My tip for recommended reading is not a book, but an idea. As most of you know, the day-to-day life of a salesperson is hectic to say the least. It’s not any different for myself. Many years ago, I checked out a book on tape from my local library for a long driving trip. I enjoyed it so much, that I turned it into part of my daily routine. I check out 2-3 CD’s or cassettes a month and listen to them in my car each day. I listen to 25-30 books (motivational, history, biographies, adventure, etc.) a year this way, and it’s free! Think about all the time a salesperson wastes driving while listening to sports talk or endless radio advertisements. Instead, you can listen to books you would have never found the time to read. Give it a try!

Daryl Sisk is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for A Plus Benefits, Inc. You can contact Daryl at dsisk@aplusbenefits.com

A relationship between a restaurant and a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a logical match for the same reasons most businesses benefit from a partnership with a PEO. Group Health Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance and Human Resource Management issues are at an all time high. Outsourcing volatile components of your business makes sense, particularly in the specialized business world we currently live in.

The more important question is why wouldn’t a restaurant want to partner with a PEO?

Does a restaurant have less exposure in Safety and OSHA compliance?
Quite the opposite, due to food handling and preparation, restaurants have to comply with more regulations and compliance issues than ninety percent of the general business population.

Does a restaurant have fewer State and Federal Tax regulations?
The hassles of tip accounting and reporting, extreme turnover, and minimum wage compliance, make restaurants high maintenance when it comes to payroll tracking and reporting. Most owners/managers must take valuable time away from their core responsibilities to oversee payroll, or even worse overpay an accountant to process it for them.

Is a restaurant’s workforce less likely to need Human Resource support?
Lets see….predominately young males and females working together late into the night. This environment has sexual harassment and hostile work environment written all over it. A PEO is uniquely suited to train and develop managers, as well as instituting proactive procedures for dealing with problems as they occur.

Is the business generally slow in nature?
Restaurant managers are some of the busiest people in business. They are constantly juggling servers, waiters, customers, schedules and unforeseen problems. This leaves little time to do much, but react to Human Resource problems as they arise.

Are employee Benefits less of an issue for restaurants than other businesses?
Restaurants may have less full time employees to provide benefits for, but they have the same problems that most small businesses have when shopping for a competitive benefits package to offer their key employees. This is where a PEO can be particularly helpful in providing a viable benefits package, without the hassle of day-to-day benefit administration.

Is the issue of retaining key employees not as applicable to restaurants?
Due to high turnover, the core group of employees at a restaurant is critical. The best way a business owner or general manager can hope to keep his key employees is to provide a path to for advancement and benefits that provide incentives for employees to stick around.

As you can see, a PEO can solve many problems that will inevitably arise when owning or running a restaurant. So, the underlying question is, why don’t more restaurants use PEO’s? Obviously, cost verses benefit always pops up when making a list of compelling reasons whether or not to outsource. Many PEO’s fees are particularly expensive for businesses with more part-time employees than full-time which can be hard to overcome.

However, the potential liabilities outlined in this article more than outweigh the short-term costs. Progressive business principals apply to restaurants as they do to any other business, if not more because of the high tempo and the intrinsic liabilities that surround the industry.

More and more company owners are turning to PEO’s to help leverage their businesses in the employment marketplace. They have found a better use for their time, MAKING MONEY.

Daryl Sisk is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for A Plus Benefits, Inc. You can contact Daryl at dsisk@aplusbenefits.com

Nordstrom’s philosophy has remained unchanged for more than 100 years since its establishment by John W. Nordstrom in 1901: Offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality and value. While many businesses have similar philosophies towards customer service, few retailers have been able to inspire such an overwhelming public perception. By cultivating a service culture within their management and employees, Nordstrom’s name has become synonymous with superior customer service.

Many businesses spend thousands of dollars and scores of man hours every year looking for ways to attract new customers and to solidify existing relationships with their current clients. They focus on advertising, operations, sales and a multitude of other aspects of their company, without looking at the most fundamental solution, customer service. If you were to ask them how important customer service is, they will give you a sincere answer about how their customers are the lifeblood of their company. But do they practice what they preach?

Reflect back on some of your day to day interactions as a customer this past week. The restaurant, dry cleaners, grocery store, mall or any other consumer experiences you might have had. How many times were you wowed by the service you received?

What is considered good customer service anymore?

Here are a few simple keys to set your business apart as a leader in your industry.

• Smile, a friendly smile and greeting can set the stage for a great customer experience.
• Focus on their needs, not your profits. By providing solutions to the problems your customers face, you create a relationship and trust that can eventually relate to profits.
• Be quick and efficient when helping your customers. A long line is annoying, but watching employees lounge around when you’re in a hurry can be frustrating beyond words.
• When the customer is ready for your help, give them all your attention. Don’t let the phone or other conversations get in the way.
• When (not if) mistakes happen, fix the error, do it quickly and apologize to the customer, they will understand as long as you don’t blame them or try to make excuses.
• Thank them (by name if possible) for their business and ask them to return

You may be thinking that I didn’t explain anything you didn’t already know. But when was the last time you received this kind of service? Does it happen all the time or is it a rarity? If you and your employees will follow these simple steps, your business will differentiate yourselves from 95% of your competition and profits as well as customer loyalty will soar.

Daryl Sisk is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for A Plus Benefits, Inc. You can contact Daryl at dsisk@aplusbenefits.com

Each employee’s background, motivation, and goals (both personal and professional) are different. Yet 95% of the time, employers and mangers focus on the simplest common denominator for praise: money. By finding out what really motivates each individual, managers can tailor rewards to employee’s motivations. The surprising thing is that many times these tailored rewards cost no more than traditional monetary raises, but are appreciated much more.

Some good examples are:

• Additional time off to spend time with family or vacations.
• Flexible working hours to accommodate personal needs.
• Opportunities to participate in work focus groups or committees.
• Public or company recognition during a staff meeting.
• Industry or job specific training.
• Spot rewards (such as cash or movie tickets) for immediate feedback.

With unemployment rates at an all-time low, the growing challenge for employers continues to be retaining key employees. The key is knowing each employee well enough to ensure that motivational factors are taken into consideration. By focusing on each individual employee, not just traditional yearly compensation increases, mangers and organizations can build lasting employee appreciation and loyalty.

Daryl Sisk is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for A Plus Benefits, Inc. You can contact him at dsisk@aplusbenefits.com