I can do without the fake salutation I get at the door of most restaurants. And they can definitely keep the SCRIPT they force their staff to memorize and puke all over me before taking my order!

It seems counterintuitive in a time that the market is flocking to Reality TV (away from scripted dramas) that businesses are heading in the other direction! Shouldn’t a pub have more charisma than a McDonald’s drive through?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a BIG believer in teaching staff the ART OF SALES – but not beating the “human” out of a human being.

Looking for your competitive advantage? Consider the following:

1. People CRAVE the experience that your staff provide (MORE than they do your food)
2. If your staff need to ACT passionately, you’ve yet to hire the right people
3. Being “Consistently Perfect” is overrated… in fact, it is annoying!

Putting yourself out there takes guts. Creating an environment where others do the same takes leadership.

(in the words of Amos Lee) Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight,

Don’t forget TOMORROW’S wine tasting/educational seminars with Sean: Wed July 27 from 11AM-5PM at Smith & Wollensky in Washington, DC!

(click to enlarge)

I have always loved cool t-shirts from bars and restaurants. It surprises me how FEW businesses take advantage of this low cost marketing strategy.

If you do not have a cool t-shirt (or 5) for your bar, YOU SHOULD. Who doesn’t want 1,000 walking, talking billboards for their business?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Start with the end in mind – design a shirt that would be highly sought after (think cool, fun, unique, etc.) Go online and do some research.
2. Have a design competition – get your staff, customers and friends involved. Give guidelines and set a date for submissions.
3. Design on paper first – all they have to do is sketch out the text and design.
4. Vote for the winner – pick the best 5 and get as many votes as you can for the first one printed.
5. Get a graphic artist involved – once you have the sketch, an artist can bring it to life in a couple of hours.
6. Print in bulk – you will be amazed at how affordable this is!

Don’t expect to get rich in the t-shirt business! Your goals should be a) cover your costs, and b) get as many people as possible wearing/promoting your brand.

See an example above of a client promoting a new weekly event and getting suppliers involved.

If you have a favorite t-shirt – you can attach it in the comments,