By Cody White, Pro Shop Manager for Monaghan Golf Group at Bowen Island Golf Club

Acknowledging The Existence Of The Hand That Feeds Us…

I have been to too many places in my life, where upon entering the establishment something just doesn’t feel right. You know these places... the ones where your existence is not acknowledged. There is no “hello”, no “how are you today”, just silence. I am sure that you have all experienced this and frankly the vibe just makes me want to turn around and walk back out the door.

Too many people who work in the service business are truly not thinking about the people they deal with on a daily basis. They are living in the humdrum monotony of collecting their pay check. A business with employees with this mentality will get by, but will never reach its maximum potential. A simple “hello” with a smile can go a long way to a customer. Greeting those who enter your business immediately sends a positive vibe of welcome, the more welcome an individual feels the more likely they will not only be to return but speak about your business to others in a positive manner. This may seem like a minor thing to bring up but the attitude and morale one carries throughout their shift goes a long way. There are a few things I take pride in when I’m at work, and that I like my staff to pride in as well.

1. Positive attitude - Positive attitude creates a positive environment and it is infectious. This in turn creates happy customers which in turn creates more sales, returning customers and just a general good feel about your organization.
2. Recalling names - Whether you work in an industry where you have the same people returning on a daily or weekly basis or an industry where the people differ each day, introducing yourself and remembering the name of those who you meet will inevitably create a relationship with that person. Remembering someone’s name makes people feel paid attention to. Recalling someone’s name you’ve only met one time the next time you interact with them sends a feeling of importance to that person.
3. Service with a smile - Doing business with a smile makes things feel less like business and more of a personal experience. Why be so serious while behind the counter taking money from someone? Conversing and smiling while taking a payment makes the customer walk out of there feeling like they just had a friendly interaction, rather than the feeling of money spent.

“Good morning Bob, how are you this morning?” This simple line with the addition of a smile is worth more than any amount of money and could make someone’s day. When you deal with people every day in your business, it is your job is to ensure the customers are happy and walk away with the feeling they’ve had a positive experience. This is a daily goal of mine, and that of my team. In the end, it is all about the customer. Remember… without them we would have no job.