March 4, 2023
Vail, Colorado
“No! You can’t sit up front here. It’s against the rules.”
(Can’t read the full email – click here for the online version.)
Have you noticed the proliferation of requests and expectations of tips, where they don’t seem warranted?
Take self-service cafés and cafeterias for instance.
You stand in line to give your order. Then you wait for your name to be called,
and then go to another counter, pick it up and either sit down to consume it or take it out.
But before you receive your order, before you even know if the service will be good, you pay. Here, there is either a “tip jar” with a cute saying to entice you
leave some cash or worse, the electronic machine, which they hand to you with the minimum suggested tip sometimes starting at 18%!!
For what?
The worry of course, is that if you do not tip, “adequately”, something bad may be done to your order, without your knowledge. It’s all very disquieting.
It feels all
too much like an entitlement thing. “I’m serving you so you must tip me – a lot. Regardless of the quality of service I give you.”
Does that seem right to you? If your business has this kind of activity
going on, do you think your customers like it?
At the timeshare we stay at here in Vail, they have a shuttle that takes you close to the lifts, so you don’t have to drive your car. It’s one the reasons my parents purchased a two-week share, way back in the
70’s.
Some mornings, the bus can be packed, with many folks having to stand.
When one passenger asked if he could sit up in the front passenger seat, he was told, quite rudely, that it wasn’t allowed. This particular driver always seemed a little angry. Perhaps it was because very few people were putting dollar bills into his tip basket.
The observation I make is, what did he do, (or is he doing) to deserve a tip?
Case in point.
At the back of these shuttles, is a “basket” to put your skis or board in. But it is quite high off the ground, with a higher chain, to prevent equipment from falling out.
Many of the skiers and riders are older folks and it is difficult for them to lift their skis into and out of this carriage.
While waiting at the village one day for our shuttle, I watched the same scene take place, with
every shuttle van, from all the different accommodations. Only once did I see the driver, get out of his vehicle, and help a guest with their equipment.
That guy deserves the tip.
Why is it, all the others believe they deserve one too?
A couple of lessons here.
Firstly, as a business owner, be careful who you hire. Look for people who understand what customer service really is and who already have the mindset to go above and beyond what is expected.
Number two: reward behavior that elicits good reviews and testimonials from your customers and be prepared to replace employees who do not.
Until next week,
Stay healthy and focus on profit!
- Hugh
The “Profit Accelerator” Expert
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