Short Lesson Series
More Customer Traffic
In The Dining Out Business
Be Responsive To Customer’s Desires
Reading time under 2-minutes
Lesson 5
Technology changes but people do not change. The basic requirements are truth, honesty and good service. If you provide good service your customers will return. If your work is unsatisfactory you must do something to compensate. At least apologize and offer a different food or a free dessert or something.
A happy customer will tell 5 others. An angry customer will tell 20 others. That is the “rule of thumb.” Apparently it has proven true and is often repeated.
Permit me to tell you a story.
Lately, I was shopping for antiviral software for my personal computer and one company “Total AV” made a promise and their sales letter implied that I would get their product for a very low price. I wondered at it, but there was no further information about additional payments.
The next month I was billed I think $8 and I wrote and asked what this was and no one would answer me. I wrote again and asked, “How much money am I paying and how many payments will I be making.” Again there was no reply.
Finally, I cut them off and ordered my bank to stop paying them. Suddenly a man wrote to say, “We want you to come back as a customer.” I wrote to him. There was no reply. Now I have a constant reminder coming to me that they want me to continue with them. It’s never going to happen. In fact, I might tell a few hundred people about this incident through this email!
If your dim sum tastes bad or is too soft or too hard, or the waiter does a bad job, or the bathroom is dirty, someone is going to be upset. If you don’t do something to make that customer happy he’ll be eating someone else’s dim sum next week and telling his friends his story! Don’t let that happen. You know what to do. At least ask, “What can I do to make things right? What do YOU think is fair?” You’ll usually get an honest reasonable response. Even if it’s just, “We sat down at a dirty table” DO SOMETHING! Do something to make that customer happy. At least say, “I’m sorry you had that experience. I will speak to the head waiter about it.”
This applies to every business I know.
I’m honest with my clients. I do my best to OVER-deliver. I want you to get MORE than you paid for, so you’ll tell friends, “He really does keep his promises.” If I keep my promises I’m confident you’ll continue with me for many years. If you are good to your customers I’m confident they will return to you for many years too.
This eating idea is a trend. I don’t expect the world to stop eating any time soon, so I recommend you continue doing a great job, over-deliver, and make customers very, VERY happy.
Speaking of “responsive” all of my website is using the most modern technology and is compatible with all modern small instruments, including Smart Phones. I’m ready for you. The potential new customers are ready for you.
Are YOU ready for more of them?
Info Letters and Traffic Getting Archive
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