You have heard it a million times: everyone in your organization sells your product or company. Even the maid. Say what?! Yes the maid. And maids sell like second graders.
I have the "pleasure" of kicking back in a hotel roughly 100 nights per year. Hilton is my brand of choice-- from Hampton Inn to the Garden Inn to The Waldorf Collection the rooms are always clean safe and comfortable. Service is usually pretty good, too. But maids sell like second graders at these and other hotels, with rare exception.
Just when do maids sell like second graders? When the maid raps on your door two hours before check out and exclaims: "Housekeeping!" Not much of a sales pitch, right? But, think about it, with the advent of speed checkout this could be the final interaction you have with a hotel staffer.
And all a maid wants to know is when you are going to get the hell out of bed so they can take care of their needs (getting the room cleaned) and not yours. Just about the time you're wondering if you will come back next time, maids put things into stark focus: they could care less about you, they have a job to do. You think the hotel wants that to be your last impression? That could cost sales.
Second Graders only care about their needs, too. If you have ever enjoyed the company of a second grader, then you know that your hair could be on fire and they would ask you for a glass of water. The problem is, this behavior sticks with us into adulthood. I'm not picking on maids, either. This is prevalent through all sales and in business in general.
But when you are snuggled into that killer super deluxe 4-billion thread count bed, the last thing you want is a loud "I could care less about you" in the form of a housekeeper knocking. Instead, they could take your needs into account, leave you alone, and seal the return business deal. There couldn't be an easier sell.
Just this weekend a housekeeper rang the doorbell to my room and asked when we were leaving--at the Arizona Biltmore no less. In fact, the only hotel where I haven't had that experience is The Ritz and The St.Regis, Princeville.
Why don't maids rap on the doors in those hotels? Because smart managers have coached them to drop the bad "me-first" second grade habit. Because smart managers don't want anything to ruin the good feelings that will make me want to come back.
You know what? 99 percent of salespeople need to drop the "me first" habit, too. More on that later. And no, I'm not ready to check out!
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