27 Don’t point and watch your body language
Don’t point to the table – it’s rude. Instead gesture with an open palm.
You may be aware of the old “78% of communication is non-verbal” line.
The original study that came up with that theory is probably the most
misquoted study in the history of human behaviour! But at its heart lies
a strong basic truth – what we say is only part of the deal. How we say it
and what we do while we are saying it is vitally important.
This is why the whole burger chain strategy, where a vacant looking
teenager reads from a script to upsell us to large fries, is very often
doomed to failure. Within the coffee business the customer has a
very different expectation of how they expect to be spoken to. You
must ensure your employees are using body language that means
they actually care about what they’re saying.
One of the simple rules that you can teach them is to avoid pointing – at
anything – ever! Always gesture with an open palm. If the customer
is asking where the toilet is, or which table to sit at, then make sure you
open your palm and show them in a friendly manner. Do not point.
Better still, walk them there (note the big supermarkets all do this...it’s in
their training programme!)
As ever, think about this yourself from a customer perspective. It’s basic
common sense, but we forget about it far too often in the day to day
“efficient” running of our businesses. We hate to have people in shops
pointing at us. It’s just rude. And, as ever, if you make them feel
comfortable and welcome they’ll stay and maybe come back again.
And if they stay then they’ll hopefully buy another coffee and maybe
you’ll get that holiday to the Maldives after all!
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