I Want Super, Not Visor

"Tell the customers to hold on, I need you to go to gate 28."

That's what I heard come across the walkie-talkie as I stood there in disbelief, across the gate counter, while attempting to board an earlier flight from San Francisco to Charlotte. And then she ran away!

Pauline, the supervisor for US Airways, just ran away. No words, no motions, no acknowledgement. No nothing. She just ran off to gate 28, leaving me to ponder: How was Pauline a supervisor?

Pauline was not a supervisor of superior employees.
Pauline was not a supervisor of superior positive attitude.
Pauline was not a supervisor of superior customer service.
Pauline was not super.
Pauline was only a visor.

I had just facilitated three full-day YES! Attitude trainings earlier that week, so my sense of YES! was at full force. From the moment I walked into SFO, I was greeted with US Airways employees (Nora, Jean, and Pauline) who were full of won't, can't, will not, don't wanna, don't care.

In the YES! course I teach how to start with what CAN be done, not what you can't.

Newsflash - customers don't want to hear about all the ways you can't help them, or your company policies (which, by the way, only tick us off more), or anything else that you are trained to say that ISN'T about being friendly and helpful.

Newsflash - customers want people who understand how to be human and treat them as they would want to be treated. Yes, everything we ever needed to learn about being a good person, a positive person, a helpful person, we gleaned from our mothers and kindergarten.

Newsflash - when a customer asks to speak to a supervisor, they are most likely not happy (when was the last time you asked for a supervisor to praise their employee?). If I'm seeking out a supervisor it's probably because the employee I was working with wasn't too super and I'm hoping you will be superior and super.

What does it take to be a superior supervisor?

1. Focus On The Super. The definition of super is to be very good or pleasant; excellent. I love that the word pleasant is in the definition. So infrequently people realize that friendly trumps nearly anything. Be nice to me and you win. Be helpful with me and you win. Be accommodating instead of combative and YOU WIN. To focus on the super, you have to be excellent in attitude, friendly, service, and communicating.

2. Avoid The Visor. The definition of a visor is a shield or protection of the face and eyes. Most supervisors focus solely on the visor part of their title. They are a shield or protector of their company, NOT the customer. They are the person who follows all policies that are not helpful. They are masterful at telling you can't and won't instead of being 'can do'. Personally, I've never like visors, they aren't a good fashion accessory. And I definitely don't think that a visor is a good leadership accessory.

3. Teach What's Right. Sounds so easy, yet many companies and leaders, struggle to convey and empower their employees to simply do what's right. Our day at SFO started out at a ticket counter where Nora refused to check me into an earlier flight because it was 10:29 and the flight was at 11:05. HOWEVER, their company policy is that it can't be less than thirty minutes to take off. Math may not have been my favorite subject, but I would say I had a good SIX minutes left before the cut-off. Nora didn't care. She didn't care about policy or the customer. Her supervisor struck out. Maybe Nora had not been taught to be nice, to care, or to understand that the company’s policy was thirty minutes, not thirty-six minutes before take off.

What would Nora and Pauline's mothers say about their actions?
What would your mother say about your actions and interactions with your customers? Would she say you are super? Would she say you are a visor?

I'm betting she would say you are super (that's what mothers do), but would your customers?

I'm your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

Season to Rebuild

Are you ready for some football?

YES! Oh, pick me. I am! I am!

Football represents the most glorious seventeen Sundays of my year, every year. The start of football signifies so many things: fall, the holidays coming, school starting, work intensifying, and pumpkin EVERYTHING. It's back (according to Starbucks), the pumpkin spice latte that is!

Football also signifies the beginning of my loyal relationship with the Cincinnati Bengals. By loyal, I mean, sitting through season after season of pure heart-wrenching disappointment. And I LOVE it, every single second of every single game on every single Sunday.

This past Sunday was the first game for the Bengals and it was the least excited I've ever been for the beginning of the regular season. Ochocinco (wide receiver) was traded, Carson Palmer (quarterback) refused to show up despite his contract, and other key veterans were gone. This team was facing a "rebuilding season," a nice way of saying they aren't expected to win many, if any, games. So you can imagine my shock and awe as I watched the Bungles beat the Brownies 27-17! WHO DEY!

