How to be a good vendor / partner #2

How to be a good vendor / partner #2

I am continually amazed at how a great deal of companies miss opportunities to take good care of their customers. They miss what to me seem like really obvious ways to keep customers happy.   When you have a service provider (we are all that in many ways) that really understands what good customer service is about you never need to look in another direction. Providing great service takes a thoughtful approach to figuring out who your customer is and what they need. Even if your customer doesn't know what they need.


I think it was Stephen Covey who wrote about  "seeking first to be understood". Its a great phrase and has a lot of actionable ways to use this simple thought. To me this means asking what your customers need,  keep asking and act on what you learn.

1. What do your customers really need from you?  You may think you know the answer but have you asked?  I find it very, very rare that a service or goods supplier begins by first asking what I want out of them, our relationship and whatever service or product they are providing. I find that many people assume they know what others needs are and how to meet them. After all its what they do. In their minds they may be thinking that they have been in this business for many years and have many customers and may even pride themselves and this knowledge and tell prospective clients they should hire them because they do know these things.  While your experience gives you a base of information don't assume you already know what they need.  Start by asking questions and probing for information you can use to meet their needs. Every person is different and all of us have different needs. They may be short handed in a particular area of a company and you may see  a way to make sure they get help to bridge a gap making you easier to do business with. lets say you are talking to a  person who is a one man / women show. Maybe they are a sole proprietor or maybe its just that they are a control freak. Maybe they are over their head and need help to stay afloat.   To them opening one more email in a day is a terrible thing.  lets say you sell products to them and it requires some communication and there are some problems that may be all their fault in reality. However, instead of thinking of  it that way try to come up ideas to make it easy for them.  That's the key, think of ways to make it easier for them, not you.  Maybe instead of sending them emails it would really help them for you to provide a cloud based document folder they can access and you can keep detailed information just for them there. You would never know this if you didn't ask and probe for ways you can meet a need.   look for creative ways to help them. You want them to think of you as "the Bomb" right? well be the bomb and figure out what their personally type is and fill in the weaknesses. This is harder than it sounds and requires careful listening.  In the restaurant business a vendor needs intimate knowledge of what is happening in the restaurants. There isn't a cash register at the office and a smart restaurateurs focus is on his guests. So get in there and find out what's going on. I had a dish machine guy once spend an entire busy night at a unit to help me figure out what was causing a problem we had. He knew what I needed. 

2. It isn't enough to ask once what a customers needs are. You have to do it on a regular basis.  Make sure to revisit your customers to check specifically on their needs on somewhat regular basis. Assuming you are doing this to begin with you shouldn't need a deep probe all the time.  However things changes and needs change so make a point to ask careful questions. Ask about any and all processes that are related to the services or goods your provide. Maybe you will find out some thing that you could help save them time by completing on your end. Maybe you will find that a competitor does something a better than you. When you go to this type of meeting don't do this in a social setting or at lunch.  Make sure they know you mean it and want to learn.

3. Get feedback on your performance.  You need to find out exactly how they view you and your company.  Ask for honest, blunt feedback on your performance and that of your companies associates.  Be honest if there were some mistakes made that could have been handled differently. suggest solutions for anything you could have done better.  Come prepared with information.

4. Figuring out how the way your customer wants to communicate not the way you do is what you need to keep in mind.  Everyone does things differently. So your job is figure out how they like to be communicated with.  Here's an idea: Ask them.  If they perceive you as a person trying to help them they will probably tell you.  Maybe they hate being sent multiple emails (this one is me) and would prefer you to summarize all the things you have going on with them together on a regular basis. However, some people may want you to text them at all hours to give them incremental updates. Whatever it is they like figure it out and do it that way.  Point again is do it their way not yours. Recently I had a supplier send me a video clip email attachment giving me a verbal update on things we had going on. there was few things I needed to see and she showed me them too. It was awesome.  I asked about it she said she just uses the camera on here laptop and did it in minutes. Some people are visual and some are not.  There are other aspects to communicating you need to figure out.  Some people want a single source communication. ( I admit this is me too usually).  I find it challenging when I get communications from a suppliers associate that I don't know. Or even if I do know them and they don't know my communication preferences. Its possible to bring other into the mix but do it carefully.   They need all that carefully learned information you have to be ready.


