"Just water" … beyond the plain and ordinary (Copy)

When it comes to the goals of a restaurant server, one of them (possibly the most important one) is to increase the total ticket/sale value, to increase the total tip value opportunity. Now, think back, to the last time you heard the server take a drink order from a table of four people:

• Person 1: “Coffee please, regular, no cream”

• Person 2: “I’ll have your draft house stout please”

• Person 3: “Iced tea, unsweetened” … and then

• Person 4: … “Just water”

So, what is it about just water? Is just a new brand of water? Is it bottled water, while I’m getting tap, because I just said “water”? Or perhaps, person 4 said “just”, because most of us innately know, down in our guts, that there’s less VALUE in water.

With just one word, the ‘transaction’ can lose value.

With just one word, the interaction and conversation, can change.

With just one word, your idea, comment, suggestion, can get dismissed without consideration.

So a challenge for this calendar year, is to stop using the word just, unless you intend its definition of “only, simply, exact”, as in, “just yesterday, I decided to just be myself.”

If you have a question in a meeting, it’s either important enough to ask, or it’s not. When you have one more thing to say, it’s either important enough to add to the hour long meeting, or it’s not. Your opinions matter, because you vetted them, researched them and know they can have an impact. State them strongly and with conviction.

Ultimately, add value to the conversation and you’ll increase the odds of adding bigger “tips” to your wallet, not just another request to fetch someone a water, for no ROI.

“Here’s to a successful close to the quarter!” … I’m person #2 at the table.

Cheers!