How could a team that prognosticators doomed to an 0-16 season, start out 1-0?

I started to think a little deeper about why the Bengals won the first game of their supposed rebuilding season. And I thought about how many companies, who are going through their own rebuilding seasons (hello Bank of America), could learn something from the Bengals.

So, I wondered: What does it take to succeed in a rebuilding season?

1. Talent. (Rookie Quarterback Andy Dalton) To rebuild anything (your X), you must first have the talent to do so (sort-of sounds like a famous quote)! Whether the talent is you or someone else, you must recognize the opportunity for improvement and act on it. X is not going to simply rebuild itself, it's going to take people, talented people. Your job is to identify who the talent is and build upon that.

2. Belief. (Who Dey, Who Dey, Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals? NO ONE!) The number one indicator for success lies with your internal belief system. Do you believe you are going to win the game? Do you believe you are going to get the job? Do you believe you are going to exceed your sales quota? Do you believe you are going to lead your team to victory? Do you truly, deep down, gut-checked, know with all your heart, believe you can rebuild or rebound? If you don't believe, why even waste your time? Not believing only leads to losses. Some may be small, some may be big, but over time not believing in yourself and your abilities will only create disappointing failure. Take the time to list out WHY you believe you can accomplish whatever your X is. Do it now! Please. Reflecting on the "why" will help solidify your belief.

3. Seasoned Coach. (Marvin Lewis - head coach for eight years) A coach is instrumental in the success of rebuilding anything. Having a mentor or leader that can effectively teach and coach, motivate and inspire, demonstrate and set the example for the team, sets the tone and amplifies each persons individual talent and belief. The coach is the nucleus of success. This is the person who creates the game plan and calls the plays. A coach's job is to showcase the talent, make decisions for the team, make mid-game adjustments, and do whatever it takes to win. Who is your coach?

4. Backup. (Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, replaced the hurt Dalton in the second half) This is probably the most overlooked piece of the puzzle. In football, you have several strings of backups, but in business, very rarely do you have a back up for each person. Think about it, or more specifically, think of someone in your office who does something instrumental to the companies success; do they have a back up? Do you have a back up plan for when someone gets hurt (sick, laid-off, quits, goes on maternity leave)? Back-up your people, your talent, your team, your coach, and your hard drive so you can keep the momentum going.

The Bengals didn't win their game because of dumb luck, though some would argue with me on that one, they won because they had genuine talent, they believed that they could, they had an experienced coach leading them, and a back-up plan in place.

There was another showcase of rebuilding this past Sunday, as it marked the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Our country showed its pure resilience for a national "rebuilding season." I challenge you to take the spirit you had this past Sunday, because I can't believe that anyone didn't have a heightened spirit and sense of pride that day, and apply that same spirit and pride to your work.

The season to rebuild is NOW. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, right now.

Are you the talent? The coach? Or the backup?

Identify the role you plan to play this rebuilding season and partner that with your belief, so that you can win.

I'm your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

Change Communication

"Your words are your most powerful tool. There is nothing more powerful than hearing someone say, I love you or (dramatic pause) I hate you."



I said this today during a training seminar on customer service. I was spending four hours with one company to help them understand this imperative. We had gotten to the section where I was emphasizing communication and I spoke those words.



And, it was as if I were speaking to myself (which I do sometimes, most of the time, OK - all the time!). I realized that my words are my most powerful tool, but they are yours as well.



When we communicate with others, the words we choose to use can either motivate or defeat someone. The words can inspire or infuriate. The words can evoke or emote. The words can attack or embrace. The words - your words - are power.



Most people don't think about the words they choose. Most people don't realize the power behind their words, their message (I only had this A-HA today). Most people don't know that by choosing the right words they can create, instill, initiate, and shape CHANGE.



Change was Obama's word and, like him or not, you can't argue that he built a campaign on that one word. It was the right word at the right time in a world that needed hope that something new could be promised, that something would, that's right, change.



