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Today, while watching college football I was amazed at how some these athletes have become so successful and how some are even on the way to achieving legend status. I believe it’s derived from having an elite mindset. And so I thought, if the foundation of their success is built on their thought process, how does one get there?

  These athletes practice and perfect their personal attitude through their career on their way to the top. When others are out partying, they’re in the gym sweating out the pain. When others are watching TV, they’re watching game tapes and perfecting their mental game. If these athletes spend an hour more a day than their competition working on improving their physical and mental game that  hour is  4.16% more of their day, and totals to be 365 hours in a year, 15 full days, and over 2 weeks more than the competition.

  It’s that hour a legendary athlete spends in the gym while the average competitor is sleeping. It’s like the CEO or business owner who tirelessly improves their sales, marketing, and business strategies while everyone else is home. That hour is the “x factor” that sets you apart from the competition. That is what puts you ahead of the competition.

  I recently landed a nice sized contract as a result of putting in the extra hour per day. It was an unspeakable feeling, an unspeakable high. When I  came down off my high, and realized what I had accomplished, adrenaline started pumping through my veins and I was bursting full of pride. It was a huge momentum swing and that one hour extra every day had finally paid off. I felt indestructible.

  Henry Ford once said, “It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.” I believe he hit the nail on the head. Whether you’re an athlete or a CEO you will not be successful by simply wanting to be successful. You cannot “wish” to be the best and then, all of a sudden, be the best.  Like any successful athlete, you have to act on your wishes. You have to be willing to spend that extra hour, 4.16% more of your day, in the gym or watching game tape.

  The benefits of exercise are immense. Exercise improves mental clarity, focus, and cognitive functions. When it comes to exercising, excuses are a waste of time. Making excuses burns precious energy that could be better utilized making forward progress. Whether you want to look damn good in a new pair of jeans, be a superstar athlete, or be a successful entrepreneur, here are 5 steps that you must STICK to:

  Consistency – schedule your one extra hour a day to do hard work. Whether it’s after you put your kids to bed or while everyone else is sleeping in your house…you have to make the time.

Make it a marathon – Michael Phelps, the legendary US Olympic swimmer, doesn’t swim as fast as he can and as hard as he can during his long swim matches. If he did, he would burn out quickly. He makes it a marathon. He paces himself every time.

Make it a habit – I’ve heard it takes 14 to 28 days to make something habit. Regardless of how long it takes, make it a habit to outsmart and out-work your competition in this one hour a day.

Focus – this hour is not dedicated to reading the news, checking out Facebook, or to watching YouTube videos. Remove all your distractions…maybe even your phone and email inbox.

No gym required – it drives me freaking nuts when people say, “oh, I don’t have time to go to the gym or I don’t have the money to get a gym membership.” Well it’s hard to find time when you immerse yourself in front of the Bachelor, X-factor,  Breaking Bad, or one of the countless other television shows our society has. You probably don’t have the money because you’re too busy going shopping or out for happy hour. You don’t have to be a legendary CEO or athlete, but you can if you do the opposite of the masses, if you go against the grain. If you don’t believe me, go read the Pursuit of Happiness.

  It’s time to get high! Work through these steps and go against the grain!

  To your success!

Chris Langlois

[email protected]

chrislanglois.com

When you consider the cost of advertising, sales and marketing, and time, it costs five to eight times more than retaining your existing guests. It’s well known that hotels and restaurants don’t merely need satisfied guests, they need LOYAL guests.  Loyal customers will not only eat or stay at our business every time they’re in town, but they will also recommend it to all of their friends and family.  But, many of us don’t know how to create these types of guests. Here are four ways to increase your loyal patrons:

1.       Recognize your guest – The most pleasing phrase in any language is one’s name. A colleague brought me out to dinner a few months ago to this hole in the wall Italian restaurant called Bocci, in Charleston, SC. When we walked in, my colleague was greeted by name from every single staff member. I was amazed, and slightly jealous. After our main course, I had to ask why he came here so often. He said, “Simple. Because they remember me, they call me by my name”.

Remembering your guests name is not an easy task, especially when you see hundreds of people each day. There are some tricks to remembering names. You can look at a reservation, credit card, or maybe even a rewards number before the guest checks in. Some of your employees will not have access to reservations or credit cards, such as your housekeepers, and it’s impractical to expect them to remember and recognize all the guests in your hotel. However, a warm smile and a genuine hello will go a long way to recognizing your guest.

2.       Fulfill your guest’s expectations – just like when you’re flying with an airline, you expect a safe and secure environment. In this case, you want to get those feelings from going to location A to location B safely. When you take off in a plane, a flight attendant goes through the mundane safety procedures, and they always encourage you to look in the seat pocket ahead of you to review these documents. Do you ever really look at them? If you’re like most, no way! Guests are not going to read your S.O.P.s and manuals, so they are not going to understand your policies and procedures. Guests don’t want to spend their vacation time reading rules and regulations. They just want their needs to be met in a painless manner.

