¡Felicidad!

Eat. Drink.

Do you like what you do every day? Are you fulfilled in your job? Are you happy at work? Guess what? Your customers can tell you if you are.

We are in the hospitality business. Every employee representing your company should enjoy what they do. If they are happy, your customers should receive a positive and memorable service experience and always want to come back.

Now more than ever, team members have myriads of job opportunities to explore. It is way more expensive to recruit, hire and train new employees than to retain existing employees. Determine what makes each individual on your team tick. Every person has different wants and needs to keep them engaged and happy at your business. Step away from your desk today and have a conversation with each team player.

As my previous employer, Blue Plate Catering used to say, “we are happy people making people happy”. Was I happy at Blue Plate, absolutely. Was it time for me to explore new opportunities for my own growth? Yes, I wanted to learn, travel and start a new business on my own. I left Blue Plate happy and continue to keep in touch. As a matter of fact, I was a customer of Blue Plate this past week and really enjoyed working with the team. It made my experience as a customer feel really good. It made me happy.

Inspire.

Everyone always asks me why I love Mexico so much.

When I am living in Puerto Vallarta, I take a quick morning stroll before getting on zoom calls with clients. It gets my energy going as well as allows me to get a few errands done before a busy day.

I remember one day in particular this past February.

My first stop was my favorite lavandería where I dropped off my 4.9 kilo bag of dirty laundry. Maria yelled “hola Jenny!” before even placing the load on the scale. My laundry was going to be ready for pick up that afternoon.

My second stop was my favorite juice stand, where Fernando said “hola amiga” before asking me if I wanted my regular jugo de naranja. The freshest orange juice was squeezed within a minute.

My last stop of the morning was a “pop-up” tamale stand on the corner. (Literally, a tray stand with an Igloo on top with a paper sign TAMALES-PUERCO). I figured I would give this “place” a try. The abuela smiled as she presented me two steaming-hot pork tamales. The tamales were delicious. I remember hoping she was going to be there the next morning.

This stroll kicked off a great start to my day. Every vendor was friendly and happy to provide me their product and service. They smiled and were grateful for my business. By making me feel so special, they created a loyal customer that looked forward to seeing them the next day and each day thereafter.

Be the Abraham

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Make customers want YOU. Be the best in the business. Be the best in your market. Be the best at your company. 

Customers initially reach out because your company has a stellar reputation. Your company provides a product or service that customers need and want. Your company has the resources and infrastructure to deliver a consistent and delicious experience. Make these customers return because of YOU. Deliver above and beyond and be the best. Make them only want YOU.

How do you become the best? By educating yourself, educating your clients, proactively communicating, following up and always, always supporting your team members to deliver excellence. You should be organized and structured. You should manage your calendar as well as your customers calendars. Be their partner, coaching and guiding them through the sales, buying and event planning processes.

Being known as best in the business doesn’t start all at once but professionalism can start on DAY ONE. Your professional brand stays with you throughout your career. It never ends. You should be building and growing every day, even if you have a bad week, month or year. It is never too late to invest in your own education and experiences to be the best. Again, make the clients want YOU.

Inspire.

I decided to get a massage in Puerto Vallarta. I love the booking & reservation process here. It is so simple and effective. Spas hang clipboards (with pens attached to a piece of white string) on their front doors so customers self-sign up for their desired slots. Each masseuse has his or her own clipboard with their name across the top and their available days and times for the week.  

I wanted to try a new spa that has fantastic reviews (both Yelp and word of mouth). So, Sunday afternoon, I looked at my calendar to see my next free time to get the treatment and went to the spa’s front door to make an appointment. I was looking for Saturday at 3pm—so I scanned the eight named masseuse clipboards to see who was free. They all had availability at that time. Who was the best though? Now I had too many options.

I picked Abraham. Abraham was booked solid Monday–Friday. Not one available slot until that Saturday afternoon. He had to be the best—right? His customers were doing the speaking for him, so my decision was easy.

I had my massage two Saturdays ago. I now have a standing weekly massage with Abraham. It is not a relaxing massage. Abraham has identified areas in my back and shoulders that need a lot of work. I am now his project. He is not just a great masseuse, he is a great salesperson. He made me realize I need to work out these knots. He has educated me on how he’s going to do it and I now trust his expertise. He made me want his years of experience and now I do. He is the best masseuse I have ever had.

