A Five Star Lunch And Learn
Good sales presentations take a lot of thought, planning, practice, and focus on the customer. Sales 101, been there, done that, tell me something I don’t know. Here’s one that really stood out by concentrating on customer benefits, supported by a well designed campaign.
We don’t go out to lunch during the week all that often, so when we do we try to go to a classy place. Recently we had lunch at a McCormick & Schmick’s near us, and as usual the food and service were great, which is something we more or less expect at a place like that. What really stood out was the server’s soft pitch of a preferred membership promotion, with a clear focus on benefits that would be both immediate (e.g., a free coupon that would cover the small cost of joining) and long term (e.g., earning points towards future meals).
There was a nice, well designed four over four trifold brochure at our table that spelled out all these benefits, and more, but what really was so well done as to be enjoyable to witness was how the server presented the promotion. The servers there are professionals, and as with any restaurant the main contact with customers. In fact, they are McCormick & Schmick’s. The pitch was informative, with many points of reinforcement by engaging customer feedback, and how the customer would enjoy the many benefits. That the benefits would be available at any of McCormick & Schmick’s locations put the offer into a broader context. And, the server’s presentation was believable, for many reasons: Earnestness, appreciating the customer’s viewpoint and interests, clarity, and a very polished delivery that certainly was well honed.
I couldn’t help wondering why we (FutureWare) have such difficulty in developing a sales campaign that is as effective as the one presented by a server at a McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant in Southern California. Perhaps it has to do with commitment, planning, preparation and execution which they clearly did very well. And so can us (FutureWare). It gradually dawned on all of us that the server gave us more than great food, service, and an opportunity: A lesson in customer-centric salesmanship.
I decided against becoming a member, only because I don’t go out that often to make it worth my while. But I know others who do, and they’ll soon learn of McCormick & Schmick’s preferred membership promotion.
Tags: customer focus, McCormick and Schmicks, sales presentations