and game delay in New Orleans yesterday. My better senses told me that was not likely, so I simply shut down and re-started. It is amazing how many things that process will fix. Well, the same thing happened again, so I shut it down again re-started it again, and the same thing happened again. After doing this two or three more times, Einstein’s quote of insanity popped into my head:
Insanity; “Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”
-Albert Einstein

SO SAD!

This was especially troubling to me, because I have an upcoming trip to California later this week, and more than a small amount of preparation to do, much of which would require some of the information buried in this computer. And since I had an early morning success rally in Honolulu, and knew I might be rushed, I wrapped it in “swaddling clothes,” and took it down to my car immediately and laid it in the backseat. I then went online and booked an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar the following morning. Next was laying awake all night figuring out how I was going to be able to replace what was in that computer and be able to do what I do every day on my MacBook Air throughout the week. Much (but not all) of the information in that computer is also on iCloud, so I would also have it on my MacBook Air, and my iPad Mini. Realizing that reduced a fair amount amount of the stress I was feeling. I also have everything backed up on an external hard drive, so in the worst case scenario I would be able to load it all back into a new computer. Realizing that reduced even more stress. Sometimes when you are in a stressful situation your mind just doesn’t think of all the possibilities.

Geniuses Galore:

However, when I arrived for my genius bar appointment, the stress began to come back. The person who greeted me was very short and snappy. Her opening comment was, “We will get to you as soon as we can, and you only have 15 minutes. If you need more than that you will have to make an additional appointment.” I thought to myself, “That’s not the Apple way. Steve Jobs would have rolled over in his grave had he heard that.” I actually said, “Hey be nice.” She quipped back, “Well, we are very busy.” I wanted to tell her that I am busy too, but instead I just said, “I’m sorry so many people are having so many problems with their Apple products.” My sarcastic comment did not faze her at all, she just walked off to another customer. The truth is I have had nothing but positive results since switching to Mac, and I was able to think of so many better things that she could have said at that moment. But however the stress was getting to her.

The Diagnosis:

THE MEDICINE:

“STUFF HAPPENS!”
At this point the “Genius” told me that my Apple Care warranty is still in effect, so there won’t be a charge, but my computer may or may not come back with all of my information still in it. He asked me if that would be okay, and I said, “Of course not, however if that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is.” I then went on to tell him that I have written five books and in my first one, SUCCESS MADE EASY there’s a chapter entitled “Stuff Happens.” Just telling him that reminded me of the philosophy in the chapter, and all of my stress went away.

Maui No Ka Oi

The evening started out with this magnificent view from Front St. in Lahaina.

Family

Next was the arrival of my “Maui Family” consisting of son Michael, Daughter-in-law, Sarah and 9 year old Grandson Kevin. We had dinner reservations in a fancy new Lahaina restaurant. Everyone was excited. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there.  

Too Long

We felt that waiting a full hour without our entrees was too long. I was as hungry as a bear, so I flagged down the waitress and asked her what’s taking so long. She said, “It’s because he (pointing to my son) ordered a Beef Wellington which takes an hour to cook.”  We were all shocked. Michael told her that if she had told us that up front he would have ordered something different. He felt horrible for holding us all up. She then said that it’s still going to be “a while.” Michael said, “No way” and ordered something different; a New York Steak. She said, “Okay, we’ll get that out right away.”

Still Waiting

20 Minutes later we were still waiting, and the manager brought us each a bowl of tomato soup as an apology. The soup was sour, but I appreciated the gesture. In about 20 minutes they ceremoniously delivered our dinners. She told Michael that the cook would pay for his steak. My squash ravioli was tasteless, and Michael’s steak was burned to a crisp. I pushed the ravioli aside and she carried it off with no comment. Michael retrieved her and said that his steak is burned and that “turning it over and covering it with Bar-B-Q sauce” was not an appropriate solution to fix it.  I told her to just bring me a the check.

Eat Anyway

Meanwhile and Sarah Kevin were eating away at their chicken and fish. After eating some of Kevin’s fish, Michael called the manager over and “unloaded on her.” He told her that they should make this disastrous meal complimentary. She just stared at him. I interrupted and said, “Just give me the check, it’s not about the money.”  She then said, “We will comp it,” and stormed off.

Attitudes Show

On the walk to the car we talked extensively about how much better the entire thing could have been handled. It was nice of her to “comp it,” but she undid the nicety in the way she did it. Had she just apologized, offered the “comp” and said, “We hope you will give us another chance in the future” we just might. Maybe she thought we were just “tourists” and wouldn’t be back anyway. We are not and we won’t.

Anything for the Customer

I stopped at the Le Jardin Smoothie shop at the Hyatt Waikiki to check my e-mail following a presentation nearby.
Le Jardin owner Ellen Poon whipped up a great fresh vegetable juice drink. It was delicious. She asked me if I would like to have something to eat, and I told her that I would be going out to dinner soon. She said, “How about a piece of toast (on the house) to hold you over until dinner?” When I said, “Okay,” she asked, “White or whole wheat?” I asked for the whole wheat.
A moment later she returned saying, “We are out of whole wheat.” I told her that I really didn’t really need it, and she said, “Okay, I’ll give you a rain check.” A few minutes later Ellen appeared with two nice pieces of whole wheat toast, and said, “This bread is about as fresh as you can get.” I was shocked. She actually sent someone running to get some whole wheat bread to fulfill her commitment to me.
Well, guess where I will be grabbing smoothies, juices and sandwiches from now on when I am in Waikiki. Service Sells! Stop by and meet Ellen; you will be glad you did.