Ask and you shall receive! amen

 

the bad and somewhat better salad

 I have salad on the brain a lot lately as I have been working on projects with a salad concept that is trying reinventing itself in a big way. In the last few months I have visited a lot of places that either specialize in salads or are known to make good ones.  I also have had a bunch of really bad ones.  I really don't understand the bad salad.  It doesn't really take that much effort to make a decent salad. I have always been amazed at why so many restaurants have terrible salads.



 Here is what Delta considers a steak salad as part of the first class meal service. umm, not so much.  They have also been doing a burger and a cheesesteak lately too but thats another topic.   I think they call these "Chef Inspired" creations. 
Go back to chef school please..  On the chef inspired topic,  what the hell is that supposed to mean anyway. Its either made by a chef or it isn't.  I know a CEO who keeps using the term and its super annoying.  there hasn't been chef in his kitchen for so long he must be referring to the fryers as the chef

 

 This picture is from a casual dining pub type place and has the mandatory small tomato slices, cucumber, onion and of course the shredded cheese. Props for tomato slicing effort. Only thing worse is unsliced cherry tomato all alone on the side of the plate.  typically the plate is too small and stuff goes flying. 

The worst is using shredded lettuce. This picture is far better than what the shred usually looks like but I didn't want to order one. Shredded lettuce just makes a bad salad.   I worked for a concept in the past that made a "Philly Cheeseteak Salad" at the time that meant taking the insides of a philly and laying on the shredded lettuce we had in bag for the sandwich toppings. It was terrible.  I assume they have since improved the quality a great deal but at the time it seemed like good plan.  live and learn. 

  

 

 

Now here is an example from a very cool polished quick casual dining concept.  Of course it cost $10 but its really good.  this to me is the best I see anywhere.  Great flavor, great texture and presentation.  I would go here all the time if it was close to me.  Like many other hipster places they don't serve coke.  only the artisan soda's and other stuff people that look like they belong in the 1890's are always drinking. 











There are however a bunch of places making good salads to order quickly.  Here are a few examples and some impressions.  Just my opinions however..

 

 Salad Works makes a good salad and heavily relies on this large glass case to show off the fresh ingredients.  To me , the locations feel very cartoon like in color and finish.  I don't feel like I am in an environment where they are making my food in store.  I imagine a Lego truck bringing in everything in the morning and dropping it off.  I am sure that is not the case and the salads they make are good. Its just not a wow to me. 

Freshii has a similar start clean look and makes good salads and wraps.  Again, while the product is good but there isn't any merchandising and I don't have an overly freshii feeling in these units. 








 Sweet Greens is a cool looking place that thank god went away from painting everything green.  one thing I noticed overall is that for the obvious reason all the salad places have green as the prominent color.  I like green and all but I was thinking if I squinted my eyes I wouldn't know which concept I was in.

I like the concept Chop't a lot as far as salad

places go. the way it works is a little troublesome

when its busy which is when you would want to be there its a little hairy to deal with.  they assign you a person and that person makes your salad and finishes it. that part is cool its just hard to move around.  here is a little video where I was trying to get through the process.  I kind of felt like I had no choices in the process even though I did if that makes sense.   the end results was tasty but the chopping things makes the texture all the same which I didn't like as much. 

I am currently working on a few versions of salad concepts both in both large and small formats so let me know where the best of the best are.  My big learning's in this so far are much like I always get to:

1. Don't try to do to much. Do a few things really well. all my favorite places have only one thing in common.. they all and I mean all have small menu's

2. Set up a place where I would want to work.  you can't expect it to be like the fish market in Seattle if you wouldn't like to be there everyday.

3.  Don't over step the abilities of those that will be running it form the executives on down. Handing someone a tool they can't use isn't helping them and won't give them success.