I experienced a violation of this principle when I was traveling through Florida. I walked through a side door on my way to the front desk. A housekeeper was finishing up a suite as I walked past. I thought to myself, “awesome! I can upgrade and get a little more space to spread out and finish my presentation.” A little extra chipper, I walked to the front desk and began the check in process. The front desk agent (FDA) was very polite and courteous…until I asked if I could upgrade. She said I couldn’t because there wasn’t any available. Generally, I would say no big deal, but I asked if someone was occupying or going to occupy the suite that I had just walked past. She explained that it was unoccupied but she couldn’t upgrade to that room. For about five minutes we went back and forth until I realized the reason she couldn’t upgrade me  wasn’t because I couldn’t be in that room, but because she didn’t know how to open the room and switch me over in the system. There wasn’t a manual she could refer to and her supervisor didn’t get her the empowerment to tackle any issues. She probably would have called him, but it was nearly eleven at night and she was most likely afraid of the repercussions of calling him that late.

3.       It’s all about the customer’s perception – this has been driven into my mind by a previous employer and rightfully so. To a guest, perception is reality. As a manager, owner, or employee it doesn’t matter how you see things or what your intentions are. The only thing that matters is what guests or potential guests see and that might  not always the same as what you see. If your guests see you as more expensive, you are. If your guest thinks your midscale and you think you’re upscale, guess what? You’re midscale. If you think you have courteous and knowledgeable staff members and your guests think you have morons, you have morons.  When you see yourself as, let’s say, upscale and your marketing to upscale clients. Guess what’s going to happen when they stay at your hotel? They will be extremely disappointed and the next thing you know you’re being slandered all over the internet, your bottom-line plummets, and if you don’t take care of it, you’ll be out of business. Take off your blinders, step over your ego, and look through the eyes of your guests.

4.       Create unforgettable memories your guests can brag about – now, more than ever, people are adding experiences to their bucket list versus the tangibles, such as huge houses and fancy cars. Furthermore, your guests want to recreate their memorable experiences. People travel the world, skydive, eat at famous chef’s restaurants, and pick certain hotels for the experience they provide. If your guests feel good about their experience at your hotel, you can bet they will be back. If the occasion was memorable enough, they will tell their close friends and family members too. As we all know, word of mouth advertising is the best that money CANNOT buy!

Chris Langlois

Chrislanglois.com

extremeEDvantage.com

Legacy – no one lives forever, but one’s legacy might. So how will you be remembered? Will you be remembered for your unmatched stories, the funny laugh that always brightens up a room (we all have that friend with the silly laugh), for your shyness, your temper, or maybe for your character? I recently watched a video of Will Smith (Will Smith: Leaving a Legacy) and realized he is a man who will forever be remembered as his breakout character, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Just like the audience in the talk show, you can sing the theme song from start to finish. (I’m singing it as I write this!) Will Smith has a lot of accomplishments to be remembered for from his Blockbuster movies to his hip-hop albums, but he will always be remembered as the Fresh Prince. So how will you be remembered and how can you ensure you too will have a strong positive legacy? Here are 3 ways you can leave one:

Live your legacy – as cliché as it sounds, actions speak louder than words. I recently watched “The Fighter” with Mark Wahlberg. There is a scene where is brother gets upset and begins to punch the lockers. His child sees him and begins to take the same action by punching the lockers. People are always watching you whether you like it or not. The young and impressionable ones will follow in your footsteps. The most indelible legacy is the way that we live. 

 Live like you mean it – None of us know how long we will live our lives on planet earth. However, we can leave the legacy we want by living in honor, conviction, and passion. People will remember the way you live more than the details of your achievement. Think of Michael Jackson. He has countless achievements under his belt but very few remember him for his accomplishments. They remember him for the way he lived his life.

Build the foundations of purpose for others to build on – you cannot build a pyramid by yourself or in a single generation. However, it can eventually be built if the foundation was built on principles and purposes that are timeless, and certainly bigger than we are. Live a story that lasts an eternity.

Leave a legacy that will go on-and-on for generations to come and that you can be proud of… something more than your surname.

Chris Langlois

www.chrislanglois.com

www.extremeEDvantage.com

We’ve all tossed around the idea at one point or another on whether we should fire an employee, specifically a general manager.  Well, let’s compare your general managers to a study of elite college football coaches. Professors from the University of Colorado and Loyola University Chicago conducted a study of what happened to the records (in workforce terms, their “bottom line”) of college football teams that replaced a head coach for performance reasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) between 1997 and 2010. Over this period of time, an average of 10 percent of FBS teams fired their coach each year due to a team’s poor performance on the field. (sciencedaily.com)

The professors used statistical methods to compare groups of similar teams, and they found on average that:

When a team had been performing particularly poorly, replacing the coach resulted in a small, but short lived, improvement in performance after the change.

