First, if you haven’t read Jay and I’s review of Kamjeff restaurant,
please click here.
Y’all remember how Jay and I raved about Kamjeff right? Perhaps we were swooned because we had low expectations when we first walked in. However, like we said in the
review, the experience was ‘mama’s kitchen’ satisfying. Nevertheless, we had quite a number of issues, not with the meal, thank God, but other things. As the busy body that I am, I went ahead and gave Jeff my unsolicited advice on how to help his small business thrive.
If you’re a small business owner and you have a good product that you need to get out there, then this is for you too:
1. Pay attention to the proverbs:
There’s a proverb in Igbo that says, “before the stomach can eat, the eyes must be full”. Similarly, in the business world, it’s often said that image is everything. The way you package your product is the way it would be valued, and your package includes your environment. When I first saw Kamjeff, I was not impressed. If not that we had set out for an adventure that night, nothing would have made me enter there to ask for chicken and chips! As a small business remember that your environment, and/or your product are most likely the first contact people would have with you. Get it wrong and you are most likely not going to get another chance.
2. Do I like you?
While your environment either attracts or puts off your customers, your customer service determines whether they will come back. A smiling and cheerful attitude can have me overlook a mistake and give you another chance. Invest in your service; both looks and manners. A glance at the dirty nails of a waitress setting down an enticing dish, can cause the customer to lose their appetite.
3. Give me a choice:
Although I have no complaint to the size of Kamjeff’s chicken, Jay could not finish it even though she loved it. I suggested he creates an option for ‘chips and half chicken’. As a business, try to have variety even when it’s the same product. Have your customer rub their hands in glee while muttering, “which one should I choose?”
4. Keep up with the times:
Because we just wanted to scout the environs, we didn’t leave the house with much cash. So after our meal, when we wanted another order to take away, we asked to pay with a card but Jeff shook his head sadly and told us Kamjeff didn’t have a POS. Or an email, or Instagram, Facebook, website, nothing. As a business, you must do everything to be discovered easily, patronized easier and re-patronized easiest. Do everything to make sure your business is not left behind. Keep in touch with innovations, and take advantage of the opportunities it opens for business.
5. Run a continuous questioner:
Never forget to get feedback from your customers. If you are in a service business, ask immediately “Did you enjoy it?” “Do you have any complains?” “What can we do to make our services better?” Believe me, in a few years you would be more informed than any MBA would have made you. Remember, you are there to impress your customers so what they think means everything.
I’m sure our new friend, Jeff, and any of you entrepreneurial folk for that matter, can turn your business around by sticking to these few steps. They are in no way exhaustive but it’s a good place to start.
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This article was first published on 2nd June 2017
Comments (1)
Nice stuff. Keep up the pace – read to my full!!