Charmless Bartender Suppresses Beer Sales (A Cautionary Tale)
![bartender bartender](https://storypowermarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/bartender-1024x551.jpg)
A few nights ago, I visited a brew pub with Melissa and two out-of-town guests to grab a bite and some beer.
Along with our meal, we got a lesson in customer service — or lack thereof.
I saddled up to the bar first. The bartender spotted me. But she didnāt greet me. She was removing glasses from the dishwasher, and had a look on her face that said, āDonāt bother me. Iām busy.ā
A minute passed before she finished her glass stacking project and walked toward me.
āWhat can I get you?ā she mumbled. No āHello.ā No smile. No charm.
āIām waiting on my friends,ā I said, pointing toward Melissa and our guests who were chatting at the far end of the room. I smiled and added, āThey should be here within the hour.ā
Charmless turned around in a huff. I thought of calling her back to say, āI was JOKING. Iām sure theyāll be here within 30 minutes.āĀ
But I worried she might throw a glass at me.
Melissa and our friends joined me a minute later. The bartender was busy again ā rearranging the lemons and limes. Charmless turned toward us. I smiled at her. She nodded and rearranged some more fruit.
Then she walked over to us and didnāt say a word. She just stood there with a look on her face that said, āGet on with it. Tell me what you want. I need to tend to some fruit.ā
We ordered our beers and burgers. We waited as she marched from tap to tap, filled the glasses, and placed them on the bar.
When sheād done her duty, I smiled again and said, āThank you very much.ā
Charmless turned toward the fruit station, her back toward me, and said, āYeah.ā
We took our beers to a table near the bar. The table was wobbly as a flamingo on a unicycle.
Our friend Mary said, āIāll go to the bar and see if they have a shim.ā
I thought, āDonāt do it! This will not go well.ā
Mary strode up to the bar, smiled at the bartender, and said, āOur table is super wobbly. Do you have a shim or something we could use to steady it?ā
Charmless looked as if Mary asked her to donate a kidney.
āNo,ā she barked. And that was that.
I finished my beer and thought about ordering another. But I didnāt. Why would I put myself through more misery?
And therein lies the lesson.
Lousy service suppresses sales.
In fact, even slightly sub-par service suppresses sales.
Last week, during a meeting of Brian Kurtz’s Titans XL mastermind, we discussed how smart businesses treat customer service as a marketing/sales investment, not an operations cost.
When you treat customers well, they come back for more. They become loyal, repeat customers. They become champions who tell others.
More repeat business. More referrals. Greater profits.
I may return to the brew pub (the beer and burgers are great). But I’m not rushing back.
If someone asks me about the place, I won’t rave about it. I’ll tell them, “The food is good. The service? Not so much.”
I’m not the only one who’d say that.
Don't go away yet..
p.s. Coaches, authors, and consultants hire me to power-up their creative content and storytelling to captivate prospects, stand-out and book more business.
Whenever you're ready, here are several ways I can help you become a storytelling stand-out so you'll land more clients without pitching and prodding:
1) Get theĀ Story Power Profit PackĀ -- 52 Strategies, Tips, and Tactics Ā to Transform Your Content from Ignored to Adored.
2) Watch theĀ free, 7-minute Micro-Training: āThe 3 Most Important Storytelling Keys to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act -- Without Pitching and Prodding.ā
3) Become a Story Power VIP: Master how to discover, assemble, and deliver business-building stories. Twice-monthly live masterclasses. Members-only content. One-on-one feedback and consulting sessions. And moreā¦ If you'd like to learn more about our VIP program, just reply to this email and put "Story Power VIP" in the subject line. Iāll contact you with more details.
4) Work with me one-on-one: If youāre interested in working directly with me -- to discover, assemble, and deliver powerful, business-building stories -- simply reply to this email and change the subject line to "Private Client." Tell me a little about yourself, your business, and what you'd like to accomplish, and I'll reply to discuss options.
5) Invite me to speak at an event: I can tailor a presentation that meets the specific needs of your organization. Informative. Entertaining. Virtual or live. Potential for continuing education credits when applicable for your group. If interested, reply to this email and change the subject line to āSpeaking Engagement.ā Iāll circle back to discuss the possibilities.
Want to get great content like this...
...delivered straight to your inbox?
Join our email list...
Post Categories
Previous Post
Next Post