Your Doors Are Open - You Better Deliver Then

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There is an immense shortage in available human resources today. I know you all are feeling the pain. There is also an increased demand from your customers for excellent and efficient service. Customers have been trapped for a year and are ready to spend. They actually have higher expectations than ever.  They want your product yesterday without hassle. They will pay for your products, services and reputation, assuming you can deliver what you promise.

Are you actually capable of delivering what your team is selling? Do you understand and identify customer expectations based on how you are selling your products and services?

Go through a step-by-step review of your customer’s buying and service experience. Look at what you’ve changed due to your staffing limitations. Perform an operational review of your team and ask them for recommendations to save time and reduce unnecessary steps. Then, make these changes to enhance the customer experience. At that point, you must communicate what’s different to your customers in advance of delivery.

Customers are forgiving but only sooooo forgiving. We are still in the hospitality industry, and customers want a memorable experience, every time. They are paying for it and expect as such. There is a certain threshold for what is and is not acceptable if your doors are open.

Inspire.

I just returned from a week working with clients on the east coast. Getting back in the swing of pre-pandemic office visits and collaborative work was so invigorating, inspiring and exciting. This trip reaffirmed that I absolutely love what I do and working in person in the same room makes all the difference to connect with my wonderful customers.

I stayed in a comfortable, centrally-located conference hotel, rented a car from a leading car rental company and dined out at various restaurants the entire week. I had high hopes for excellent customer service but was also realistic knowing what hospitality companies are dealing with today.

Unfortunately, I experienced a lot of poor hospitality situations this week. I say situations because most team members went above and beyond to try to remedy the challenges. However, these employees had to work harder and spend more time and money on fixing the challenge than if they had just offered me the original product or service. A few examples:

1. Incorrect return date on my airport car rental.  I tried to call the airport rental office and national rental customer service to correct the date, at least ten times. I spent over two hours listening to hold music. (I even called the emergency line as if my car is broke down, but they didn’t even answer.) On the 11th call, a national customer service agent finally answered, put me on hold for another 45 minutes to then disconnect the call. I gave up. I drove back to the airport, returned the car on the wrong date and walked right to the customer service desk to pick up keys for my second car. As I checked out the second car, the agent asked why I didn’t just extend the first car. Ugh. Imagine if they answered the phone. They would have had one less car to clean, one less car to check in and out and one less aggravated customer.

2. No housekeeping service. I was in a very nice hotel for seven nights at an extremely reasonable rate. I had to call on a daily basis for individual toiletry items that could have easily been stocked for me had the hotel thought about the length of my stay. Rather than bringing me everything at once, a housekeeping attendant would bring me single items delivered in a plastic laundry bag and hang it on my outside door knob. I also left my garbage out in the hall each morning so they could empty it. It made the halls look cluttered and messy. Imagine if the hotel had a housekeeping spot-check employee that simply audited each room, refilled supplies, removed dirty glassware and did a quick trash removal.

3. Club service. I know, this is a luxury item but as a business traveler, I select hotels that offer this amenity so I save time. Hotels sell this club service by offering a higher rate or by thanking you for your loyalty for this convenience. Pre-covid, I would grab some fruit, yogurt, coffee and bottles of water throughout my stay. Easy, quick and self-service. My seven-day hotel’s club had a broken coffee machine, bags of potato chips and occasionally, room temperature bottled water. In lieu of this club service, the hotel told me to call down and order anything I want from the room service menu for breakfast, compliments of them. This was unbelievably generous, and I expect very expensive in the long run. Now what used to be a quick grab involved calling the front desk to order, having a room service attendant bring the food and the kitchen making my customized breakfast to order. Imagine if they had the club running even at 50% of normal, the amount of money the hotel could save by minimizing all these steps?

These managers should have identified the basics of customer service and prioritized their limited human resources effectively. The employees spent more time running around to satisfy service substitutions. This made everything more difficult for the employee and the customer. Had they measured the amount of steps each employee took to deliver, they may have realized that the original services would have saved them more time in the long run.

Tell Me What I'm Eating Tonight

Eat. Drink.

It is so important to identify what makes you unique as a hospitality business today. Once you determine what differentiates you from the competition, the next step is to train your entire back of house and front of house staff to perfect your unique offerings. Making the staff buy into this can be achieved through practice (training) and understanding how to effectively present your products and services to your customers.

It is also important to focus your company’s actual offerings on what you do best. Being the biggest doesn’t always mean being the best. Recognize where your team has the skill set and creative talents to excel. Pair that with figuring out the most effective use of your time as a coach and leader to train them to be even better.

