Mind Your Manners!

| May 8, 2017 | Reply

Recently I was invited to lunch by a wealthy attorney and his wife who ran a large fundraising organization. They were anxious to meet me and wanted information on a project I was working on.

We went to lunch at an upscale restaurant in an affluent area. They were ten minutes late and pulled up in a limousine. Everybody seemed to know them – including the hostess – and immediately following our introduction we were led to “their table.”

I have a penchant for relating to people, and was far more interested in hearing their story than telling them my own. Instantly I was informed that they were very successful and very used to getting what they wanted. I did a lot of listening, which I prefer, and a lot of observing as well. I observed their indifference toward our server. I observed their absence of words like “please” and “thank you” and, consequently their oblivion as I overcompensated to be extra-polite out of pure discomfort.

The lunch itself was wonderful, although they complained about theirs, and when we finished they had an idea of how we could do some business together. They reminded me again how they are people who always get what they want.

When I got home I send them each a text message thanking them again for the lunch. I also wrote them out a thank you card and got it in the mail right away. Neither act was acknowledged, but I did get a phone call asking me what the next step was. I politely informed him that I didn’t think we were a fit to do any business together.

In other words, he didn’t always get what he wanted.

How you treat other people is a huge reflection of what kind of person you are. I didn’t necessarily dislike these people and won’t judge these people for their behavior that afternoon. But I won’t let them into my circle either.

An Appreciation Marketing ® champion minds his manners and treats everybody as a human being. Trust me, people are paying attention. Be the person you wish to attract.

Perspective

| May 1, 2017 | Reply

As I mowed the lawn on Friday (Conecticut’s first 80-degree day) I was inevitably overcome with the watery eyes and pollen-induced sneezing fits that ruined my afternoon. I caught myself cursing aloud (at no one in particular), and my mind took me back to when I was eleven years old and cutting the grass for the first time – a chore I hated.

There was a teenager in my neighborhood named Mickey who nobody saw much anymore. He had broken his neck diving into the swimming pool and was paralyzed in a wheelchair. It was very awkward talking to Mickey now and we kids avoided him.

On this particular Saturday in 1974, I was mowing the lawn, sweating, sneezing, and cursing aloud (at no one in particular) because I was missing out on the baseball game at the neighborhood picnic. For some reason, shouting profanities dulled my angst and I didn’t think anybody could hear me over the roar or the lawnmower. That day, Mickey heard me.

“What were you swearing about?” he asked me, a few hours later during the picnic. “My father made me mow the lawn,” was my answer. “Wanna make a deal?” Mickey asked me. “Sure, what’s up?” Then Mickey said something I’ll never forget. “How about if I mow the lawn for you from now on and you can sit in this wheelchair for the rest of your life?” Then he smiled.

Mickey died a few years later, from some type of complication, but I see his smiling face a lot when I need some perspective.

When you really think about it, complaining sure is a selfish – and arrogant – waste of time.

Give that a ponder next time you get stuck in traffic, your restaurant service is slow, your kid misbehaves, you stub your toe, or (God forbid) you have to mow the lawn.

“Sometimes You Wanna Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name”

| April 21, 2017 | Reply

Just about a year ago, I stopped into a Danbury, CT restaurant at happy hour with a few friends. The place, Barbarie’s Black Angus Grill, was fairly new and difficult to get in for dinner, so drinks seemed like a cool way to take a look.

I’ve met so many people in my life that it becomes difficult (especially these days) to remember everybody, so when the owner of the place greeted me at the door with a huge smile, handshake, gangsta-hug, and “hey man, how have you been?” greeting, I was SURE I knew him. I spent the next few hours at the bar, looking back at him, and trying to figure out it. After all, if I did know him it would be embarrassing to ask one of his employees who he was. I never figured it out.

I’ve driven past the place a dozen or so times during the past year, and I always think about “that guy at the door.”

The other night, I decided to take my wife out for dinner and was in the mood for a nice 20-oz ribeye (which I remembered from that Black Angus menu). From the parking lot, I started wondering about “that guy” again, and when we opened the door . . . there he was. Standing in the exact same spot, smiling, offering the friendly handshake and the same “hey man, how have you been?” greeting – this time to both me and my wife!

My conclusion is that I never actually knew the owner, Tommy Barbarie, (great name) but that he possesses that amazing talent for making people feel welcome. To think that he may have greeted every single customer that way, every night for over a year, is nuts. But THAT is what exemplifies an Appreciation Marketing champion!

Forget the fact that the dinner that night was other worldly; I’m just anxious to go back there to shake hands with the owner!

Whether you’re a restaurant owner, a Realtor, an insurance salesman, a doctor, a dentist, or a toll booth attendant. Your business is destined for success if you create an atmosphere like they do at Black Angus Grill.

 

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