The records of mediocre teams – those that, on average, won about 50 percent of their games in the year prior to replacing a coach – became worse.

According to political science professors Scott Adler of CU-Boulder, Michael Berry of CU Denver and David Doherty of Loyally University Chicago, “the relatively common decision to fire head college football coaches for poor team performance may be ill-advised.”

There are many pitfalls of managing: poor performance, not earning the company profit, undisciplined behavior, and attitudes. As supervisors, managers, and owners, we know that managing is no picnic. Even in most ideal situations we carry a lot on our shoulders from performance levels, profit levels, and even wondering if an employee is going to show up on Sunday evening to work. Here are four reasons to not give up on your general manager:

1)      Believe – As I wrote this I thought of the song by Journey “Don’t Stop Believing.” I hope you enjoy the cliché! Anyway, how do you chop a tree down? You take an ax and chop away at it, little by little, until it falls over. Your general manager might be going through a tough time in their home life or professional career. They need you to believe in them as they may be struggling to believe in themselves, especially in times of uncertainty. Stick with your general manager and let them know you believe and trust in them.

2)      Transparency –Like most people, your managers value transparency. Refrain from the “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to… get rid of you!” Nothing is more destructive than secrecy. It will create a barrier between you and your manager, and thus hindering your relationship with them. Let’s be honest, would you want them keeping secrets from you? They may become insecure and lose confidence if you’re not giving them the full truth. If it’s sensitive information, tell them and explain why.

3)      It’s my way or the highway – Is that really the best route to success? If you want things done your way, you should be the manager. When you plug a destination in your GPS, is there only one way to get there? In most cases, the answer is no, there are multiple routes to get to where you want to go. How many of us have realized that the recommended route by the GPS is not always the “best way”. Just like a GPS, you may think your course is the best but in hindsight your manager’s may be best. There might be a strong connection between a struggling work team and an owner who is overbearing with their manager.

4)      Time to mention tension! – Yes, conflict can actually be a GOOD thing. Tension and conflict is mounting with your team so it’s time to panic and fire your general manager, right? Quite the contrary! Conflict is a by-product of creating excitement, however, it needs to be acknowledged and regulated to keep excitement alive. (Creating Excitement in the Workplace) Let the tension fold out and make sure there is a strong line of communication from the manager to you and from the manger to their staff.

The statistical analysis doesn’t mean there are no exceptions. As Adler explains, some teams that replace their coach do perform better but the findings demonstrate that, on average, replacing a coach in an attempt to boost performance is not always a winning, or lasting, solution. We all want to boost profits or win more games but changing your coach or general manager is not necessarily the best answer. With the four reasons above, your general manager should begin to “win” more money for your company, hotel, or restaurant!

Chris Langlois

www.chrislanglois.com `

www.extremeEDvantage.com

From weekly meetings and inspirational messages, ping pong, to annual bonuses, business owners and managers have a plethora of choices when it comes to motivating their associates.

  But what do you choose from this smorgasbord of options and which has the best tradeoff and cost the least? Are the office ping pong elites really able to think clearer or are they just wasting valuable time? Are my weekly meetings and inspirational messages boring and are my associates just laughing behind my back? Do the annual bonuses actually work or is it creating unethical behavior? You’re answer, probably all of the above. So how do you build a fresh culture and truly motivate your team without digging deeper into your pockets?

  1.       Purpose – explain the purpose of your associates and explain how to impacts your customers. Previous generation’s managers had to define the philosophical question, “what’s in it for me”, to their associates. Today’s managers have to define the question, “why should I care”. Most organizations fall short of giving their employees a cause to care about, to believe in and back.

2.       Speed date – An article on Inc.com by Jessica Stillman talks about a Wharton professor, Adam Grant, studied the training of 71 new call center employees of a Midwestern software firm. One group of trainees was chosen to meet an “internal customer” – an employee of another department whose salary depends on the sales that the new hires make – during the initial training. There was a 20% improvement in revenue per shift when they did this. Leadership messages from the CEO about purpose, vision, mission, and meaning, had little effect but meeting a customer had a significant impact.

Every organization, hotel, restaurant, pharmaceutical company makes a difference in their customers lives. Take the initiative to interview or bring one in to show your staff that what they do makes a difference. Receive a thank you card or great guest survey comments? SHARE them with your staff.