Customers are smart. They will invest their time and money when they know the products and services they are buying are thoughtfully designed and executed efficiently. They will come back if their experience is memorable. They will remember your uniqueness. Think about this as you look at all your company’s products and services on the market. Can you say that each is delivered to perfection?

Inspire.

My favorite place to eat in Puerto Vallarta is an Italian restaurant. People think I am crazy that I like to eat Italian food when I am in Mexico, but when my family and friends come to town, I always take them to Tre Piatti to show them why.

It starts with the service. I am greeted at the door by the host Daniel with a friendly hello and “it is so nice to see you again”. I am seated at a nice table and always introduced to the waiter, only if I have never met this person before.  I am then welcomed by a few others including Henry and Jesus, the bartender Ulises and the two chef-owners, Chanan and Natalie. They all thank me for returning to their place.

After ordering a cocktail, I am offered the menu, which is what makes Tre Piatti unique. “Tre Piatti” means “Three Dishes”.  The menu features three appetizers, three pastas, three entrees and three desserts. That’s it. Twelve plates the kitchen executes to perfection. This may not seem like a lot of options to guests, but this menu changes every two weeks. It’s genius. This makes me want to return every two weeks to see what is new and different. This keeps everything fresh for the guests and the restaurant’s employees.

The irony is I don’t even look at the menu anymore, because I always ask Chef Chanan what I should order for dinner. He tells me what I am going to eat and I do as I am told. I can’t wait to get back to Mexico to eat some great Italian food.

What Comfort Zone?

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I have had a lot of conversations with clients this past month. Both new and existing clients. It is so exciting to see caterers, design companies and venue operators thinking about new strategies, being busy again and getting back to business.

What has been most interesting is how everyone is mixing it up and trying different things. They may have a new, profitable line of business they created in 2020 they want to continue and expand on.   They may have recently hired employees they are excited to train and onboard. They may be having more frequent conversations with their favorite clients and industry partners. They are all thinking about the positive path ahead.

The pandemic forced my clients to seek new opportunities and work in ways they never would have imagined before. 2020 gave them the time to do this. Although way beyond their pre-pandemic comfort zone, they pushed themselves to get where they are today. With hard work, focus and dedication, they survived. Now they have streamlined their businesses to run smarter and be more profitable in the future. Hopefully, it will be more enjoyable as well.

Inspire.

My business is four years old this month. I cannot believe it. It was such a whirlwind of activity and growth my first three years. I traveled coast-to-coast and developed amazing relationships as I continued to expand my client base. I loved every minute of it. January and February 2020 were insanely busy, pacing to be the best year of my business yet. Then March hit.

It was a few unsettling months wondering what was going to happen and if anyone would be interested in investing in a consultant. As the pandemic continued to worsen, I tried to be optimistic but realized I could not rely on my clients to keep me busy in 2020. It wasn’t even about money. I needed something else to keep me active, relevant and engaged.

In May, 2020, I started to have more frequent conversations with a fellow consultant and friend, Francisco Christian of Taylored Hospitality Solutions. It was great talking to someone like me. We talked about what was needed in the industry and who was asking for help. We started having weekly strategy calls to determine how we could help. We explored new, effective mediums for reaching out to the industry. 

Since this time, we have created an affordable consulting partnership called Rebound with Frank & Jen (fultonmarketconsulting.com/consulting-rebound), produced over a dozen free webinars for the International Caterers Association, participated in a podcast for Catersource, developed several additional industry-related zoom workshops and most recently, published an educational, written book series called Catering Chronicles (fultonmarketconsulting.com/ebooks). All this while maintaining our own businesses and client relationships.

I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I had to try something new to keep myself busy and engaged. It was also great working in tandem with someone I respected and could rely on. I always challenge my clients to think differently, so I had to do the same. I would have never thought at this time last year, I would be calling myself a published author ready to launch our second book next week.

What Do You Want Next?

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As salespeople, it is comfortable to sell and resell the same products & services familiar to our customers. The clients already know what we have and reach out when they are ready to buy. Salespeople are also inclined to have others develop their sellable product line. This includes in-house development people and imaginative competitors with new, successful offerings. We see what these competitors are doing then mirror their product with our own signature twist.

These standard practices of reactionary selling, limited new product generation and following the leader become boring to all parties involved. Eventually, as these salespeople remain stagnant, they will lose their customers to creative competitors.

The most inspiring salespeople are those that do not wait and continuously push their company to innovate and design new products & services. These creatives raise the bar for everyone in the industry by taking risks to be the first to market. When these salespeople encourage their company to think differently, they have more to win.

