And I've passed many a "Waffle House" along the way.
I never gave them much thought, really. They looked like dingy little "hole in the wall" diners from the road.
The yellow and black sign looked so generic that I wasn't sure it was a chain until my recent trip to the Carolinas.
See, my friend, Ruth, LOVES Waffle House. She gets as excited about eating there as I do about new books to read. She even squeals a bit with delight when you suggest going there for a meal. In fact, I now can't say "Waffle House" without trying to imitate her joyful squeal, and it's become a little inside joke between us.For her it's the grits that makes her swoon. For me it's the customer service.
This company is a marketing machine. Over the grill, there's a sign that reads "You have a choice, and you chose us. Thank You!"
What a concept.
And as I looked around, the place was clean, cozy and busy. There's a sign on the door that read "hope to see you: Soon, Often and hungry" or something like that.
They know what they do well, and they market the heck out of it. Even the background music is songs about Waffle House.
This family business really "gets it".
What about you? Are you remembering that your customers have a choice? Even if you're the ONLY place they can get a product or service (which is rare anymore), they STILL have a choice - either do business with you, or go elsewhere, or go without.
Then, are you remembering to be grateful? So many businesses choose to look at the transaction value and forget about the lifetime value of a customer. You need to remember that good customers are like good friends. You won't always get a long, but you'll be invaluable to each other over the years - if you build the relationship.
It begins with gratitude. Waffle House gets it. Do you?
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Win a spot on my next teleclass if you can correctly identify the two ingredients that make Waffle House grits Ruth's favorites. Post your answers here or sign up for my weekly newsletter and submit your answer there!