  As an owner you may not have much free cash and as a manager you may not have flexibility in your budget to purchase a ping pong table, buy team lunches, offer a better bonus plan but that is not an excuse for the lack of motivation on your team. Besides, those things rarely actually motivate your team says Daniel Pink in his book “Drive”. However, by simply explain the purpose and introducing your customers to your associates will help motivate your team than any fancy reward program or ping pong table.

  If you do this, please share your experiences readers!

  Chris Langlois

www.extremeEDvantage.com

www.chrislanglois.com

Word of Mouth that sticks

We all agree that word of mouth is the most effective and efficient form of advertising but, how do we make it stick? Paul Revere’s ride is perhaps the most famous historical example of a word-of-mouth success. On April 18, 1775, a young stable boy in Boston overheard an officer in the British Army say something about “hell to pay tomorrow.” The boy sprinted to a silversmith named Paul Revere and informed him of what he heard. Paul listened intently as this wasn’t the first piece of gossip he heard that day. Well these rumors ended up being true and the British were about to march to Lexington to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

What Paul did next ended up being a legendary piece of history and something we’ve all read in our history books. Paul rode to Lexington and spread the word, “the British are coming, the British are coming,” to every city he passed along the way. The locals then spread the word like wildfire and soon alarms were going off throughout the entire region. When the British finally began their march toward Lexington they met a well-organized and ready militia. The British were beaten and after that battle the American Revolution was born.

While not all word-of-mouth examples are this extraordinary,  it’s safe to say this is most influential form of advertising and communication. Think back to the last movie you saw, clothing you recently purchased, or the most recent restaurant you ate at. How many of those cases were your decision based on a friend’s recommendation?

So how do you get your customers to talk about your business frequently and positively?

1.       Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) – There are so many blogs and articles that tell you to give more and do more. I disagree. You have to keep it simple. You must focus on your customer service before you add or do anything new. Superb customer service is critical to every businesses success. Focus on the basics such as your greeting, problem solving skills, how to handle customer complaints, and follow up. To get an idea where you stand with your customers, review your surveys, scour the internet for your reviews, sit back and watch your staff/customer interactions, and most importantly, ASK you customers!

2.       Do something unexpected – The success of Paul Revere’s ride is partly because it was a surprise and no one in those areas expected the British to invade. Another example happened when I was training in Las Vegas. A group of us went to a restaurant where they sold hush puppies. These little fried balls of heaven were so delicious! They literally melted right in your mouth. However, we expected a high quality of food so that wasn’t the surprise. It was the delivery. They brought out these amazing hush puppies that were melt in your mouth good in a cone of waxed paper. That waxed paper was then put in a converse shoe and brought to us! I will never forget that unexpected experience and I will always recommend that restaurant because of it.

3.       Tie it to an emotion – Obviously Paul Revere’s message struck an emotional chord with the towns as the British were coming to arrest two colonels. So how can you tie in with your customer’s emotional chord? This past week I spoke to a group and a women, Cindy, came up to me literally in tears of joy because of something that happened nearly a decade ago! She was traveling for work when she received a phone call that her husband was placed in the hospital. A housekeeper at the hotel she was staying at over heard this and took it upon herself to send flowers to her room. Shortly after, she asked Cindy if she needed transportation to the airport. Cindy was so ecstatic that another person actually cared for her and her family that she had chosen to stay at this property whenever she traveled to the area, the price didn’t matter. But, the housekeeper didn’t stop there! How cool this is, she wrote a letter thanking Cindy for her stay, saying she looks forward to having her as a preferred guest again, and that she would keep her husband and family in her prayers. Let’s just say this woman, Cindy, is now an ambassador for this hotel for the rest of her life. Over the course of time, she will bring in thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars through her word-of-mouth advertising that was created by the housekeeper taking the opportunity to meet the emotional needs of a guest.

We know word-of-mouth is the most effective and efficient way to advertise. So How are you making it stick with your customers or guests?

Chris Langlois

www.extremeEDvantage.com

www.chrislanglois.com

After speaking to a group in South Carolina, I was inspired to write this article to help those struggling to find and recruit top young talent. Never before has the war on finding talent been so fierce. Recruiting and retaining young professionals is not easy. It is difficult to get the competitive advantage in a climate where quality candidates are being sought after by so many companies with a strong financial background, credibility, and with great philanthropy.

Let’s be honest, most millennials are not going to jump into just any job. You need to get them to WANT to jump on your team! Here are my top 5 ways to recruit the top talented millennials:

1.       BUILD A DEMAND – think of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” by Mark Twain.  Tom was caught playing hooky from school and had to whitewash the fence as punishment the next day. He cleverly persuades his friends to help paint the fence. His friends tease him at first but then he says he is having a great time painting the fence and that even if his friends wanted to he wouldn’t let them help. He soon “gives in” and allows others to essentially do the work for him.