Save your company hours of product research and development time by simply asking your best customers what they want next. They are your front line research team.

Your customers will tell you what they are looking for and what they are willing to pay. They already know your product and reputation so will provide valuable feedback and ideas. As long as you stay consistent with your brand, expanding your offerings should be a win-win for both parties. When you ask your customer “what do you want next?”, you will make more sales. 

Inspire.

If you have been to Puerto Vallarta, you know the practice of vendors on the beach selling you products as you relax on your lounger. Some of these items include face masks, massages, boat tours, wood cutting boards, grilled red snapper on a stick, oysters and pareos. I am a customer to many of these vendors, but my biggest weakness is buying solid silver rings with various colored stones.

Every year, I usually buy two or three of these rings from the same vendor. He always visits with a case full of jewelry and I pick from a rainbow of options. This past year though, a new vendor approached me and asked to see the actual rings on my fingers. I asked him why. He said, “I think I made those rings. I want to see if my initials are stamped inside the silver”. I thought that was pretty cool, so I took the two rings off my fingers. It turns out Luis Flores was the designer and I had purchased a jewelry box full of his rings from this other vendor for the past decade.

The next day, I brought Luis my ten other rings in my travel case. Nine of these ten rings were his originals.  It was fun watching him see “his” rings again. He was proud of his work as he should be. The quality and designs are all unique and beautiful.

"Jennifer’s collection of Luis Flores Rings"

The other day I told Luis what I do for my career as we talked about selling and customer service. Due to Covid, Luis told me he probably sells one ring each day if he is lucky. I asked him if he was interested in an idea that I thought could increase his sales. (You can’t take the consultant out of the girl–even on a beach day!) I suggested in addition to the case of pre-made rings he carries like every other jewelry vendor, he should walk around with the loose jewels & stones with various silver settings and let customers design with him on the spot. He was already designing each ring, so why not let the customers see endless options of possibilities and feel they were getting an even more custom-created ring?

Luis listened to my idea. The next day he showed up with a large red velvet roll. He unrolled it on my beach chair to reveal hundreds of jewels and stones. Within minutes, six women were surrounding my chair. We were all playing with the stones and deciding which ring we wanted made for us. Luis sold eight rings within a half hour. It was a great sales day.

“Luis Flores Kneeling Down with Gems, Stones and Rings”

Why Do You Keep Going Back?

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Client recognition is so important. It keeps customers returning to your place versus trying out a new option. Competition has always been fierce, but it will be even more so once your doors fully open and people are ready to entertain again. 

When defining “recognition”, I do not mean seeing a customer’s face and remembering it. Recognition to me is actually creating a dossier on your most important customers, either via your memory or with a ballpoint pen and paper and noting everything important to them. By showing your customers you remember their likes and dislikes on their second visit, you are actually showing them you are observant, listen and genuinely care. This will bring them back a third, fourth and infinite number of times. You will create a customer for life.

Inspire

I just returned to Puerto Vallarta after 11 months away. Everyone asks me why I love it here. I always give the same answer, “I love the people in Puerto Vallarta”. Of course, there is the natural beauty of sandy beaches, great weather and stunning mountains. There is also fresh and delicious seafood, fruits, vegetables and of course, margaritas. However, it is visiting the friendly faces at my same old stomping grounds that make me the happiest.  

I arrived in PV at noon today. After unpacking my suitcases, I headed out for a walk to see what has changed during this pandemic year. I was hopeful that all my regulars were still in business and employed. Luckily, everyone I looked for was not only “surviving”, but also adjusting to this new way of doing business. They also exemplify why I come back year after year, just in the manner of how they reacted to my arrival:

My Favorite Juice Vendor – He remembered my daily order of mixing fresh grapefruit and oranges, always on ice. I ordered a small to take on my stroll. As he was about to squeeze, I realized I hadn’t visited the ATM yet. I had a quick panic and said “wait … I don’t have any pesos!”.  He just looked at me and said, “No problemo, pay me tomorrow when I see you again”. I will pay him with a little extra when I get my juice tomorrow morning.

My Favorite Bartenders – I stopped by Joe Jack’s to say hello to Tony and Adi. They told me they would have a seat waiting for me at the bar later on so we could catch up. I told them I would be back at 6pm.

My Favorite Pharmacist – I stopped in to say hello to Freddy. I was sick with bronchitis last year when I was in PV and Freddy healed me. He was in his normal spot behind the counter. I told him “I hope I really don’t have to see you much this year Freddy”.

