Even the biggest global franchises, ones you would expect to have systems and training so thorough and established as to prevent them, are still prone to making some of the most common mistakes in business related to lack of attention.
All of the ideas and tools in Trucker Management boil back down to one basic notion - in your business, you always need to be paying attention. To everything. The ideas and tools we offer can help make that a little easier for you, and this past week I saw not one but two franchises, even with all the resources they have at their disposal, be guilty of letting their guard down. (hmmm....I smell a couple of potential book sales!)
The first was on what for me was a rare foray into a large department store. I was shocked that, even with dedicated staff people standing nearby whose sole job is to greet people entering, the area where the shopping carts were stored was absolutely overrun by litter!! There was so much that it couldn't possibly have accumulated in the past hour or two, likely not even in that day alone! The discarded bags, cups, newspapers (where all this stuff came from, I don't know - it wasn't stuff for sale in the store!) made it difficult to even get a cart out of the paddock.
Then, tonight on the way home, I passed a fast food place whose sign outside was advertising the return of a special item. But, it read "There back!", instead of "They're back!" Incorrect grammar on signs is definitely one of my pet peeves - to me there is no greater indication that those running the business are not paying attention.
Take a quick look around your business - are you being better than these franchises??
1 comment:
While on my way back from an airport drop off in Toronto, I stopped in at a well known, not yet global, coffee franchise on the highway.
While waiting to be served (I was at the counter by this point), I couldn't help but notice me not being noticed. I stood and observed for the 2 minutes as I was waiting.
I couldn’t help but listen as she told her fellow staff members how much she hated her job; I couldn't help notice the large coffee stains on the employees clothing. I couldn't help but notice the dirt in her nails (thank goodness it was just coffee I wanted), I couldn't help but notice the poor attitude and the lack of smiles the employee had as she served and threw the coffee across the counter at me, I couldn't help but notice that she had given me the wrong order (maybe her attitude was affecting her hearing!). This all sounds very familiar (see Pet Peeve – Things I shouldn’t know, September 2007).
Then as her Manager, who had been standing near by, came forward and made a comment that nearly floored me. The Manager told the employee that she was doing an awesome job today and she was one of her best employees (immediately I started thinking if this was the benchmark, I would hate to see the rest of the staff). And where was the Manager when a moment ago she was telling people how much she hated the job?
As business owners we should not only carry out a circle check of our interior, exterior, or our online premise. Circle check your staff regularly to ensure they are presenting the high standards that reflect your business. Are they visible? Are they accessible? Are they being consistent in their delivery? Do they do it with cleanliness and care? Are they stakeholder focused? It doesn’t matter how well you do on your interior, exterior, or online premise checks for the thing that ties them all together is your staff. They have the power to kill your business. If they are not reflecting your business values, deal with it.
The ironic thing I noticed was the t-shirt the employee was wearing. It said something like ‘give someone a smile today and show them that you care’. I felt extremely uncared for. I couldn’t help point that out to the employee as I left that maybe after serving the smile cookies all week it seemed her smile had been stolen by one of the little fellows
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