He built a demand and by doing so he actually got the others to do the boring hard labor. When millennials ask about positions within your company, tell them there’s a limited amount of spaces and that they need to apply ASAP. Everyone is somewhat familiar with the hospitality industry. When you’re at a restaurant, where is the hostess stand at? It’s near the door where people have to gather  making the restaurant appear popular. Where is the door located? Near the busiest street so people drive by and see the “demand” for their place. Furthermore, do you notice how the hostess sometimes won’t seat you even when there are tables available? She is encouraged to let people gather to increase the demand and hype before seating groups.

2.       MARKET TO MILLENNIALS – You don’t expect a cow to come to you to get milked, so don’t market to millennials and expect them to find it. You have to go to them and recruit where they will be.

a.       Use technology – create a short video using pictures and clips (Animoto is very user friendly).If you don’t feel up to creating a video then have a millennial on your team create a social media site that is linked into your company’s website and social media pages. You can post on virtual job fairs!

b.      Speed dating concept – have your current millennials talk about their experiences to potential candidates at a job or career fair. A candidate may back out or not go in at all because of what your worker may say but that’s good! You probably just weeded someone out that would have quit later anyways.

c.       Talk to the parents – recognize the parent’s involvement and use them as an asset. Parents want the best for their children, so talk to them about why a position within your company will jumpstart their career. Parents are so involved in their kids’ lives; once I had a parent come and talk to be after I sent their kid home from work for poor behavior! Here are some stats to help drive this point: The Collegiate Employment Research Institute reports that, “Nearly a quarter of all employers have ‘sometimes’ or ‘very often’ seen parents involved in the recruitment and employment of recent college graduates. Forty percent of employers report that parents have called them requesting information about the company; 4 percent report parents actually attending the interview.”

3.       BUILD MEANING – This is something that I hope I have driven into the minds of many learners. Do you know the premise behind Tom’s Shoes? (Tom’s Shoes will make another pair of shoes and send them to a third world country for every pair sold) A normal everyday shoe has sold 10s to 100s of millions of dollars’ worth because they had a cause, a “meaning” behind their business. Success will come when you can differentiate yourselves from your competition.. You need to get them interested early on. Like the cause behind Toms Shoes created a positive “buzz”, you can too. Here is how:

a.       Explaining “WHY” they should be a part of your company.

b.      Setting expectations for position: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

c.       Remembering that your “WHY” is not the same as your employees and your employee’s “WHY” is not a one size fits all.

A learner in a recent talk I gave said, “Chris, you millennials aren’t much different than previous generations, we have all done those things and we, too, expected respect and recognition. We just didn’t have the technology capabilities to get things as quick and be as social about it.” I want you all to be as successful as possible. I want to see you all be profitable and hire more millennials!

I encourage you to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have. Remember, I am a millennial so I expect quick feedback! ;)

PS check out this YouTube video of where millennials come from and why they are the way they are.

Chris Langlois

[email protected]

chrislanglois.com

I recently had a discussion with a hotel general manager about how he is finding it difficult to maintain a decent ADR because a couple brands down the street with a “better flag” have been posting their rates cheaper. He has excellent guest service scores and his property is in great shape. He brought up the idea of offering unique hotel amenities. We tossed around the idea and determined that this could be a great idea but the amenities need to be appealing to his current guests. We came up with a few ideas that could be complimentary and others that guests could splurge on.

    Deep Sleeping Dreamer’s Menu: masks, earplugs, specialty pillow

    Children’s Play Box – games, animated movies, dolls and cars, pillows for a pillow fight

    Health Nut – specialty protein bars and shakes, bicycle to tour the area, map of safe running paths

    Couples – mini champagne bottles, chocolates, gourmet picnic basket with a map to a local park

Animal lover – greet animal with a dog treat and toy, food and water bowls, and maybe even a dog walker.

We could go on-and-on with various amenities but my question to the crowd is: do you think it will help? If he already has a high rating for guest service and his property is clean, should he offer more amenities to attract new and keep his current guests? I believe we can all agree that customer service is key and gimmicks can draw business in but it can also backfire as it gives the guest another opportunity for a guest complaint.

Since the first 10 quotes were such a huge hit, I thought I would pass on 9 more for you to kick your service standards butt, inspire your team, and make a difference for 2013. Enjoy these quotes!

 You are serving a customer, not a life sentence. Learn how to enjoy your work. -Laurie McIntosh

 “Profit in business comes from repeat customers; customers that boast about your product and service, and that bring friends with them.” -W. Edwards Deming

 “Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.” -Zig Ziglar

“Here is a simple but powerful rule: always give people more than what they expect to get.” -Nelson Boswell

 “Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back. We have to be great every time or we’ll lose them.” -Kevin Stirtz

 “Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.” -Jeffrey Gitomer

 “Well done is better than well said.” -Benjamin Franklin

 “Customer service is not a department, it’s everyone’s job.” -Anonymous

 “It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the”wages. -Henry Ford

 BONUS!

