It's In the Cards

IT’S IN THE CARDS

Do you have business cards?

Of course you do. Business cards are the mark of a professional in our society. You would feel less than important if you did not have your own business cards, right?

Why would it be any different for your staff? Are they somehow less important or less professional?

One of the best things I ever did when I opened my first restaurant was to print business cards for my crew. I let them put whatever name they wanted on them. I had a bartender that wanted to be called “Coach Pete.” When I gave this kid his Coach Pete cards, it was like I had handed him the keys to a new Ferrari!

Everybody on my staff was thrilled! They were passing cards out to all their friends (perhaps because they had cards and their friends didn’t, but so what?) We got a lot of trial visits that we were able to turn into regulars.

Then I got smart and said that a signed business card was good for a glass of wine or a free dessert.

Now I admit I was nervous about this policy at first. My concern, of course, was the friends of my crew would be drinking free forever! It just did not happen. Nobody abused the privilege. They appreciated the respect and confidence I showed in them.

I had 50 people out there living their lives, meeting people and inviting them back to the restaurant. Marvelous!

In a highly competitive labor market, having business cards might be the factor that causes someone to decide to work for you over a competitor.

In any labor market, your staff can give a card to the people they meet who impress them with their attitude. You might suggest a comment like, “If you know of someone like yourself who might be looking for an opportunity, have them come by and talk with us.”

Good people tend to hang out with good people (and dirtballs tend to hang out with dirtballs.) Even if that person is not looking for a job, they may have a friend who is.

Foodservice is a business based on personal connection and having cards makes it easier for everyone on your staff to extend a personal invitation -- to potential new guests and to potential new staff members.

And what does this grand gesture cost? Unless you have something really fancy, 500 business cards will run somewhere around ten bucks, particularly if you order in quantity. This means that if you have 30 people on the staff, it will cost you about $300 to get everyone their own cards!

How much advertising can you buy for $300? How much business do you think you might generate from 15,000 personal impressions?

How much money are you spending on classified ads? How effective do you think it would be to encourage your staff to be on the lookout for good people and to slip them a card?

When I bring this idea up in seminars, there is always someone who says that they have blank cards for their staff and the person just writes their own name on the card.

It could be that a fill-in-the-blanks card is better than nothing ... but maybe it does more harm than good.

How would you feel if I hired you as the GM of my restaurant, gave you a box of blank cards and told you just to write in your name? Pretty unimportant?

Business cards are as much a gesture of respect and an investment in morale as they are a sales-building plan or a recruiting ploy. The good news is that it can accomplish all four! ... for $10! (Actually, you can now do it for even less. Just buy pre-perforated cards at your local office supply store and run them through your printer!)

I would not print cards for someone until they had been with me long enough to complete the adjustment period. (You might call it probation.) Receiving cards would make it more meaningful to make the regular staff.

Some of you may still be concerned. You are going to print cards for people who end up leaving and then you will be out ten bucks! You will have people leave and they will still give out those free wine cards to people who will then come into your place and spend their money. Get a life!

Find something more important to worry about! Instead of reasons not to do it, I suggest you think of some of the exciting possibilities:

How about dinner for four for the staff person who has the most signed cards returned during the month? Finally, a contest where the waiters and the dishwashers can compete on equal terms. (My money is on the dish crew, by the way!)

How about a bonus program for staff who refer new workers to you? Cards only make it easier for your staff to be part of the labor solution ... and it makes a statement to the people they hand their cards to as well.

Someone asked me how they could make their staff feel like they were part of things and I told them they had to actually make their staff part of things. You cannot cause them feel like they are part of something if they are not. My personal opinion is that business cards are the most tangible gesture you can make in that direction.

You have to decide how important your staff is to your success.

for more information contact:
Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor™
(585) 606-0000

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