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“No problem” and other communication faux pas

Language, it seems, has become pretty casual in many customer service settings. I’ve had waiters refer to me as “man” and hear “no problem” from frontline employees, as well as their supervisors, in a variety of situations. We can all think of alternatives to referring to a customer as “man”

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Because of You, my limo ride was memorable!

I had worked a full day in Washington, D.C. and then flew to Detroit for a presentation the following morning. I arrived late at the airport in Detroit and as I exited the terminal with my bags at around midnight, was confronted by a number of aggressive limo drivers. I

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Expressing genuine interest pays off

There is a restaurant in my neighborhood named Wine Experience Café & World Cellar. This restaurant is unique in that two-thirds of the space is used as a bar area and dining room and the other third is used as a liquor and wine store. The owner, Eldon Larson, had

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Sincere and specific compliments influence customers

A good friend of mine, Shawn, travels nearly every week with his job as a regional sales manager for a large technology company.  Shawn is a member of United Airline’s Mileage Plus frequent flyer program and recently achieved its elite status, 100K (which recognizes 100,000 actual flight miles traveled within

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Unique knowledge drives more sales

Consider the job knowledge that is expected from a typical waiter at a fine dining restaurant. For instance, he or she might be expected to know the menu items well in terms of ingredients, sauces, substitutions—that sort of thing. The waiter would also be expected to know about aspects of

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Unique knowledge drives sales

A couple of years ago, I was shopping for a garment bag for my wife. Her job required travel and her current bag was showing serious signs of wear and tear. I stopped into one of those mall luggage stores and the salesperson showed me a black Tumi garment bag.

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A sale is born

Earlier today I stopped by my local Safeway supermarket. I was picking up the necessary ingredients to make a pretty unoriginal meal: spaghetti and meat sauce. Deciding it might be interesting to surprise my family with a unique twist on a common meal—in our household anyway—I looked at the seasoning

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