"Courage is not limited to the battlefield. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like enduring pain when the room is empty or standing alone when you're misunderstood."

-- Charles Swindoll

 Check out http://www.chrislanglois.com/motivational-quotes.html for free motivational posters!

 Chris Langlois

Chrislanglois.com

I was recently flipping through a magazine that was send to my house called, “house calls” that was sent by Roper St. Franchise Healthcare. They had a brief article that actually stopped me from just skimming to reading.  The title read, “Million-Dollar Smile”.

It goes on to talk about a new study that money actually can buy happiness… or at least lead to wealth. London researchers analyzed more than 10,000 Americans and found that the happier, more emotionally stable a person is in their teens and early 20s, the more money they are likely to make down the road. The study tracked participants’ emotional well-being at ages 16 and 18, their life satisfaction at age 22, and their income at age 29, and showed that significantly unhappy adolescents earned 30 percent less than those who reported being content as a teen. To explain the overall correlation, researchers cited that overall, happy teen participants experienced an increased likelihood of graduating from college and finding a job, heightened optimism and extraversion, and decreased neuroticism.

To me, it was pretty staggering to read that nearly 1/3of adolescents made more money in their later years if they grew up happier. Part of me initially thought that those who were “unhappier” may have wanted a different life for themselves but, either way make sure you are looking at the brighter side of life and staying on track… with a big smile!

Chris Langlois

chrislanglois.com

There is a large gap between millennials (20 somethings) and other generations when it comes to the speed of things. Elder generations are pulling their hair out because millennials don’t stop asking for more. On the other side of the coin, millennials are going insane because they struggle with the glacial speeds of their mentors and bosses. Let’s explain the reasoning behind both and bridge this gap together!

Why do millennials ask for so damn much and expect an answer right away?

We, millennials, are also known as the “microwave generation” and here’s why:

·         Our grandparents and parents had stoves, we have microwaves

·         Our parents had rotary phones, we have cell phones with a 4G network

·         Our parents had encyclopedias, we have Wikipedia and Google

·         Our parents had to wait in line at the grocery store, we have self-checkout stations

·         Our parents had to write checks and mail them, we pay online… and automate it

·         Our parents had Blockbuster, we have Netflix and Hulu

·         Our parents had to write letters and mail them, we email, instant message, and text

·         Our parents had to develop and print pictures, we have Facebook and electronic picture frames

·         Our parents had to wait for formal employee reviews, we demand to know how we are doing right away

With all of that being said, I hope you can understand why we struggle when you don’t answer us right away. We have always been able to go get what we needed at lighting speeds. The only time we get bogged down is when we can’t connect to our 4G network, we get stuck in traffic, or we have to wait on our managers. When we have to wait to pick up the pace at work, either we have to adapt or (you) the manager does.

To the Managers

Do you really want to slow down progress or potentially revenue? When possible, adapt to the speed and great things will come! We want to teach you everything we know to speed things up. If you’re willing to learn from us, you too may be able to finish your work and go home to your kids or even go see that movie you’ve wanted to see with your spouse. It will be uncomfortable, change always is.

Caution

·         Set speed limits – don’t let us stray away from what’s important

·         Manage the pace – what level of completion does your guest want? ·         Don’t bog down the face lane – no one likes when you come on to the person in the fast lane that is driving under the speed limit… don’t be that guy! So, when we suggest an improvement, don’t let it get so bogged down with policies and red tape that we lose heart and give up.

To the Millennials

·         Be patient – it may be a struggle, but it’s important

·         Don’t get discouraged if what you proposed doesn’t get picked. It may not fit the companies goals

·         Teach your peers what you know!

It’s time to bridge the gap and capitalize on this every growing force to be reckoned with…. these trophy kids, millennials. I hope this article helps everyone understand a little more!

Chris Langlois

Chrislanglois.com

Here are 10 motivational quotes for you to kick your service standards butt, inspire your team, and make a difference for 2013. Enjoy these quotes!

1.       "Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats." -Og Mandino

2.       “Customer don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”

-Donald Porter, V.P. British Airways

3.       “If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” -Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.com

4.       "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." -Zig Ziglar

5.       “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” -Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart

6.       “Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.” -Chip Bell, Founder Chip Bell Group

7.       “If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.” -Ray Krock

8.       “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

-Benjamin Franklin

9.       “Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.”

-Napoleon Hill

10.   “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”

-Henry Ford

BONUS!

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

-Winston Churchill

Check out http://www.chrislanglois.com/motivational-quotes.html for free motivational posters!

