Blog

Providing pleasant surprises

Have you ever received an unexpected upgrade, a complimentary appetizer, or some other pleasant surprise when you were not expecting it? How did it make you feel? I bet you can recall many details from the experience—probably because you’ve reinforced them by sharing the story with others. Providing pleasant surprises

Read More »

Building loyalty through value at the LEGO® Store

My two oldest boys recently attended a cousin’s LEGO® Star Wars™ themed birthday party at the LEGO® Store. When they returned home, each was carrying a bright yellow LEGO party goodie bag and proudly wearing a LEGO name tag that had been personalized with his name. I asked them how

Read More »

Navigating the weeds

Sometimes, through no fault of your own, you find yourself overwhelmed by demanding customers who may feel entitled to immediate attention. Maybe a large tour group just arrived at your hotel or restaurant, or you’re short-staffed due to job vacancies, call-offs, or lean scheduling, and a line is forming… In

Read More »

Sell the sizzle, AND the steak!

I read a Wall Street Journal article this week by Timothy W. Martin titled, Choice Advice From Meat Cutters. The article highlighted the benefits of training butchers at leading supermarket chains to engage customers as a chef rather than as simply a meat cutter. The difference separates a memorable, customer-focused

Read More »

Function vs. Essence

Several years ago, I was out to dinner in Orlando with a colleague. At the time, she was the director of training at a large resort and convention hotel located near Disney World. Her hotel competed for group business head to head with Disney’s own hotels. If you have experienced

Read More »

A Tale of Two Twitties

Last May, I contacted a Twitter celebrity or Twitty (Twit + celebrity = Twitty) to see how I could go about buying ten signed copies of his latest book. My plan was to send a copy to every 1,000th follower of my Twitter updates with a note as a way

Read More »

Missed opportunities

Last week, my family and I traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to attend a family reunion. While in Lincoln, we stayed at a full service hotel downtown. When we arrived at the hotel, we unloaded several bags from our vehicle onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Minutes later, a

Read More »

Customer-unfriendly policies

I recently stayed at a full-service hotel in Scottsdale, AZ that offered a nice workout facility with treadmills and stationary bikes that faced a set of wall-mounted flat screen televisions. The audio for each television was accessed individually at the exercise equipment in order for each guest to listen to

Read More »
The Revelation Conversation

The Revelation Conversation is Here!