I'll get back to you, or not!!

Im going to start with a bit of a rant!!.
Its aimed at pub operators and organisations within the pub sector.It seems that if your in one of these middle management or director type roles its sector standard not to return calls or get back to confirm meetings within a certain time frame.

Business Development Managers are renowned for this crime as they try and run round, overburdened with a "top heavy" portfolio of clients. Imagine if you had a grumpy customer who had a complaint and you decided to ignore them, certainly an opportinity to be crucified on a site like Trip Advisor.

Maybe there is an opportunity to open a complaints site that deals with poor customer service from pub companies and associates, maybe its not a silly idea after all?.

Woud like to hear from any landlord in the pub sector who's had a similar experience, please leave a comment below.

                                                               Regards Lester

The Pub Specialist’s - 14 Wishes & predictions for 2014 – Pub /Restaurants.

The Pub Sector

1. The Pub sector starts the green shoots of recovery, but realise there are tough decisions to be made.

2. Pub operators get closer to the “”sharp end of the business meaning more support for the landlord.

The Customer

3. More emphasis and focus on the customer is king. [Not just the current lip service we currently provide].

4. Realising consumers are now well trained and adept at seeking the perception of value and they won’t forget it.

5. Connecting and how you connect with the customer will pay big dividends.

6. Smiling will become the new customer service.

7. Customers will want more downtime, but will remain fickle in their selection of entertainment fixes to satisfy their requirements.

Selling

8. Less emphasis on trying to push and sell the product and more on building long lasting relationships.

Staff

9. Staff appreciation that giving lousy service will not be tolerable, and it’s not the boss that pays their wages but the customer.

Internet /Social Media

10. The internet will continue watch you’re every move good or bad- [think Trip advisor].

11. Goal posts will continue to move at an alarming pace in social media, so picking one and doing it well will be the way forward.

12. Visuals will replace boring text think instagram and twit pic

13. With all the current social media noise, people will realise that going back to less populated offline marketing strategies will work wonders.

14 Marketing your business will start to lean towards move media stations- look at what i pad can do for video for a tenth of the original price.

                 Project 10 -Are you ready for an extra £10,000 in your business?

                                      www.ThePubSpecialist.co.uk

                                               please click above

“The Pub Specialist says it’s time for a rethink on training and support”

“The Pub Specialist says it’s time for a rethink on training and support”

A day doesn't go by without an analyst reporting on the latest number of pub closures for it’s an issue upon which everyone has an opinion.  But in the long term could these closures steer a new path for the sector? Would a leaner, concentrated model with focussed, enthusiastic pub companies and more knowledgeable proactive landlords be the way forward?

If so, what is the solution? Running a pub operation already takes a lot of the landlord's time and effort and this limits his ability to develop new business opportunities successfully. Their urgent need for solid business foundations, control strategies in finance, operations, sales and marketing, can thus only be achieved successfully with external support and a reliable business information infrastructure.

The implementation of this support will only happen if the decision makers at board level rethink their business model and apportion budgets to train their Business Development Managers and invest in business development programmes that are relevant and proven to work.

In essence Directors should

• re-focus their efforts and budgetary commitment to training the landlords to a level of business competency required in today's competitive leisure market.

•  introduce more stringent, intensive induction training programmes for new pub entrants.

• have account focussed Business Development Managers trained in current business strategies enabling them to coach and support landlords to mutual benefit.

• encourage more trust and transparency between landlord and pub company in the financial aspects of the business.

It's not all doom and gloom. Customers still enjoy participating in our pub tradition with some good companies and operators. But with a bit of reorganisation it could be so much better for everyone. 

For further information contact Lester Pyatt on 07931 238211

                           www.ThePubSpecialist.co.uk

Business Personality- Self Analyzer

Here are attributes many of us value in bosses, employees; external business associates and friends :
What you should be                  What you shouldn’t be

• Honest                                    Untruthful
• Punctual                                  Late                
• Curious                                   Apathetic
• Proactive                                 Passive
• Flexible                                   Rigid
• Thoughtful                              Superficial
• Fun                                          Boring
• Generous                                 Stingy
• Committed                              Disinterested
• Respectful                               Dis respectful
• Organized                                Spontaneous
• Interested                                 In different
• Creative                                   Un imaginative
• Likable                                    Unlikable
• Positive                                    Negative
• Open                                        Guarded
• Adaptable                                Inflexible
• Risk                                         Safe
• Attention to detail                   Generalization           
• Kind                                        In humane

