Organisations make the mistake of leaning heavily on sales and marketing teams to bring in business and boost sales. Imagine having 100 people on the boat, but only five are rowing. Also, at times, some teammates may row in the opposite direction—how can the topline grow?
Everyone on your team must be part of sales and marketing. Yet, unintentionally, organisations actually turn their teams against each other and even the customers/ guests by providing preferential treatment and incentives to sales and marketing teams.
Incentives cause critical issues. Sales and marketing teams tend to raise expectations by overcommitting (at times lying) to hit targets and earn incentives. The miscommunication and expectation mismatch lead to conflict and guest complaints. Also, other teams now claim sales and marketing are not our jobs, and they are antagonised and revolt overtly or covertly. Example: Ops team states, “We do the hard work, and they (marketing) enjoy the cream.” Brand value and reputation drop, and so do sales. Personally, I think incentives work for purely product-driven enterprises. When services are involved, the whole team should be incentivized on a point system similar to tips.
Teams must be trained to upsell and cross-sell—memberships, spa treatments, candlelight dinners, banquets, etc. Get more sales per customer, like a dine-in guest can be sold banquet, conference, or staycation. But this ‘selling’ must be done only when adding value or upgrading the guest/customer experience, and never at the cost of it. No chip kaneka and jaeb katneka attitude.
I’ve not met a better ‘rainmaker’ than Ravi, the Restaurant Manager of China Valley, a mid-sized restaurant in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, that serves great food (pricing is above average but worth it). Ravi builds authentic connections, ensures guest satisfaction, and, as a practice, works to reduce guests’ APC (Average Per Cover). Yet, simultaneously, he increases repeat patronage and customer loyalty. This restaurant is on a one-way street, lacks parking (no valet), and has no liquor licence, yet on most days has a waiting.
Then again, Ravi loves his job, his guests, and, obviously, his organisation. He’s 62 years old and has been with China Valley for approximately 30 years. Incidentally, the owner distributes 10% of the topline to the team in a systematic manner.
When organisations treat their staff right—not just salary but respect, trust, and empowerment—staff love the organisation back. They claim ownership and ensure ‘their’ guests/customers are treated right.
A security guard’s rude behaviour (when parking my vehicle) caused me to boycott an electronics store. A decade later, I considered burying the hatchet and attempted a visit. Shockingly, I had a repeat ‘rude experience’ with security—boycott again. Five years later, pushed by my wife, I swallowed my hurt sentiments and got past security to enter the store. The salesman, obviously a rainmaker, made me happily purchase a top-of-the-line washing machine, which was over three times my grudgingly planned budget. Besides becoming a fan of the salesman, I began to revisit the store regularly.
Rainmakers acquire and hold customers by building relationships both within and outside the organisation. Vendors, for instance, become their customers/guests and even recommend others, provided the finance and user departments don’t mistreat them.
Interestingly, all the rainmakers I’ve met have another surprising trait—they don’t do discounted selling. But they may use any margin available to enhance the experience, such as throwing in a surprise dessert or a fruit basket in the room. Mind you, this is not committed at the time of the sale; it’s totally at their discretion.
If one rainmaker like Ravi (people who love their job and organisation and then go out of their way to make the guests happy) can fill a restaurant, imagine what an organisation filled with rainmakers could do.
Dominic CostaBir, Director, Hospitality Training Institute (HTI) and Woosh Biz, is a first generation entrepreneur. A passionate hospitality veteran with 30+ years of experience, in ‘Third Eye’, he provides a perspective beyond plain sight.