My Favorite Beach Club – I visited La Carreta to say,“hola” to the entire gang. Ricardo, Enrique, Manuel and Romy were all there. We didn’t hug each other as we normally do, but we did catch up and have lots of laughs. They told me they would have my table ready for me tomorrow at 9am in the front row. They even asked if I wanted the same set up as last year. 

My Favorite Restaurant – After my margarita at Joe Jack’s, I headed over to Don Chava and Tre Piatti for dinner. Ulises, Chanan, Natalie and Daniel were all there, as lovely as ever. As I always do, I sat down and asked what I would be eating and drinking that evening. They took it from there.

This was just my first day and I still have a few more stops to make. I also know I am a paying customer to everyone I wrote about above. They don’t make me feel that way though. They make me feel like a friend and that they care. I also know I will make even more new friends this year. This is the magic of Puerto Vallarta. My community continues to grow each and every year I return. Sure, eighty degrees is wonderful to escape to every December, but I will take these warm conversations with my “old” friends over the great weather any day.

Snap Out of It! … Is Next Year Ready to Roll?

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Have you set your 2021 revenue goals yet? If not, do it today. You should have started setting this goal sixty days ago. Covid-19 shouldn’t be an excuse.

If you have listened to any of my Catersource classes or read any of my previous blogs, I have always recommended sales leadership start next year’s goal setting process in August to have a revenue number by the end of the year (assuming you run a calendar fiscal year). This allows everyone in the organization to be ready to roll with sales and production for the next year immediately after the holidays the first week in January. Typically, as caterers, our end-of-year is so busy with production that the thought of sitting at a desk and running numbers from October thru December seems impossible. Why August? The numbers created in August go through several rounds of negotiations between sales team members, owners and department heads before agreement; hence the five month lead time.

So what is Covid going to do to your 2021 number? Figure it out. You have to start somewhere. Your company needs structure and guidance to move forward and make decisions. Don’t sweat it either. Numbers typically change throughout the year.  At least you get the ball rolling.

Sales Leaders: Here are five general tips to get this number done now!

1. Confirm What the Company is Going to be in 2021*

   Covid has given the company the opportunity to change product lines – do you know what your team is selling?

2. Identify Your Leadership and Management Team*

   Do they have what it takes to get you there? Are they already leading the change?

3. Make Sure Your Culinary, Service and Operations Team are Trained & Ready*

   Who, what and when will they be available to produce what your team is selling?

4. Determine a Realistic Revenue Number**

   What are your fixed costs and what are profitability goals? What is already on the books?

5. Determine your 2021 Sales Team – Think Tight**

   Who do you need to get you to that revenue number and how will their role change in 2021?

*Ownership and other department heads are imperative in developing these first three core decisions that affect sales structure

**Sales Leaders – it is very important to lead these last two steps via history, data, client relationships and trusting your gut!

Bonus Tip!! Be real and honest when setting your revenue number. Over-inflating an unrealistic revenue goal will only encourage unnecessary spending that nobody has the luxury of right now. Be conservative yet bold enough to push your team to sell and not wait for the orders to come in.

INSPIRE

“Snap Out of It!”

I’ve had to tell myself “snap out of it!” every now and then when I’ve had my own “woe is me” moments these past eight months. This year has been brutal since March. Agonizingly painful. No other way to say it. But you know what? I love this industry. I love sales. I love consulting. I love educating. It fuels me. And I am going to continue to do so. How? By practicing what I preach.

I have set my 2021 goals. I have set my 2021 budget. I have worked through similar steps as recommended above. I have also challenged myself to think about our industry and what will become of it. I know this much about myself and my future:

1. I will continue to offer Fulton Market Consulting’s existing services to clients while also providing new products to markets that may have not used a consultant in the past.

2. In my first three years of business, I have been able to continue my passion for educating as well as travel, allowing me to work with clients all over North America. I will expand this further and am excited for new opportunities ahead.

3. I will work on a stripped down, bare bones budget for 2021 to cover my expenses. I will run lean and not overspend until clients start re-investing in training, education and consulting more than they have in 2020.

4. Hospitality is in my blood. It has been for 35 years now. I cannot imagine doing anything else and never will. I will continue to support and encourage our industry’s comeback, mainly for the amazing people that are so talented and dedicated to their craft, working long hours & putting in the years as well, creating memorable experiences for us all.

I am ready to roll.