You get the idea. These are things that turn someone/business from ordinary into a star. They are even attributes we now assign to our favourite brands, treating them like trusted or respected friends.
Someone who is likable, honest, curious and thoughtful is easy to think of as gifted. This natural charisma and care is worth seeking out in the people we choose to work with.
You might be adept in one area or another, you might be raised in a culture or with parents that reinforce some of these values, but these are attitudes, and attitudes can be taught, and they can be learned.
There are 20 listed, so what percentage would you and your staff get today? And if you re- visited the list in twelve months’ time how much improvement has been made?
The question is do you care enough to take them on? 

                                                        Lester Pyatt
                                               www.thePubSpecialist.co.uk

Reactions - The New Marketing?

Your family is the most precious thing to you

Tell your partner you've organised a weekend away from the pub -and look at their reaction              
Make them breakfast in bed when it's not expected-and look at their reaction
Come on children were off to the seaside -and look at their reaction

Your customer's are the most important part of the business

Smile at the next fifty people you come in contact with-and look at their reaction
Start connecting more and shaking hands-and look at their reaction
Give more " the coffees on the house"-and look at their reaction

Your Staff are the next most important thing

Put an arm round the shoulder of an employee and say "well done"and look at their reaction
Ask an employee their point of view more-and look at their reaction
Hey team weve done so well this year were all going away on a short break to the sun-and look at their reaction

Now go and look in the mirror- and look at your reaction    

Feeling better now, its the new marketing!!!

                                                  The Pub Specialist
                                           www.ThePubSpecialist.co.uk        

Complaints -How much are they really costing you?

I was prompted to write this piece on receiving diabolical customer service from a large computer company Acer ,two new computers go down within three months both being keyboard faults.

Do these large companies not see the inconvenience factor to the customer?
1.Transfer all files and download browsers to new computer
2.When the computer was changed at the retail store within 21 days another set of transfers
3.When i complained about the second computer issue at the retail store , sorry sir you will have to go direct to Acer
4.Acer response was  "We can deal with your issue sir , you have a warranty for a year, with know how our repair contractor..contact them direct".
5 Know How's response ."Sorry sir it will have to come in for repair and will take 7-10 days".

So what am i going to do in the meantime?
It frustrated me that know one could make an instant decision, and say "this is an unfortunate set of circumstances we are terribly sorry about this, go back to the store immediately and we will upgrade you free of charge.

Will i use Acer again NEVER!! , so how many people around the world have felt the same as me and at what cost to their brand.?

We don't see invisible,but if a customer came into your premises with a basket of money on their head with £2,000 inside and sticker saying "What i might spend with you in the next 12 months if you service me correctly, would your attitude change to complaints?.

Similar to, if every person was allowed to take £10.00 out of your till for poor service , presentation etc.
So its' absolutely key that you train your staff to deal with complaints in a fast and efficient manner.
We don't follow customers out the door and watch and listen to who they are talking to, but what we forget is the knock on effect.

Maybe if we calculated that complaints or poor service was 200 incidents per year and cost us £40.00 per incident[not coming back] that's £8,000. per year, but wait!! because its invisible we forget the bad referrals [who they tell] so multiply that by a factor of ten... £80,000.00. and that's a game changer.
                                So get your complaint strategy in place FAST!!
                                                       Lester Pyatt
                                                       07931 238211
                                             www.ThePubSpecialist.co.uk

The over flow of average

By nature human beings are cautious and risk averse, 90% of us are survivors getting paid a weekly wage to pay our bills and feed the kids.

This creates a society of average which is criminal, who ever thought of the adage “you only live once” was right.

If we all stood on the edge of risk and went for it, sure some people would not achieve their goal but at least they would have tried.

And by the law of probability we would have created a new breed of achievers and leaders.

So what can you start today ?,

It might change your life?

Because we need more risk in the leisure/ pub sector right now, and let’s be honest, average is just boring.

So stop following and start leading.

                                                      Lester Pyatt

                                                 The Pub Specialist 

                                                    07931 238211