Chris Langlois

Chrislanglois.com

How often do you go into a restaurant, hotel, and resort to get “satisfying” service? Think back to those times when you received a “satisfying” experience. Did you go to your friends, family, and social media to brag about it? Have you even returned?

 Here’s my point. No one remembers a “satisfying” experience. As an operator you need to strive to create a memorable experience and with this, a loyal customer. I recently wrote down a statistic (sorry I can’t find the link anymore)  that stated a “satisfied customer” is eight times more likely to switch to a competitor than a “delighted guest."

As an operator, how do you find out if you’re creating a memorable experience? It is simple. ASK! ASK! ASK! 

 Did you know 96% of guests say they will never say a word of compliant if they are having a less than satisfied experience? But they do tend to not return to your business and instead go to your competitor. So, after all of that hard work, time, and money to get them into your company is wasted because they had an average or mediocre stay.

Oh, by the way, attracting a new customer costs 5 times as much as keeping an existing one (Source: Lee Resource Inc.)

What is the best form of marketing? We all know its word of mouth, but why? Here’s an example, just the other day a friend told me about a great movie he just saw, “Zero dark Thirty”. To be honest, I didn’t even know it existed or let alone what it was about. All of their millions of dollars marketing it and I still hadn't heard of it. However, a friend loved it and highly recommended it. Guess what? I am going to see it Friday evening and it is only because a friend, who I trust, recommended it. A movie that was not even on my radar (much like many hotels and restaurants) is now receiving my business simply because a friend said they liked it and thought I would like it as well. They didn’t spend any more time or marketing efforts to do so. They received the best form of business: free business through existing customers.

Operators, take the time to create a memorable experience. Don’t settle for mediocre, average, or satisfying. Save money and time by focusing on your current customers. They’re already in your door and, if treated the right way, they will return and they are more likely to tell their friends and family about their experience. That’s FREE marketing!

 Chris Langlois

chrislanglois.com

Just like myself, I’m sure you have been neutral or apathetic at work. You go to work, punch in, do what you’re told, and punch out. You’re neither positive nor negative but the state of apathy that you demonstrate costs the entire company. Your space could have been filled by someone who was positive, energetic, and added value. Did you realize it takes more energy to suppress your emotions? It’s not surprising when those workers who remain neutral are often at a stage of burnout. It’s tempting to sit their quietly and comply – but it’s costing you energy and your company money. Not adding value is the same as taking it away. I recently wrote a blog “Be Bold or Be Ignored” that relates to this. So what can you do to channel your energy from being neutral to being engaged?

Come to work motivated (not like every day is a “case of the Mondays”)

Recognize your peers on their hard work and dedication

Set SMART goals for yourself and/or team Connect to you leaders, mentors, and even your customers

Celebrate milestones in career and with your team

Have some fun!

It’s important to move the needle from neutral to engage. If you’re needle is stuck on neutral then you’re better off not showing up. Your lack of attitude can actually be a cancer for your career, the company, and even your team. So be bold and be engaged using these points and most importantly have fun!

Chris Langlois

chrislanglois.com

We are living in a time of constant change due to the power of technology and social media. This has been pushing businesses to be less dictatorial and more social and communal. As a result, the value of our soft skills has dramatically increased. 

So what are soft skills? Wikipedia defines them as, “a sociological term relating to a person's "EQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people.” I would simplify that definition into something even more basic. Soft skills = People skills. Yes, we all have people skills but some are blessed with more while others aren’t. If you look around, you will notice that not everyone was passed out people skills equally. These traits are not only in one’s genes. You can teach them, and you should! 

Soft skills are often overlooked, but they play an important role in the day-to-day operations of any business. I recently went to one of my favorite “fast food” chains, Chic-fil-a, and I realized that they place a high value on “people skills” in all of their employees. Their service is truly amazing! I always feel welcomed and appreciated when I go there, not to mention their food is pretty darn good to! Forbes says that Chic-fil-A has a staggering 5%/year turnover for their operators. That blew my mind, especially in that industry. If I were to ask Cathy or any of the execs over at Chic-fil-A why that number is incredibly low, I believe they would agree that soft skills are an integral part to their success. So I came up with 6 reasons why every company should train on soft skills just like Chic-fil-a.

You and your associates:

·         Will attract like-minded people

·         Will gain others respect

·         Will typically display a stronger work ethic and drive

·         Ability to communicate effectively will drastically increase

·         Ability to work within a team will feel more natural

It’s evident that the business community is beginning to understand that these skills are valuable. Focus in on your soft skills and create memorable impressions and loyal business just like Chic-fil-A.