Why Do You Ask?
Salespeople and yes, even Starbucks clerks should always listen to their customers.  I seem to be picking on the coffee houses these days, but that’s just where these things happen.
I asked a Starbucks clerk at Kahala Mall the other day for two cups of coffee, one small and one medium. He prompty asked me, “Room for cream?” I said, “Yes please.” Then when I removed the tops from the cups I found no room for cream and thus poured some of that high priced coffee into the rubbish. This happens all the time. Maybe they are being generous, in case all I want is a thimbal of cream, but I sense it is more a matter of asking the question perfuntorally and not listening to the answer.

No Choice
When I was in the Air Force, back in 19… Oh well a long time ago. We used to laugh at the chow hall cooks serving breakfast. They would scoop two eggs on to the spatula, then look you in the eyes and ask, “How do you want your eggs?” and then slip them onto your plate as they were, regardless of your answer. I’d like to think of Starbucks as a bit more evolved than that, but…

Evolution
There is one thing that I salute Starbucks for. Back in July of 2010 they announced that they would have free wifi access at all company owned stores. Good Move!

What’s Next?
Then recently they added an App for my iPhone where I can pay with a click. I can load as much money as I want into the app, my purchase is immediately deducted and I get a new balance. I can also reload the app whenever I want to right from my iPhone. I load $100 at a time and cannot help but wonder if I was spending that much at Starbucks before they made it so easy.

Long History

I was asked recently about my “service attitude” and where I got it. I dug up blog post from a couple of years ago to answer the question. As I read it I decided to re-post it for my new followers to read. I hope you enjoy it along with the comments.
My father, pictured above (on the left) with his early partner, ingrained it in me. He owned several small meat markets inside local grocery stores, and I grew up raking the sawdust and scraping the butcher blocks. I don’t credit that experience with my vegetarianism, but I did learn a lot about hard work and customer service.
Dad, Marty as he was known, loved chatting with housewives about the meal they were going to prepare that evening. I never saw him cook, but you wouldn’t know that from the way he described menu possibilities which led to large purchases and happy customers. They loved his suggestions and credited him with the successful dinner they had the night before.
Those were simpler times; it was in the late 40’s and early 50’s, before fast food and self service. I remember when Market Basket opened a huge new modern store with the first self serve meat counter featuring packaged meats. Dad was recruited to run the meat department. He sold our house in Santa Monica and we moved to Lynwood, California into our fancy new home. Dad was very excited about this great opportunity, but he wasn’t there long before he began to hate the job. He complained about being stuck behind a glass wall packaging meat and being out of contact with the customers. Within a year he quit the job and bought a small meat counter in a local market where he could do what he loved; service customers.
That’s it; those are my roots.
NOTE: Dad never believed that I had really become a vegetarian in the 60’s, but that’s another story.

It Only Takes One
I continue to hear people “crying the blues”, claiming that people are worried about the economy and not shopping. All you need to do is take a walk through Ala Moana Shopping Center or Waikiki just about any day and you can see evidence to the contrary. It’s the old “half glass of water” thing; how do you see it; half full or half empty? Those seeing it half empty will be “chicken little” busy looking for places to cut expenses in areas where the optimistic will be spending more and thus passing up their competition.
I received e-mail the other day from an AT&T manager who had just read Success Made Easy upon returning to Hawaii from Europe. This is part of what she said:

“Aloha Ron,
Thank you so much for your kind offer to deliver Success Made Easy to the airport before I left. I received it when I arrived home and was able to read most of the book over the weekend. I hope to finish it tonight. I will be recommending this book in my Selling for Success class tomorrow. Reading every day for personal and professional improvement is mandatory for me, and I include this philosophy in my classes. I love the story about Bill Wyland hoping the tough economic times last longer so that he can get all of his competitor’s good locations. That is classic Bill.”

Apple Mania
Perhaps the strongest evidence of all that people are spending money can be seen just about any day or night by peering into the Apple Store where the prices are high, the lines are long and the service is terrific. The Apple iPhone5 was just released for pre-order and they sold out within the first hour, and Apple’s stock skyrocketed.

Great Customer Service
Here is a good one from the archives complete with earlier comments:
I recently downloaded Skype Pro on to my computer so that I can make unlimited long distance calls for a mere $3 a year. Upon testing it, I found that my desk top microphone had background noise that made for poor reception. I then ordered a $30 head set on line, and paid an added $20 bucks for overnight delivery. That was good for a few calls and then it stopped working. A few years ago that would have been the end of Skype for me, but I have grown to be a lot more patient. Upon testing I determined that the microphone in my head set was faulty. I didn’t want to wait for a new one, so I decided to try a different microphone from my digital recorder only to discover that the battery was dead. I headed over to Radio Shack to replace the battery.
I was greeted immediately upon entering the store and asked a few key questions. Joelle then led me to the battery that I needed, sold me a spare as well and upon listening to my story showed me a top of the line head set and microphone designed to work with Skype. I walked out happy having spent $90 plus.
I got back to my office and was thrilled with the performance of my new head set, but upon setting up my digital recorder I noticed the lapel clip was missing. I called Radio Shack. To my delight a human answered the phone.  I asked for Joelle. She had gone for the day, but Verra listened to my story, looked about for my clip and returned to say that she couldn’t find it, but if I came to the store they would give me a replacement lapel clip. I did and they did, all with a smile. I asked for the manager’s name and she gave me Rose Yu’s card. I was impressed. I’ll be back to Radio Shack.