Same stuff, nothing new!

  I was in a new coffee shop the other day and asked the clerk what was for lunch.  The answer I received is the title to the article!  Wow– I thought, somebody needs to help train this individual better.
  Interestingly, it was 1150 in the morning when I was in the coffee shop, just about lunch time.  I had provided the “buying signal”– “What is for lunch” when I asked my question.  Now, the astute clerk would have told me what the soup special was, how the sandwich was prepared and why I wanted to eat there.  Unfortunately, none of that happened!  I ended up getting glass of ice tea, having my meeting and going down the street for lunch.
   I have addressed staff training many times in this blog.  Staff training is one of the most significant facets of owning a business– irrespective of size.  With a small business, the staff training element is much more critical than with a Fortune 10 size company.  Why?  Well, at the Fortune 10 size company, there is enough duplication of staff that someone else can fix a mistake.  In a small 6 person business, everyone must know what the business does, what the customer wants and how you can always increase sales to address enhanced profitability.
    The example I posed above is applicable to everyone, business size makes no difference!  In this case, the clerk did not think about how to “upsell” me, keep me in the establishment or try and get me to increase my buying desire.
    If you run a business, check out how your staff sells your product, irrespective of  product type.  What you may learn may surprise you.  What you learn will provide you with sufficient “grist” to have a staff training session to refresh staff members on how to sell your products.