The most common mistake waiters make is to talk instead of listening – to take up time instead of giving the guest time. Simply wanting to sell instead of meeting the guest’s needs or solving their problems. Successful waiters are those who see, hear and court their guests. In this blog post, Björn Salomonsson, sales coach, course leader and co-owner of Årehyddan restaurant, shares three incredibly simple ways to make guests happy and want to come back!
Most people remember the time they were ravished by a really good waitress. The feeling of immediate trust and confidence in a person and accepting his or her recommendations. To create this feeling in a guest, you need to be analytical, quick-thinking and adaptable. It is important to put yourself in the guest’s shoes and adapt to them, without changing your personality.
Here are three tips on how your restaurant staff can create magic with your guests.
See
Think about the times you encounter a waitress who doesn’t see you and how you make your decisions based on that. Reflect on how you want to be treated and in which situations you have been seen by the wait staff. What qualities did you appreciate about him? How can you help your serving staff to use this in their work?
Listen to
Think about what it’s like to be interrupted by someone who would rather talk about themselves and their own interests. Think about how important it is for you in your own situation to be heard, that someone listens to you and lets you tell them about your concerns and needs. Apply this to a restaurant guest situation – the more your guest talks, the more information you’ll get that can help you close.
Courtesy
Only one in ten salespeople make more than four sales calls, but up to ninety percent of all sales are made after the fourth call. That said, make it a strategy to woo your guest frequently. It creates a security in your relationship that will pay off in the long run.
To get your wait staff to do this better, it’s important that they get daily encouragement and have follow-ups that are simple and measurable. And don’t forget to have fun at work, because it will rub off on your guests. The more comfortable your guest is with your wait staff, the more comfortable the guest is with spending more money with you.
Good luck!