A food and beverage server (is that the politically correct term?) has a tough job. I worked as a waitress for years when I was going to school, and I loved it, but it was hard work.  I learned a lot from my career as a waitress that I think has contributed to my operating a service-based (virtual assistance) business. I thought it would make for an interesting blog post.

So here it goes…

The Top 10 Reasons a Waiter/Waitress Will Make a Good Business Owner

10.    Every good server knows they have to know the menu inside and out. You don’t want to work with a business owner who doesn’t know their service/product list like the back of their hand!

9.    A server learns how to sell the daily special and get their customers to order dessert - but a good server knows how to do this subtly. A business owner who has been a server knows how to sell their services/product without shoving the cheesecake of the day down your throat, so to speak.

8.   A good server knows they should treat all customers as if they were VIPs. All customers are VIPs in the restaurant that is your business. It doesn’t matter if you own a Fortune 500 company, or operate a start up from your basement. A business owner that was a server will (hopefully) treat you with the same respect.

7.    Servers who know how to get the best tips know they have to treat children well, either by giving them coloring sheets or bringing out their meals right away. (This also lets the parents enjoy their food while it’s hot.) A business owner that goes out of their way to send gifts to your children at Christmas time may have been a waiter or waitress in a past life.

6.    A server knows how to work as part of a team. The dishwasher, the busser, the cook, the bartender and the servers would never get anywhere if they didn’t work as a team. A waiter/waitress who goes on to start a business will be a valuable asset to any team - including yours.

5.    Servers know how to effectively communicate. In a noisy kitchen, you have to get your point across very clearly, and you have to make sure to get orders right. If the kitchen tells you it will be an extra 30 minutes before one of your tables gets their main courses, you learn to tell your customers right away so they at least know what to expect. Servers that end up in business for themselves know how to communicate and will make sure everyone’s kept in the loop to ensure happy clients!

4.    A business owner that was a server knows that honesty is the best policy and it doesn’t pay to lie or make excuses. If you forgot to ring in someone’s order and everyone else at their table is already eating, it’s kind of obvious anyway. A business owner with integrity won’t make excuses for mistakes.

3.    A good waitress or waiter quickly learns how to anticipate the needs of their customers. If you’re bringing out a steak and fries, you make sure you have the ketchup and steak sauce. If you notice one of your customers is getting low on their drink, you offer a refill. A business owner who has waited tables will learn to anticipate the needs of their clients. For a virtual assistant, this might mean learning a clients’ habits in order to prepare in advance for things so their clients don’t have to ask. People like this; patrons of a restaurant like when they don’t have to ask the waitress for something, and clients of a service provider like when they feel taken care of in this manner.

2.    When a business owner who was a server has an disappointed customer, they do what they can to make it right. Whether a customer ordered their steak rare but got it well done, or the appetizers were cold, or if there’s a bone in their soup - a good server asks no questions and simply gets them something else or brings it back to the kitchen to be fixed. As a virtual assistant who used to be a waitress, if a client is disappointed in their completed project it goes back to the kitchen until the end result is exactly what the client wanted. Sometimes there are mis-communications, it happens. But my mission is to “wow” my clients each and every time. It’s my mission. (I learned that as a server at a Delta Hotel, and I’ve never forgotten it!)

1.    A server knows they must never, ever let a customer leave unhappy if it’s within their power. S/he will do what it takes to make sure they come back. This might mean comping a dessert or giving away a gift certificate for their next visit. A business owner who has waited tables knows this. It’s second nature. We wouldn’t dream of letting a client walk away unhappy. It will not happen.

Is there anything I missed?!

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Do you hate writing?

Every business requires writing. We all need marketing materials, newsletter content, press releases, articles, blog posts, website content and correspondence written. Do you put things off because you don’t feel you can express yourself well enough through prose?

I decided to run a little contest.

If you have started to write something, have a piece you keep revising cause you can’t get it right, or have some notes sitting there waiting patiently for you to turn them into something, I would like to help.

I will take your rough notes or your ‘unpolished’ piece (up to 500 words) and put our words in your voice. This ‘prize’ is valued at approximately $100.

All I ask in return is your permission for me to use the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pieces in some future marketing materials. It can be kept anonymous or I’ll link to your website.

So, the contest is on. Send your piece in the body of an email to blog@mannmadetime.com with the subject line: ‘Mop My Copy’. Please indicate in your message whether you will allow me to use the finished piece and the original in my portfolio.

I’ll take submissions until July 18th. The ‘winner’ will receive his or her polished piece before July 31st.

May the sloppiest copy win

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Do you have a pretty picture of yourself on your website? If you’re a professional (which, presumably you are if you’re reading this blog) then I hope it’s a professional shot.

If you have been in business for fifteen years and haven’t updated your photo, whatcha waitin’ for?

I’m one to talk - the only professional headshots I have were taken when I was pregnant and they are not at all flattering. I’ve been meaning to get new ones, but then baby came along, the business boomed and my picture hasn’t been high on my priority list.

Wow…was it really December 2006 when I got those photos taken? Holy cow, time flies.

I need a new photo, and if your professional headshot is ten years old or cropped from a wedding picture, I want to challenge you to get a new one with me.

I could go into detail about why a professional photo is a must, but I don’t think there’s much need. If you have a bad photo, you probably know it’s bad, you’re just putting off getting a good one because of cost, lack of time, or maybe you don’t think your photo is really “that” bad.  Here’s a tip to help you figure out if your picture is good or not. If you are constantly meeting with people who say they didn’t recognize you from your photo, it’s probably time to update it

As human beings, many of us make very quick judgments about people and if you have a family photo of yourself on your website (and you’re operating a professional business), you’re going to be judged…depending on your target market, I suppose. If you have a photo of yourself with your children and you operate a children’s clothing store or a day care, that’s quite acceptable. But if you’re an accountant and you have a photo on your website of yourself with your children, that’s a different story all together!

So…here’s the challenge.

If your professional headshot sucks isn’t great, just book an appointment with a photographer, or at Wal-Mart, and get a new one taken. I’m going to get in touch with my favorite photographer and try to get a new photo taken by the end of the month.

Who’s with me?

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