At your business would you like your customers to keep coming back to buy from you?
When my husband and I visit Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina our favorite place to eat is “Eat and Get the Hell Out”, Bob’s Grill. They serve breakfast and lunch. The service is excellent. Our waitress smiled, was courteous and attentive, asked what we wanted to order and very promptly we received it.
Their slogan “Eat and Get the Hell Out” was developed when local customers, “lollygagging locals” as they are called, enjoyed continuing to sit and talk when others were waiting to get in.
It was a fun atmosphere that felt like home. The short time we were waiting for our meal we browsed the logo tee shirts with “Eat and Get the Hell Out”, with surf boards on looked at the clothing, hats, and mugs.
What was so special about our experience at Bob’s Grill, “Eat and Get the Hell Out”?
The wait staff and check out staff were smiling, were polite, made eye contact, asked us questions like they really cared about the answers. It’s all about having a fun experience so your customers want to continue doing business with you because they enjoyed their experience.
What does every person want and how do you connect with people?
Every person wants to be treated with kindness, respect, curtesy, and compassion. They want to feel they are important and that they matter. They want to know you care about them and are interested in them. So, ask them questions about what they want and need.
Mindy Stearns (Chief Kindness Officer at Kind Lending) says, “We could all use a little extra kindness, and leaders are better placed than most to spread it.”
“Mindy defines being kind as making an active choice to put someone else first and make their life better in some way. In contrast, being nice is more superficial—it’s leaning on pleasantries, rather than pushing yourself to make real change.”
She continues, “At the end of the day, people just want to feel like they matter—like their existence is important. It’s important for me to make sure our employees know how much they matter, because without them, this wouldn’t exist.”
Mindy Stearns summarizes kindness: “It has been proposed that kindness has three main facets: considering the feelings of others, having everyday acceptance, courtesy and love towards others and behaving honorably towards them. Kindness is also closely related to compassion and altruism.”
When I first called M.D. Express for an appointment the operator was helpful, polite, courteous, asked questions, and made an appointment for us. She wanted to help us! She told us to call when we arrived in their parking lot and said we would be waiting a while.
We waited in the parking lot with over 20 other cars of patients to see the medical staff. It did take a while, but we had our kindle books to read in the car while we waited the 45 minutes. When it was our turn, they made the experience a good one. The doctors and staff members made eye contact with us, smiled, were respectful, polite, helpful, asked questions, showed sincerity, and checked a few vitals.
What was so special about the experience at M.D. Express?
The medical staff listened, they showed compassion, they cared, were respectful, and they made us feel that we were important and we mattered.
When you speak to someone, even standing 6 feet apart, look them in the eyes and show respect and curtesy.
Contrast this with our experience at a Covid care testing facility that was virtually empty, where they had you fill out a 20-minute questionnaire, and they were rude, nasty, and treated you with disrespect. It was not the 45 minutes wait to take the test that bothered us, it was the rudeness and disrespect.
It’s all about having good experiences. Not a frightening one!
What does every person want and how do you connect with people?
Every person wants to be treated with kindness, respect, curtesy, and compassion. They want to feel they are important and that they matter. They want to know you care about them and are interested in them. So, ask them questions about what they want and need.
To connect with others treat them just as you would like to be treated. Show others respect, appreciation, care about them, listen and ask questions.
It’s all about having good experiences. It’s all about having a fun experience so your customers want to continue doing business with you because they enjoyed their experience.
Run your business with respect, kindness and if possible, make it fun not frightening!
Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com