So what are you promising?

What words are you choosing to use to deliver your message?

What words do you use when you parent, teach, lead, sell, serve or tweet?

Do you think about those words before you use them?

Do you choose them wisely?



NO?! I'm not surprised.



Being a writer, speaker, and trainer, I must constantly think about the words I choose when transferring my message to an audience. Not every word will be powerful - but if I can make a few of them, just a few, more powerful than the others, I can inspire action. I can inspire change. I'm in the business of change - change to know more, to sell more, to serve better, to be the best.



What's my secret to change communication?



1. The Package. Put your message in a box, wrap it with beautiful paper, place a bow on top, and put a gift label on it. That's how to present a gift to someone. Why wouldn't you present your message in the same way? Put your message in a clear and concise box. Wrap the message into a creative presentation (hello theme!). Place a WOW! word bow on top. And right before you end your message, address it to a specific person or audience. A properly packaged message that's personalized is more likely to grab their attention and get them to start to entertain a change. That's the power of message packaging.

2. The Passion. Passion is directly tied into the belief that you have in your message. When you truly believe in what you are trying to transfer over to the listener, you'll naturally exude passion. I am passionate about BAD customer service. I am passionate about asking powerful questions in sales. I am passionate about changing your attitude. I am passionate about helping other people become their best. This passion backs my message and puts some OOMPF! into my delivery. Passion is contagious and when it catches it creates change. That's the power of passion.

3. The Pause. There is nothing more powerful or painful in delivering a talk than a pause. Those moments when you allow the words you so carefully chose to sink in. Those are the precise moments when your audience will soak it all in and consciously decide to (hopefully) change. That's the power of the pause.



You have the power.



You have the power to choose your words with precision and purpose.

You have the power to deliver the package, the passion and the pause.

You have the power to change communication.



I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista, how may I help you help yourself?



Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

I'm Engaged and You Aren't Engaging

I'm engaged, yeah! While I don't think you want to hear all about how I got engaged (Grand Cayman, dinner on the beach, harpist playing Wonderful Tonight, and a dream bling ring), I'm sure you want to hear about this.

As a future bride, I've been receiving solicitations via phone, email and snail mail. Invitations this, photographers that, venues, caterers, and flowers, OH MY! It's quite overwhelming, so in the massive landfill of wedding solicitations, it takes a lot to grab my attention.

About a week ago, I received an envelope in the mail that did just that. It not only grabbed my attention, it choked it! When I opened the envelope I found a nicely, tri-folded piece of normal white printing paper with blue, purple and black ALL-CAPS text, exclaiming to me:

"ATTENTION: FUTURE BRIDES
COME CHECK OUT THE BLOW-OUT SALE OF THE YEAR"

As I read down the rest of the 8x11 flyer, I started to realize a few things:

No phone number.
No address.
No email address.
No web address.
No contact name.

It wasn't until I read the flyer for the 5th time that I caught the name of the company. Are you dying to know who it was? More about that later.

My point is, I'm engaged! And you, Ms. ALL-CAPS, Multi-Color Font, Flyer Maker Extraordinaire, are not engaging me. You're piece offers NO value. It doesn't even offer simple contact information. What if I, for some silly reason, want to do business with you? Who do I call? Where do I go?

This flyer was an opportunity for "Bridal Company X" to engage me and they failed, miserably!

So, how do you engage the engaged (or anyone for that matter)? I have three easy ways:

1. Make it about them. Newly engaged people (primarily the bride-to-be) love soaking up wedding anything. It's what is most important in their lives at that moment. Your job, when attempting to engage a prospect or customer, is to find out what is most important to them. It's never about you, it never was. Businesses are built to create products or services for other people. When you work with a servant mindset, to help others first, you'll find that more people want to engage with you.

2. Make it easy for them. The biggest problem with this gorgeous flyer was that it didn't make it easy for me to find the company. I honestly couldn't find the company name until I re-read the flyer again while writing this article - NOT GOOD. And I just realized (literally, right now!) that there are no dates for this fabulous sale! How am I supposed to find further information or answers to my questions? When you are engaging with your prospects or customers, make it easy for them to contact you. Make it easy for them to understand your message. Make it easy for them to do business with you!

