Today’s guest blogger is Scott McKain. He has proven that the concepts he presents actually work in the real world! He is the co-founder of the Value Added Institute, (a “think tank” exploring the role of customer experiences in creating enhanced client loyalty and revenue for visionary organizations), and the author of three #1 business bestsellers, including his latest: “Collapse of Distinction; Stand Out & Move Up While Your Competition Fails” — as well as “ALL Business is Show Business” and “What Customers REALLY Want.”
Sitting on a Delta flight from Vegas back home (finally!) to Indianapolis via Cincinnati…
…and, it occurred to me that the hotel where we stayed may not know why we chose them from all of the myriad of available properties in this economy in Vegas.
It was Colin.
When a staff member doesn’t want to be there, the customer won’t desire to be, either.
When I lived there, Colin always parked my car. He remembered my wife’s name and mine without fail. He always took great care of us — but, more importantly — he always seemed to care about us. When Sheri’s health was failing, he would always go out of his way to assist her — and when he learned she had passed, he wiped tears from his eyes.
So…how could I stay anywhere else? It was great to see him yesterday and get caught up on each others’ lives.
But, what I’m wondering now is — after all that the now-bankrupt Station Casinos have spent on remodeling and promoting their Green Valley Ranch property — if they know the real difference there is Colin?
I’m not certain they do. It’s easier to remodel a restaurant or casino (or other business) than manage the staff. Which is why so many with beautiful decors are struggling. The servers inside fill your glass, but empty your spirit.
When a staff member doesn’t want to be there, the customer won’t desire to be, either. Thanks again, Colin, for reminding me that customer loyalty is driven by personal connections.
For more information on Scott McKain, visit his official web site at: http://ScottMcKain.com
What do you think? Do you take good care of your employees so they’ll take care of your customers? Do you support and encourage personal relationships with your staff and customers?
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This is a great post and absolutely true, in any context. My husband and I dine out a lot-nothing fancy, we frequent many local restaurants. The places we return to again and again are the places where people know our names, ask how we’re doing and genuinely seem interested in providing great service. There’s a little, kind of run-down coney island that we love because of the waitresses. And then there are places we’ll never go back to because the staff so clearly don’t care and don’t want to be there. I’m sure the managers/owners have no idea how much those people are costing them.