Service

The Web Does Wonderful Things, But…

Garth Beyer

The web is like a shortcut, a way to streamline any process, a method of simplifying the complex, leaving the hard work still needing to be done.

Anyone can now do anything with the web. I can collect programmers to mimic nearly any site available which makes that site less valuable. It’s a crumbling collection of incredible infrastructure and design.

If a blog, a website, an online service is all that you have to offer, there’s a very low life expectancy for you.

Remember that the hard work can’t be accomplished online. You can get by for a time, but with how swift laypeople are at creating online content, it won’t be long until someone mimics your original idea and adds their human, offline, personal touch to it.

 

Stay Positive & The Web Gives You Freedom, But There’s Still Competition

Garth E. Beyer

“Tip or Die”

Garth Beyer

An ongoing argument, making its presence with the New York Times, is one worth riffing on real quick. Should restaurants do away with tipping?

I’ve written posts about tipping. The reason there are so few is because tipping is very cut and dry with me. Why go on arguing it? Oh, because

you can argue that tipping is not capitalism, or that a greedy goal ruins the process, or that it’s withering good character. But the truth of it all is that tipping is just like giving someone a tip.

I can give you writing tips, or tips on battling fear, or tips on relationships, but I only give them because I care, because I want to, because I know it makes you happy or benefits you in some way. It has nothing to do with any service you have provided me.

(The people who get talked about, give others something worth talking about. The people who get tipped, give others a reason to tip them. It’s not rocket science.)

Sure, we could simplify this and cut tipping in restaurants and other services, but let’s keep all the good and bad of tipping and simplify the why and how people tip. Businesses don’t need a lesson on whether they should keep tipping or not, people need a lesson on tipping.

Lesson one: Did you connect with those who served you? Was it personal? Did they help you? Did they go the extra mile? Were they happy, fun, energetic people who read you like a book? Did they bring a drink before you were finished? Did they memorize what you desired? Were they perfect?

Lesson two: Forget lesson one and tip big.

Either they were exceptional or they need a sign to show them that they are exceptional.

 

Stay Positive & Will You Be There For Them?*

Garth E. Beyer

Worth mentioning is that I view tipping as my charity. While I freely give my time and resources to those in need (sort of my passion), I rarely donate money to charities. I decided early on to focus my charitable giving on something that means a lot to me. Just so happens, that it means as much to the baristas, servers, and caretakers of the world as it does the recipients of your giving through other organizations, non-profits, or charities. Keep an open mind to who you will give an open heart.

Strawberry Service

Garth Beyer

Strawberries

I walked by the farmers market today and saw two tables filled perfectly with strawberries. As soon as they sold one (which I ony saw them sell one) they filled the empty space with another carton of strawberries.

This, to me, seems very mechanical, that they were trying to streamline the process of selling strawberries. Where’s the service?

It looked like all they had to offer me were strawberries. No advice. No story behind the berries. No way to connect. Sure, most who want strawberries, just want strawberries. However, when you have five stands to choose from, the friendly looking ones are the most gone to – even if there’s a line.

This stand still sold strawberries, but not as many as other stands. And I guarantee the people they sold the berries to won’t be returning customers.

On an aesthetic note, the table wasn’t appealing. In fact, I sort of felt bad wanting to purchase some strawberries because it would throw things out-of-order. They like everything lined up perfectly. So do I.

But I’ll sacrifice my slight perfectionist attitude if I could make a friend and get strawberries at the same time.

 

Stay Positive & Service Requires More Than Two Movements*

Garth E. Beyer

*If all you expect customers to do is hand money and grab the product. Good luck staying in business.