3. Make it valuable to them. This is the trickiest on the list because value is in the eye of the beholder. What is valuable to me, future bride, is different even to my fiance, to my mom, and to my dad. When trying to engage your prospects or customers the easiest way is to talk in terms of their perceived value. How do you know what they think is "value". Easy! Ask them. Use power questions to uncover their needs, wants, and hot buttons. This will lead you to what value you can bring to the engagement.

Wedding bells aside, being engaged both in life and business is fun. I love to become engaged with a company. All they have to do is make it easy, full of value, and all about ME!

Want to know who "Bridal Company X" is? Go to my Sales Barista Facebook Page to see a picture of the flyer and I'll let you try to find the company name!

I'm your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista, how can I help you, help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

Ask Kisser

I'm an ask kisser. That's right, I said it. I'm an ASK kisser.

I'm sealing deals and kissing checks because I've learned the power of making the "ASK". Not making the sale, making the ask. Most people don't close the sale because they never ask for the sale, or even worse, they never ask anything, period.

I love sports, so indulge me on this analogy: questions are to a sale what a quarterback is to football. Without the quarterback you essentially don't have a game (who's going to throw the ball?), without questions, you don't have game.

When you ask a question, you throw the ball to the other player - your customer or prospect - you get them involved. Question after question, you lead them down the field, first down, second down, first down until you've got a TOUCHDOWN (enter end-zone dance here)!

The questions you ask put you in position to make a sale. How do you know what your client needs? Wants? Thinks? Believes in? How do you know what your prospects past experiences have been? What they find of value? Are you assuming, or asking?

As an ask kisser, the best feeling in the world is to have someone smile and say, "That's a great question." AH, success! That's what being an ask kisser is all about. It's about asking relevant and powerful questions that get your prospects to smile and then reveal something about themselves, their buying habits, their needs, wants, thoughts, beliefs, past experiences or what they find of value.

Being an ask kisser doesn't happen overnight. It takes preparation and practice. It also requires that you put into action what you already know.

Here's how to be a great ask kisser:

1. Ask open-ended questions. DUH! I'm not telling you something new; I'm just repeating something that the majority of people still don't do! Break the bad habit of asking questions that allow your client or prospect to reply with a simple yes or no. If they don't have to think about their answer, you haven't asked a good question.

2. Prepare questions before hand. Spend time creating questions before you meet with your prospect or client. Asking relevant and powerful questions doesn't just happen. You have to put some work into it. Do your homework and write out at least five questions to take with you to your next appohntment. You'll be amazed at how differently the conversation goes when you arrive prepared, with not just knowledge about the prospect but, with questions too.

3. Ask what your competition isn't asking. I'm a creativity advocate. I believe that creativity kills the competition. One of the key areas in sales to get creative is with your questions. If it's a question you've heard everyone and their Grandma ask, then don't ask it. Think outside the Magic 8 ball (where you only get yes or no or maybe answers) and be forward thinking. Ask questions that no one else is asking - but please don't be risque or offensive. Be thought provoking, relevant, and creative to move the sales process forward.

4. Ask for the business. This should be the easiest on the list but usually it's the one that salespeople fear the most - the fear of rejection. Making a sale is like landing a date. You'll never get anywhere if you don't ASK! What's the worst that can happen? They say, "NO, get out of here you creep?"

Asking questions and asking the right questions is key to getting what you want, both in sales and in life. What's your best ask-kisser question? Post it on my Sales Barista Facebook page. I'll pick my favorite on July 4th and the lucky winner will receive one of my favorite things - a Starbucks gift card.

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

Run, Don't Wok!

I love Chinese food! It's one of my weaknesses in the dreaded diet-arena. I can't go very long without getting my next fix and having it show up on the scale.

Beyond my love of Chinese food, is my love of online ordering for restaurants. I'm a picky eater (refer back to my Domino's piece - NO ONIONS!) and you'll understand that I'm a girl who likes to customize my order. "Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Mocha" for example or "Egg-Stravaganza, scrambled hard, no oil, no grits, sub fruit, whole wheat biscuit, please!" Flying Biscuit anyone?

