- Posted on November 19, 2009
Multiply Your Corners
I joined most of my extended family in Phoenix for a celebration of my father's 90th birthday last weekend. It was a joyful reason to be together, and most of us stayed at a well known luxury resort that has an excellent, long-standing reputation.
Unfortunately, the resort didn't come close to living up to my expectations: the service for breakfast in the restaurant was appalling; they didn't replace towels in several of the rooms; my room never got cleaned one day; the business center wasn't staffed - you get the idea.
I realize that times are tough, and that businesses are cutting corners to stay ahead, but you absolutely cannot cut corners that result in service below the expectations of your clientele. In fact, in these times, you need to multiply your corners, not cut them.
So, are you cutting or multiplying?
When you cut, make sure that no one but you knows about it. Reductions should not be transparent to your clients. One person I know all but took out an ad to let everyone know that his company had cut its employees' salaries. I understand that this is stressful, but it's certainly not something that clients should or need to know about.
When you multiply, on the other hand, make sure that people know about it. Adding some extras inspires confidence. It makes clients feel more special. It makes them return to you with repeat business.
The key, of course, is to clarify expectations from the outset. Then, anything that you do that is above and beyond your clients' expectations counts as a multiplier.
Think about what you can do to multiply your corners, and let me know what's working for you.
Have a great week!
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