The things we learned in Kindgergarten

Full disclosure here...I didn't attend kindergarten, but I was lucky enough to have parents who taught me these things anyway.

Numerous books and articles highlight the things we learned as children, and how important it is to use them everyday when dealing with your customers. However, spend a day going shopping and out to lunch and you will find that there are a number of people who did not read the books and articles, so let's have a refresher.

In kindergarten, we learned to say please and thank you, say hello and goodbye. We learned proper manners, to smile, and to be nice. The question you need to be asking yourself as a manager or business owner is, “are your people following through with those simple gestures?”

If they are, good for you...if they are not, you have a problem.

I am amazed how many times I go into a store and instead of a warm greeting; I am ignored. One store in particular, I had to wait until the two people behind the counter finished their conversation about the weekend before I was waited on.....I still didn't get a greeting...just a stare and they waited for me to start the conversation.

Don't get me wrong, it's not important that it was me...it is important because I am a customer. Customers spend money….employees will end up with some of that money in their paychecks. The more customers, the better the chance the paycheck has of growing.

Bottom line... how are your customers being treated? Do you only judge your employees performance when you are around? If so, what are the odds that your staff acts differently when you are not around? Do you have a secret shopper (s) set up?

Everything you do for your business comes down to the moment the customer comes into the store...make them feel good and you will be surprised how well your business will do. Treat them as an interruption...you will be saying things such as...my advertising doesn't work or the chamber is not getting the people here or some other excuse.

By the way, if you do have employees that make your customers feel special, you had better take care of them -- they are becoming a minority. Have a great day...it's the best one God will give you today.

LOOKOUT SALES PITCH: I have developed a customer service talk that teaches your employees, in a broad sense, about the history of the area and at the same time talks about better customer service. If you are interested, contact me at passionatelyspeaking@centurytel.net