People will talk, if you are prepared to listen

I was asked, before Christmas, to develop a training scheme for waiting staff on a subject I didn’t know a lot about.

I decided the best way to write the course was to ask waiting staff themselves for their views and input. What did they want to learn? Where were the gaps in their knowledge? How did they want to learn?

We quizzed a team of them over a 3 hour session and it was just great. They were honest, helpful, enthusiastic and really constructive. They were a joy to listen to. They had no baggage.

It just reminded me that people will talk if you are prepared to listen and what they tell you (and what you then act on) can make a profound difference to your business. Our session with the waiting teams will certainly make a real difference to my client’s business. We should do it more often.

"The Plant Programme"

This may seem a bit random but for anyone who has a relative suffering from breast, prostate or ovarian cancer, do encourage them to read ‘The Plant Programme’ by Professor Jane Plant and Gill Tidey.

I am not a scientist (of course) but it all seems to stack up to me. You won’t just be giving a book - you may be giving someone their life back.

"Busy does not equal important"

I imagine that most business leaders now receive Seth Godin’s blog. I love them. He sent one this week which I thought was particularly apposite.

His central message was:

“Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn't mean mattered.”

How many times a day do you find yourself being busy but not necessarily with the things that matter or the things that will make a difference to your life, your business or your career?

As he says:

“Perhaps it's time for the blank sheet of paper, the cancellation of a long-time money loser, the difficult conversation, the creative breakthrough...”

I love that thought...

Successful business does not have to be complicated

I met an outstanding MD of a London bar business for coffee last week and my time with them just reminded me that successful business does not have to be complicated. They have just finished a superb January which followed their best ever December.

When I asked them what they had implemented to bring about such success in a difficult market, they said, quite simply, that they understood their market place so well that they instinctively knew what their customers wanted. This, along with a refusal to carry on doing what they had always done just because they had always done it, meant they were prepared to change and do what they thought was best for their customer.

They had to let go of what they thought was right for the brand and put in place, instead, what was right for their customer without compromising their core proposition and core values. They gave their customer what they wanted – and grateful customers were rewarding them for their willingness to listen and to change by coming back to visit them time after time.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Job

I am currently reading “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs” – it’s a great book, whether you like him personally or not.

The book says that a Steve Job’s presentation follows Aristotle’s classic 5 point plan to create a persuasive argument:

1. Deliver a story that arouses the audience’s interest
2. Pose a problem or question that has to be solved or answered
3. Offer a solution to the problem you raise
4. Describe the benefits in adopting your suggested solutions
5. Have a call to action

It occurred to me that this process could be adopted very easily in the marketing of restaurants, pubs, leisure centres – in fact anywhere that offers food, drink and hospitality to its guests:

1. Deliver a story that arouses the audience’s interest: a Venetian style bacaro which occupies the ground floor and basement of an early 18th century building in London, once the home of Canaletto.
2. Pose a problem or question that has to be solved or answered: sometimes you don’t want a heavy meal but you don’t want to miss out on taste and experience.
3. Offer a solution to the problem you raise: the menu consists of cicheti and small plates and takes its inspiration from the osterie and dintorni of Venice. The wine list reflects the region too with almost all the wines on offer coming from northern Italy, some from tiny producers.
4. Describe the benefits in adopting your suggested solutions: A Venetian experience in London.
5. Have a call to action: Book now.

If you can guess where I am talking about, I will buy you lunch there!