Let me tell you, wahters and waitresses alike, LOVE me.

It's not always easy to get what you want - especially when you are picky. My precise-likeness (as I like to refer to it) can be explained to the uttermost-minor-detail through online ordering. Thank you computer geniuses everywhere! I'm now able to subtract, remove, omit, 86, and forever delete, my dreaded onions! Seriously, why are they in everything?

So when I found out recently that my new favorite Chinese restaurant offers online ordering - I knew I just had to try it out. Had to. It was a must. Sesame chicken here I come.

I logged on. Put in my order with ease:

Sesame Chicken
Brown Rice
Spring Roll
Side of Shrimp Sauce

Paid with credit card. Added on the tip. And waited for Chinese delicousness to arrive at my door.

30 minutes passed.
40 minutes passed.
45 minutes passed.
50 minutes hit. Where in the world is Carmen Sesame Chicken?

Mind you, this restaurant is 0.3 miles from our front door. I could have ordered, drove, picked it up, returned home, and ate it in that amount of time. But when you order Chinese food aren't you generally in a lazy mood?

I picked up my phone and called. Explained I put in an online order. "Yes, we received it!" Great! Why is it taking so long?

She explained that it had just come through on their end. Stupid technology.

I explained that I had been waiting for an hour at this point. She told me she'd put a Chinese fire-drill rush on it. Satisfied, I hung up.

15 minutes later - KUNG PAO! The Chef himself, Mr. General Tso, was ringing our doorbell with my order in hand. Now that is service!

Happily, I tore into the brown paper bag, only to be struck with utter disappointment. Where's my shrimp sauce? Why are there onions in the rice? Why is my order WRONG? Stupid online ordering.

Now, some people would have sucked it up, literally and figuratively, but not me. I expect to get what I order. Every. Single. Time.

I called back. Same girl answered. I explain. She apologizes. She says she'll have the right order over right away.

10 minutes later. Back was the Chef with new rice and sauce in hand. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

As I closed the door and went to turn for the kitchen, I noticed something. There was no car in the driveway this time. I saw the chef start to lightly jog, back to the restaurant. WOW! Now that, that is something to write about.

Not only did they apologize for the time it took to get the food, send the chef to personally deliver it, and apologize for the mix-up, but they made the chef RUN (not wok) it over.

When was the last time you ran, not walked, for your customers? When was the last time you made a WOW! when your service went wrong?

It takes a unique company to understand the power of satisfying each and every customer. No matter how big, or small, the order, no matter how much of a pain or strain it puts on you, no matter what - your job is to serve and exceed their expectations. Because, you never know when you will serve that ONE person who will re-tell your service story.

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

Passion Cake

I love cake. Chocolate cake, marble cake, cheesecake, ice cream cake, pineapple upside down cake, wedding cake, cupcake, pretty much any way you want to bake it, I'll take a piece of cake. And, I love Buddy the Cake Boss.

Do you know Buddy? Owner of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, star of his own TLC show, Cake Boss, you know, BUDDY? Well, Buddy is my perfect slice of passion cake.

Never heard of passion cake? Well that's probably because I just made it up! But here's what I'm talking about.

Passion cake (noun), as defined by the Melish Dictionary of Made Up Words: is a person who lives, breathes, dies, emulates, and exudes passion throughout their career, making it appear as if it's a piece of cake to accomplish being the best.

Buddy is a piece of passion cake. He is arguably one of the best cake bakers and decorators of our generation. Don't believe me? Catch an episode. You won't just salivate over the delicious cakes he produces, you'll also be amazed at the passionate energy he displays as he works on some of the most impossible works of cake art. He's a cake genius who's made himself THE BEST and surrounds himself with THE BEST. His army of family and employees share his passion for cake. It's a little family business that's struck it rich, one cake at a time.

Ready to be a passion cake? Sure you are. Here are the first few steps you need to start baking.

