I’m reading an interesting book called “Who“, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, that has inspired me to write a series of articles to answer the question: Why do you need A players in your Gelato business, and how to spot them?
The book provides a detailed method to spot and hire top players for your business and, more importantly, the techniques outlined can work across any enterprise.
But let’s specifically analyse the Gelato business. First of all: Who are the key figures?
I recently designed for my business an Organization Cone (what else if not a cone?) and today I will talk about the position I have placed at the top of the Cone:
Lots of people may think that the most important figure in a Gelato shop is the Gelato maker, but that’s actually not entirely true.
Sales Staff at the counter are at the top of the Cone because they are the ones who have primary contact with customers and maintain continuing relationships with them. They can impact dramatically on customer perception, loyalty, satisfaction, and whether sales are good or bad. That is why ensuring Sales Staff perform their job with passion and pride is the first engine for success.
I think one of the main goals of a Gelateria, taking for granted that you are already producing the best Gelato possible, is the customer satisfaction. Customers should come to your shop to have the best Gelato, served by qualified and informed staff in a caring and flawless way.
A sincere smile is the best welcome that a customer can receive. They deserve it with courtesy and sincerity, so it’s best to engage in a two-way conversation and listen to the customer.
It’s important that Staff at the counter have knowledge of every flavour the Gelateria sells, along with the ingredients used to produce your Gelato. It is important that they also know your allergen chart so they can communicate it to the customer if required.
Other main rules of customer service:
- Courtesy
- Professionalism
- Speed in serving customers without pressuring them to decide
- Listening
- Dialogue with the customers: Sales Staff should be able to explain the characteristics of your product, why it is so good and natural and, if the customer is not sure what to choose, your Staff should be able to suggest a good combination or their favourite flavour.
Remember that passion, confidence and all the information they give to your customers regarding your Gelato all helps to build customer loyalty.
So, how to spot ‘A’ Sales Staff at the counter? Stay tuned, we’ll get there…because the method to spot ‘A players’ works for any position in the Organization Cone.
In the next article I will discuss Gelato makers, and together we will continue to discover why you need ‘A players’ and how best to spot them.
Buona Pasqua!
