A Secret to success… Lay of the land…

A Secret to success…

About bosses and buyers

There are lots of pieces of advice on how to advance in business. One very good one goes, “Figure out what’s important to your boss’s boss and do that!”

That’s not to say we should ever ignore what our direct supervisor wants but positively affecting what his boss wants (while we do what he wants) can indebt you to both of them!

That same idea exists in and with many of our customers. The chef or laundry manager is the person who made the decision that gave us the business. And the GM, owner or innkeeper had little or no impact on that decision. But if we can bring a positive change to that operation that’s in that senior manager’s wheelhouse, his attention level changes dramatically, and we make our original decision maker happy as well.

Let’s take that laundry you just sold that was suffering from floor stock outages which resulted in the innkeeper hearing constant complaints from the housekeeper. Correct that issue with better formulas, procedures or a more effective chemical approach and you’ll be noticed by that innkeeper.

Likewise if the front of the house cleanliness needs some attention and you’re able to address it – and it’s a desire of the owner or GM, it will be noticed. Critically in both of those instances you’ve now transformed what was a previously uninvolved key player into a key supporter of your continued services. Kind of a super win-win!

Next up: Don’t hide your light.

Lay of the land… A map to winning

We all agree that having solid information in hand about any prospect before darkening their door greatly improves our chances for success. But when we’re asked how that’s best accomplished, we might hem and haw or, do the “on one hand or the other” routine as we attempt to answer.

Truth is there isn’t any one best way. Indeed there are many and taken as a group they can get us close. As one easy example if it’s a restaurant, why not take your significant other there for date night so you can experience it firsthand.

You’ll get a taste of their fare, the quality of sanitation, their results and if you’re observant, a bit of insight on how many turns they might have per shift and perhaps any weaknesses you might observe or maybe even a customer complaint overheard.

Aside from that frontal attack, how about using those allied vendors who we know from the restaurant association? They might have exactly the information you need to build a better idea to present in that all important first contact. Heck, as a bonus you might even learn a bit about their payment habits!