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All work is Team work. 

Sullivan’s Law of Hierarchy: If you’re at the top of the ladder, cover your ass; if you’re at the bottom, cover your face.

 “Good enough” never is. 

Customers don’t care how valuable they are to us, they only care how valuable we are to them. 

Training is our secret weapon. NEVER Practice on the Customer.

 Life is like a game of tennis; the one who serves best seldom loses. 

Energy is 75% of the job. If you haven’t got it, be nice. 
- From our book Mind Your Own Business available at Sullivision.com

Country Blues Readers of New York magazine were asked to invent country-song titles.
Here are some of our favorite entries: 

“I Lost My Honey Bunny on a Bad Hare Day” 

“Ain’t No Trash Been in My Trailer Since the Night I Threw You Out”

 “You Want to Get Hitched, but My Heart Is Filled With Whoa” 

“Baked My Sweetie a Pie, but He Left With a Tart”

 “She Chews Tobacco, but She Won’t Choose Me” 

“The Peach I picked in Georgia Didn’t Cling to Me for Long” 

“Don’t Want That Floozy in My Jacuzzi”

 “I Found the Recipe for Heartbreak in a Cookbook on Your Shelf”

“Now That We’re Miserable, I Hope You’re Happy” 
- Quoted by Mary Ann Madden.

Here's the Free January 2008 Edition of the Sullivision
E-newsletter you signed up for. Check out our e-news archives, quote of the day, product catalog and free downloads at www.sullivision.com
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Spare Some Change?
By Jim Sullivan Copyright 2008 Sullivision.com

There is an old adage that goes, “If you always do what you’ve always did, you always get what you always got.” I like the sentiment behind the saying; if you expect different results, you have to change your approach. I think that in today reality, however, that old gem just doesn’t hold water. It implies that what made you successful in the past will keep you successful at the same level in the present, at least maintaining status quo. Good luck with that sentimentality. If I were to rewrite that adage, it would say:

“If you always do what you’ve always done…you’re sunk.”

The truth is, in today’s faster-harder-smarter-more world, change is the only constant. Your customers, crews, markets, vendors and competitors evolve, respond and innovate. Woe is the operator who stands in one place (always doing what they’ve always done), remaining fixed as the world changes around them. Today, if you’re standing still, you’re walking backwards. As the Dow falls and competition heightens, we need to stay ahead of change and ask ourselves if what got us here is enough to get us to the next level.
In his new book, “The Renegade Server,” hospitality author Tim Kirkland explores how restaurants, servers, and guests have changed and evolved in recent years. He points out that an increase in the number of restaurants and dine-out occasions have dramatically altered guest expectations of the dining experience as well as how they respond to different sales and service techniques.

“The average modern American is exposed to about 5-10 traditional ‘up-sells’ every day,” estimates Kirkland, “whether it is a meal deal or a bigger size at a quick-serve restaurant, an accessory or warranty package at the electronics store, or the next size of jumbo popcorn at the movies…Americans are finding themselves fending off more and more up-sell approaches every day. And, I might add, they are getting better at saying “no.”

“The Renegade Server” puts forward several antidotes for the common up-sell that encourage restaurants and servers to continually change up their approach to selling and service. He recommends ditching canned sales pitches for seeking singular moments to engage each guest and determine what their unique expectations are and figuring out how to exceed them. In addition, the book details a holistic, creative approach to applying a “Renegade” mindset to the entire process of 21st Century service and servers. I highly recommend it.

Especially valuable is the book’s recommendations on how to eliminate what Kirkland calls “restaurant speak” from the service floor, that is, the same, tired language that is used by nearly every server (“Did anyone save room for dessert?”). He describes how using the same language, timing and approaches with all of your guests (and as all of your competitors) has a way of making guests feel as if they are being “processed,” rather than truly served. Then he offers creative solutions for changing.

We like “The Renegade Server” so much that we’re featuring it on our website, and you can get it for a great price at Sullivision.com. I highly recommend it for managers and trainers that are looking for new ways to inspire their crews to sell more, serve better and develop genuine connections with guests. It is a must-read for any server or bartender who wants to make more money by creating unique, memorable and customized experiences for their guests. It will change the way you see and approach service for the better.

 If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Learn how in The Renegade Server.

Jim Sullivan is the CEO of Sullivision.com and a popular speaker at manager conferences worldwide.

For information about Sullivision's award-winning seminars and products, visit our website at www.sullivision.com or call 1.920.930.3915.

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