Have you ever seen these signs posted in various businesses:
-If you BREAK IT - you BUY IT.
-No Shirt-No Shoes-No Service
-We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone.
-Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
-CLOSED
-Do not lean on the glass display counter.
-NO LOITERING
These signs are not very inviting are they? It seems that the owners good intentions have gone astray. A business associate and I walked into a Mexican-American restaurant for lunch. Our eyes were met by a sign that read, "Banks don't make tacos; we don't accept checks." Next to the words there was a sketch of the owner with a scowl on his face.
That first impression had already left a bad taste in my mouth, and we hadn't even sat down to order our meal. What the owner of this restaurant does not realize is that the message he is sending out to his potential customers is not positive. Actually, it's downright negative. What he's saying is that he doesn't trust his customers. Is this the message he really wants to express to his customers? Probably not. But, he is expressing it.
Why do poor service examples like these exist in America? Because the owners are forgetting a very important truth. Charles Lamb, the great English essayist, said it best when he wrote these words, "Darn it, I like to be liked!" People like to be liked. They don't want to be told what they can't do. They want to be informed of what they can do. They want to be made to feel that they are welcome.
A better way for the restaurant owner to inform his clients of the policy of not accepting personal checks could be to tell them what forms of payment he will accept. The sign could read this way: "Your Visa, Master Charge, Diner's Club, and American Express cards are most welcome. Unfortunately, we do not accept personal checks."
Most restaurants have a sign over the coat rack that reads, "Not responsible for lost or stolen articles." That's what the owner would like you to believe at least. What the sign is really saying is "We don't want to be responsible for lost or stolen articles." Legally, they really are responsible; they just don't want you to know it. Most restaurants that I have surveyed report that they rarely have had anyone lose a coat or a personal belonging. So, my question is why put up the negative sign? Remember, we are trying to make this a positive experience for the customer. Negative signs do not help.
In summary, keep your signage positive and you will keep your customers coming back.
By: Tom Borg
-If you BREAK IT - you BUY IT.
-No Shirt-No Shoes-No Service
-We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone.
-Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
-CLOSED
-Do not lean on the glass display counter.
-NO LOITERING
These signs are not very inviting are they? It seems that the owners good intentions have gone astray. A business associate and I walked into a Mexican-American restaurant for lunch. Our eyes were met by a sign that read, "Banks don't make tacos; we don't accept checks." Next to the words there was a sketch of the owner with a scowl on his face.
That first impression had already left a bad taste in my mouth, and we hadn't even sat down to order our meal. What the owner of this restaurant does not realize is that the message he is sending out to his potential customers is not positive. Actually, it's downright negative. What he's saying is that he doesn't trust his customers. Is this the message he really wants to express to his customers? Probably not. But, he is expressing it.
Why do poor service examples like these exist in America? Because the owners are forgetting a very important truth. Charles Lamb, the great English essayist, said it best when he wrote these words, "Darn it, I like to be liked!" People like to be liked. They don't want to be told what they can't do. They want to be informed of what they can do. They want to be made to feel that they are welcome.
A better way for the restaurant owner to inform his clients of the policy of not accepting personal checks could be to tell them what forms of payment he will accept. The sign could read this way: "Your Visa, Master Charge, Diner's Club, and American Express cards are most welcome. Unfortunately, we do not accept personal checks."
Most restaurants have a sign over the coat rack that reads, "Not responsible for lost or stolen articles." That's what the owner would like you to believe at least. What the sign is really saying is "We don't want to be responsible for lost or stolen articles." Legally, they really are responsible; they just don't want you to know it. Most restaurants that I have surveyed report that they rarely have had anyone lose a coat or a personal belonging. So, my question is why put up the negative sign? Remember, we are trying to make this a positive experience for the customer. Negative signs do not help.
In summary, keep your signage positive and you will keep your customers coming back.
By: Tom Borg
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