1. Identify - First things first, you have to identify the main ingredient in your passion cake. What is your passion? What do you love more than anything else? What makes you smile? What makes you want to jump out of bed or stay up all night? What gets you excited? What's the passion that shines out of you for everyone to take notice? Not sure? Can't identify it? Spend some time writing down your favorite activities, past times, or memories and see if there is a common denominator.

2. Evaluate - After you identify your main ingredient, you have to evaluate what you're currently baking. Are you in a position that uses that passion? And uses it to it's fullest? No? It's time to evaluate if you're ready, willing, and able to make a change so you can do what you love. Life's too short to be a piece of passionless cake.

3. Implement - Start baking! Get a plan together. Write down what you need to do to start putting your passion in action. You can start slow (think cupcake) and work your way up to it, or jump all in (think fully decorated wedding cake). You be the judge on that. Whatever you do, don't make excuses. The time is NOW!

4. Surround - Pick out your other ingredients. Surround yourself with a support system. People, who share your passion, vision, dream, or just want to see you happy. These people will help keep you accountable and be your biggest co-bakers.

It's never too late to start baking your own piece of heavenly passion cake. The moment you say the time has passed you by is the moment you've allowed your cake to burn.

By the way, did I mention I love cake?

I'm your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.

The Unexpected WOW!

When was the last time you experienced the unexpected WOW!? I experienced one about a month ago. I was visiting Seattle in my capacity as a Gitomer-Certified Speaker to deliver an inspirational keynote on Customer Loyalty. The event was taking place at the Seattle Riverfront Marriott.

During my AV check the night before, Lezlie from the Seattle Riverfront Marriott staff, greeted me to make sure that all was well. During our short visit together we started talking about local “treasures”. Of course, I was in Seattle, the official home of Starbucks (my favorite service company), but they have other notable treasures as well.

In preparing for my trip, I had come across Top Pot Doughnuts that has 40 different hand-forged doughnuts - YUM! I mentioned the doughnuts to Lezlie, and she told me about how wonderful they are. We talked about her favorite doughnuts and mine (maple-frosted of course!).

We wrapped up our AV check and I headed up to my room to finish prepping for my keynote the following morning.

The next morning, I scoped out the coffee scene. They had a shop that served Starbucks in the hotel but this wasn’t a full-service, smiling green hat barista, order it how you want it, girly whipped beverage Starbucks. The closest “real” Starbucks store was directly across the street. I ordered my speaker preparation mo-jo juice – a double-tall, non-fat, no-whip mocha - and returned to the meeting room at the hotel to get ready to rock my audience’s service socks off!

It was game time and Lezlie arrived in the room. She walked up to the platform and I noticed she was carrying a box. To my utter surprise, she had gone to the Top Pot Store early that morning, hand-selected 6 beautiful donuts - including two different maple-frosted doughnuts. WOW!

I was amazed and blown away by the friendly and kind gesture. It was thoughtful, unexpected and personable - all elements of making a WOW! moment.
How are you WOWing your customers? Are you bringing them doughnuts, or are you bringing them the best doughnuts including their favorites (not yours)!
There are three major components to making a WOW! gesture:

1. Be thoughtful – a major part of a gesture being WOW! is the fact that you took time to think about the person receiving the gesture and making sure it is something that they want or need. No I didn’t need the doughnuts, nor did my hips, but Lezlie knew with my tight travel schedule that I wouldn’t be able to visit the shop myself, so she got them for me!

2. Be unexpected – the best part of a WOW! gesture is the surprise element. I never expected that Lezlie would take the time to walk several city blocks at 6am to get doughnuts for me!

3. Be personable – no doubt the most important component is to be personable. Her gesture wouldn’t have been the same had she gotten me a doughnut from Krispy Kreme or if she wouldn’t have included the maple-frosted, my favorites! I knew that she took the time to listen to me and remember what I would like.

Lezlie’s unexpected, thoughtful, and personable WOW gesture still has me talking and telling as many as possible. She got it right. Are you?
Want to see the Top Pot gift doughnuts from Lezlie? Find them on my Facebook page.

I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?