Yesterday I was out of town on a site visit to a few hotels that a client of mine is considering for a conference in December. Before I went I found a caterer in that city that I wanted to work with and asked him to drive me around to the different hotels. This made my trip considerably easier because I didn’t have to rent a car or find my way around a new city, I was just able to sit back and let the caterer show me all the possible venues. As a favor, he set up appointments for me with the sales managers for each of the hotels.
As we entered and walked around each of the hotels, I was shocked that every single employee treated the caterer I was with like a god. They all came running to say hello, they all offered to get us anything we needed and they took service with a smile to the next level.
As we toured the hotel’s conference centers and sleeping rooms, I noticed the caterer give a tip to each of our guides when he thanked them as we took our leave. I figured out pretty quickly that he was a regular at these hotels, not only as a caterer but also as a tipper. I asked him how much he gave to each person and he told me that he usually gives a $5-$10 tip to each person who helps us. When he has an event at the hotels, he gives a nice tip of about $100 to the managers who helped him as well as the common tip to the Maitre d.
He must spend about $30 or so each time he visits the hotel and a few hundred dollars each time he has an event but that is nothing compared to the thousands of dollars he makes by having an event at the hotel. The money he gives out guarantees that he will get good service and cooperation from all of the hotel staff during all of his events which make his events even better. By putting on a great show, due to the cooperation of the hotel staff, he guarantees himself more business from people like me because I know he will pull off a great job every single time. He also gets tons of referrals from the hotel for new business because they enjoy working with him.
You can experience the same thing at a restaurant or a coffee shop that you frequent regularly. Give a good tip and you are sure to get great service the next time you come back.
The Lesson here is to treat people well, even better than they expect, reward them and they will reward you.
The caterer spent a little money to ensure that he will make a lot of money but it doesn’t always have to be money. If you treat people well and make them happy to help you or be around you, they will reward you and do anything they can to have more mutually beneficial experiences.