Chris Langlois  

Chrislanglois.com

Gator Getters – Little Problems Can Result in HUGE Mistakes

Two years ago, I took a road trip to visit a fellow SigEp fraternity brother in Charleston, SC. I fell in love with the area and after spending 24 years as a Michigander, I decided to up and move. Shortly after my move into some southern hospitality, I got involved catching nuisance alligators. Mind you, we don’t have alligators in Michigan and, trust me, if anyone would have said that I would be jumping on the back of a 10 foot 400 pound alligator, I would have said, “you’re insane!”

As you can guess and by look at YouTube videos or by even watching the hit TV show Gator Boys, you know it doesn’t take much for things to go wrong and downhill all before you can say, “mama’s sweet potato pie.” (yes, in a short time the southern twang is rubbing off on me y’all) I got a call around 4:00 am to catch a gator in a ladies garage. Apparently, the gator got in before she closed the garage at night. She was on her way out to her car when she her some noises and hissing under her car. Needless to say, I managed to roll out of bed half asleep to get a look at the gator. I managed to move the gator from under her vehicle and the show down began between the gator and I, him looking at me, me looking at him, without a blink from either of us.

After a short period of time, I put a noose around his neck and pulled him onto the grass where it’s safer for him and me. I tired him out and asked a police officer if he could help me. I asked him if he was comfortable with gators, had done this before, and if he were comfortable with having my life and very least my limbs in his hands. As with any cop, “yes,” was his response. I repeated the same questions again. He again said, “yes.” I show the cop exactly what to do: keep the pole and harness tight around his neck and to push down as hard as he can over the snout of the gator. I explicitly said, “Whatever you do, don’t let up and don’t move or he will get me.” I tap the gator and pull him to see if he would react. Nothing. I proceeded to jump on the back of the gator and, as I did so, the cop let off the pole! The gator swung around to get me: jaws open, teeth glistening, and maybe even a little drool.

Sometimes the smallest and simplest things can radically change the outcome of a situation. You can plan, train, and prepare for any situation but that doesn’t mean crap. All it takes is one little thing to happen unexpectedly and your world can come crumbling down.

Here are my 5 things that can make a big difference no matter what happens:

1.       Tell those around you what they mean to you. Love is like breathing, its best when engaged.

2.       Write hand written thank you notes. As a millennial, someone living in the microwave generation, I live in the fast lane. I never forget to send a hand written note to someone when necessary.

3.       Turn off the TV – I recently found myself watching an excess of TV, watching other’s live their lives and get rich by me doing so. Spend time with your loved ones, exercising,  writing, etc. Don’t complain about not getting anything done if you’re watching the darn TV!

4.       Have fun – don’t take life so serious. Like that cliché sign you see everywhere: “Live, Laugh, Love”

5.       Do something you would never do before! Leap out of your comfort zone. Do something you’ve never done before. I will soon be jumping out of an airplane!

So after reading this story, you’re wondering what in the hell happened? Did I die? Did I lose an arm? Did I lose a leg? Did I feed the cop to the gator like many of you would want to! Well none of the above! In certain situations you can see how things are going to play out even as you’re in motion. Like a deer running in front of your car, you see it happening and you can prepare…  at least a little. With some dumb luck and a touch of observation I saw the cop fidget and move allowing the gator to swing his powerful head and jaws. I saw this and successfully shoved the gators jaws in the ground before he could attack me.

Chris Langlois

Chrislanglois.com

The Power of 24: How You Can Be a Game Changer

We are all equal in the sense of time. We all get 24 hours whether you’re black or white, male or female, dog or cat. If we broke down a year into our working days we get roughly 250 days. If in those days you commit to tackling one thing on your mountain of things “to do”, just think of what you could accomplish. If you wrote a book and wrote 1 page/day, you’d have a 250 page book. If you made only a handful of sales calls each day you would have called over 1,250 people. How much would that increase your revenue?

Let’s take this a step further and stop thinking of what we could do for ourselves for a moment. (I know it’s hard as we have so much going on in our lives… which maybe the problem) What could we do on a daily basis, in 24 hours that could change the world? (or at least someone else’s world)

Here are some things to try:

·         Hold the door for a stranger and smile

·         Write a book or article that could impact someone’s life for the better

·         Teach an employee a new skill

·         Read a few chapters of a business or spiritual book

·         Take your son/daughter for a bike ride

·         Get involved in a charity or local church

·         Get to know one of your coworkers

·         Pay for a strangers lunch – even in a drive thru window

·         Bring home flowers or heck maybe even a case of beer for your spouse

·         Write and hand written note thanking a customer, colleague, or friend for something

The majority of us think that we can’t change the world or someone else’s life unless we do something big. That is so untrue! Just think if you and 10 of your friends and colleagues each did something above and beyond for someone else for no rhyme or reason. Think of how your community would be impacted.

So what will you do? What have you done? Please share your story and experience!

Chris Langlois

chrislanglois.com