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A Taste of Wine

Beverly and I began our journey of creating Our Best Year Ever by
taking a week off to tour California’s Wine Country. Hey, part of
this whole program is having some fun so why not start there.

We visited a number of great wineries in Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma
and the California lakes region with some friends. One winery in the lakes region stood out, not for its wine, necessarily, but for how it miserably failed to deliver on a tremendous possibility.

This was a breathtakingly beautiful property, right on the lake with a luxurious Spanish Hacienda-style structure. The wine maker had a rich history and an international reputation. The product (wine) was exceptional. The tasting room was well designed and inviting. And, it had an intriguing story around its organic and biodynamic grapes (biodynamic is like organic on steroids). It had all the makings of a winner.

On two separate days we visited the tasting room, only to find the same lackluster, disinterested, detached and unwelcoming people serving this terrific product in this distinctive setting. To say they dropped the ball would be a gross understatement. The experience made us wonder how many of our customers, how many businesses, are working so hard these days to make their mark in
a challenging environment only to blow it by having the wrong people deliver the ultimate experience. Or, perhaps they have good people who just need some guidance, some training and some higher expectations relative to their impact on the customer.

This appears to us to be one of the simpler challenges for any business to handle—hiring the right people, people with a positive attitude who have the capacity to demonstrate a modicum of gratitude that the customer took the time to stop by their establishment. With all the layoffs you would think it would be
easier than ever to find people who enjoy their work, like serving customers and take pleasure in making customers feel welcome and appreciated.

This is apparently not the case, at least not at this winery. This is a sad example of a company doing 99% of the work brilliantly while ignoring the final, and most important, 1%, the ultimate customer experience.

We write and speak about the need to be an Unforgettable Leader. We have said this before, but an average product in an average setting and delivered in an unforgettably positive manner will demolish the competition in most cases. Sadly, not even a wonderful product or beautiful setting can take the spotlight off horrible service.

Before you go home tonight give some thought to the people you have interacting with customers and prospects. Do they make you product and business glimmer like a high price diamond? If not you might want to give that last, and important 1% a little more of your attention.

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