💡 A Tale of Two Businesses (Issue 125)
People remember how you make them feel
After this past weekend’s experiences, we’ll refer our friends to one business. We will probably also tell them to avoid the other one.
My wife and I just celebrated our anniversary with a trip to an ocean-side town. While we were there, we had some fantastic meals. Two dinners were at very nice restaurants, yet the experiences were quite different, even though both establishments knew we were celebrating our 34th.
There are some lessons here for your business venture.
The bad
One barely acknowledged our anniversary. Okay, that’s not a huge deal. But the dining experience wasn’t so great, either.
The first thing we noticed after being seated was a table of eight nearby. They were so loud (drunk and screaming with laughter) that we couldn’t hear each other speaking. A nearby couple kept staring at that table and looking at us with sad expressions. They were miserable, too.
The noise was a deal breaker for enjoying our anniversary.
So, we asked for our check to pay for the sparkling water and prepared to leave before ordering our meal. After telling them we were going, they finally offered to move us to a quieter location upstairs. Of course, they didn’t ask that rowdy table if they could stop shrieking and shouting. The surrounding patrons were all visibly annoyed, angry, and staring at the table.
So, was it worth losing nice tips and the future business of several tables of quiet customers to appease one table of loud drunks? You wouldn’t think so.
As we enjoyed our dinner later, they brought another couple upstairs to be seated next to us. The man was visibly irritated and angry about the noise and being forced to move.
Our server forgot one of our dishes but brought it later when reminded. The food was excellent, but the experience left us feeling disappointed. There were no special touches, even though they had asked what we might be celebrating when I made the reservation. They didn’t acknowledge that the noise may have made things unpleasant. They didn’t comp anything, either. I didn’t expect it, but it would have offset the negative issues.
“Hey, sorry about the noise and being forced to move. We comped your bottle of sparkling water.”
“Sorry that I forgot your dish. It’s on the house.”
“Happy anniversary! Here’s a dessert you might enjoy.”
So, we won’t be returning to this establishment. Also, we won’t recommend it to others.
The good
We visited a different restaurant the following evening. My daughter had a wonderful meal there a few years ago and recommended it. Yes, folks. Referrals are the lifeblood of small businesses.
This restaurant seated us with a smile and brought complimentary glasses of champagne to wish us a happy anniversary. Nice touch! They asked us how many years we’d been married.
They also brought us some gluten-free bread at no extra charge. I fully expected to be charged more since other restaurants always do that. But they did not. Again, that was a pleasant surprise.
The ambiance was better than the previous restaurant. We were able to have a quiet conversation and enjoy our meal.
Our server was super friendly and engaging. He made us feel special and asked more questions about our anniversary, our children, etc. We will most certainly return to this restaurant, and we will definitely recommend it to others.
Those little extra touches didn’t cost this restaurant much, and our generous tip made up for it. Our referrals and return business will be a nice ROI for their efforts to treat us with kindness.
Your business can do many things to make customers and clients feel special that cost very little (or nothing). The perks you provide will yield tremendous ROI in customer loyalty and referrals later.
People remember how you made them feel, whether good or bad. This will make all the difference in future business with them and their networks.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!
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Curious where you were for the good service? I’m guessing this was SC? And happy anniversary!