The little things matter.
One small degree in temperature is the difference between water boiling…or not.
One degree off your compass reading will lead you far astray.
Often, the first step made by an offensive lineman on a football team will make or break the success of the play.Mastery of the little things makes the difference between a win & a loss.
Recently, I stopped at a Jimmy John’s to grab a sandwich and a couple of the ‘little things’ jumped out at me. First, I ordered my sandwich and asked for a cup of water instead of the drink that came with the meal. When I asked the woman for a larger cup, not the tiny Dixie Cup they were giving me, she responded by saying “Oh, hold on a minute.’ She spent the next few minutes hunting down the manager to ask if it was ok to give me a regular size cup.
He said it was ok.
Then, I went into the bathroom to wash my hands. The first thing I noticed was the soap dripping out of the dispenser, oozing down the wall and puddling on the floor. Otherwise, this was a really clean bathroom.
Do the little things matter? To, the consumer they do. The little things are what I call the Competing Points, those little battles that make or break the outcome of the game.
As you are going about the daily business of running your business consider a couple lessons to help you compete in the little things:
First, POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Give your staff the power to say ‘YES!’ Don’t create stupid hoops for them to jump through. Trust them to be grown ups and to make good decisions. If, after some time & training, they are not able to be grown ups who help your company, let them go. Better to do that than to create a less than rockin’ experience for your customer.
Next, the bathroom was clean….BUT, I noticed the one mess. I’m talking about the mess. Consumers hate dirty establishments. Clean it every fifteen minutes. Go ‘Marine Corps’ on that place of yours and people will notice!