Don’t Be a Sourpuss

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We are all going through a really tough time. As a business owner, I have never seen anything like this. Besides managing my business, I also am my company’s salesperson. I direct all outbound initiatives and programs to drum up new activity. In some ways, I am going back to my initial days of my sales career and figuring out scrappy new ways of finding clients. I love it. I also love that my own prospecting work allows me insight to share with my clients as they should be selling right now too.

This is what I have learned. Don’t be a sourpuss. Everyone is going through a hard time right now. (I shouldn’t say everyone. I’d actually like to own a teleconferencing or toilet paper company right about now, but you get the point). What I am getting at is that everyone is struggling. Owners, managers, employees, customers, buyers, you name it. So as a salesperson, walking in and talking about your troubles just isn’t going to make the sale.

Stand out. Be positive. Be a ray of light. Talk about your great product. Talk about good things. Enough gloom and doom. Be the happiest, most memorable salesperson out there. People want to work with someone they want to be around. You will be the first person they call when it’s time to place an order.

Inspire

I have been in Chicago since March 13th. I have never been home for such a long stretch of time. I was getting a little stir-crazy not being able to travel as much as I am used to. Finally, the weather warmed up so I was able to take my daily walks to enjoy the fabulous architecture of my beautiful city on the lake. 

A recent city and park district development is something called the Riverwalk. It is a two mile, uninterrupted public path along the Chicago River that takes me to Lake Michigan. It has restaurants, kayak and bike rentals, tourist boats, wine, beer and tiki bars and lots of other activities for everyone to enjoy. It’s a lovely addition to the city.

I live very close to the west end of the Riverwalk. I try to walk it daily. I start at Lake Street, walk the two miles to the lakefront and loop back. If I could play “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and skip the entire time I would. I am so happy when I do this. I think the other 99.8% of the people I see and their dogs are the same as me. We all appear to be in awe of our city’s beauty and how lucky we are that we are not dealing with cars, horns, traffic lights and interruptions during our exercise. We smile, say good morning and wave to each other. Even the security people are happy. They smile and wave to me and they are working! My day starts great, even before I see Jermaine at Starbucks. See my past blog “The Human Touch”.

There is one woman I see every day on my walk. She is young and serious. I have no idea what is going on in her life. It’s not my business to know. She doesn’t smile, say good morning or wave. She actually frowns every day. I smile when I walk by her. She doesn’t smile back. I feel bad for her. I hope she is okay. I really hope she’s not a salesperson. If she is, I think she better go spend a little time hanging out with the the security guards because that is who I would be buying from.

Get To Know Your Neighbors

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Referrals are an important part of every business. Any great salesperson knows this. Developing a “sales team” of people that do not work for you but recommend you costs you nothing.

These testimonials are more powerful than your own sales pitch. They are unbiased and come from an external source. Your only job is to make sure you deliver what your references have promised.

Start building your testimonial pool. Invite people into your business to experience what you do. This includes more than just customers. Invite your vendors and your local community to get to know you. Your neighborhood. You never know who may be able to send some business your way. You also don’t know how far their reach is to others.

Inspire

I just returned from a weekend road trip. I drove to Eastern Iowa from Chicago through Southwestern Wisconsin. I spent the first night in a small town called Verona, Wisconsin.

I picked my hotel based on what was open and had the highest TripAdvisor reviews for cleanliness & service (cleanliness is the new luxury). Upon check-in, I was asked to fill out a form for my complimentary breakfast. They were offering an individually-plated meal because the free morning buffet was closed. It was comforting to see the hotel had already made adjustments due to Covid-19.

I asked Eric at the front desk what he recommended for dinner. I had not dined out a restaurant for the past four months. I was excited yet tentative. I wondered how restaurants would be following cleanliness guidelines. Eric suggested the local bar & grill across the street. I looked out the window at what appeared to be a dive-bar. “Really, I thought?” Eric had seen this face already before. “I know it doesn’t look it, but they shut down every afternoon between 2:00-5:00 pm for a complete scrub down of the place. I watch for it every day that I am here.”

Sold!

@fultonmarketconsulting

I had the best reuben sandwich of my life with an ice cold Wisconsin beer. While I was there, I posted a picture on Instagram. It was that good. I had more likes from that post than any other in the past four months. Before I paid my bill, the owner stopped by my table to see if I enjoyed everything. I let him know my sandwich and beer were excellent and that Eric sent me over. Eric was the best non-paid salesperson on this owner’s team. Now I’m the second best non-paid salesperson on his team. Connect with me if you are going to Verona. I will tell you where to go.