I originally wrote this article in June of 2012 and as I look at todays business climate it seems as appropriate in January 2022 as it did then. What do youthink?
It was the golden age of sitcoms (situation comedies). Alf 19861990, The Cosby Show, 19841992, Perfect Strangers, 19861993, Family Ties, 19821989, Night Court, 19841992, and Newhart, 19821990.
During this historic period, one show stood out from all the rest. From 1982 to 1993, TV audiences paid a weekly visit to Cheers, the Boston watering hole, whose chief claim to fame was??its where everybody knows your name. Cheers was never out of the top ten ratings between 1985 to its final episode in1993.
While all the famous shows of that period had theme songs, none stick in our memories, and hit home quite as much as, Where Everybody Knows Your Name written by Gary Portnoy and Judy HartAngelo.
Im writing about this topic today because I happened to catch the re-broadcast of the very first Cheers episode a few nightsago.
Listening to that theme again, I wondered if Portnoy and Angelo realized they were also writing some very insightful business pointers.
Follow the lyrics below and see if you agree withme.
Making your way in the world today takes everything youvegot.
The opening line of the theme says it all. Theres no question, that under current economic conditions, most business owners would agree that the days of doing business as usual are pretty much over for the next couple of years. Business must be on top of their game every minute of the day. To keep the business doors open today really does take everything youvegot.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help alot.
Working 16-to-18-hour days take a lot out of anyone and business owners are no exception. Worries are part and parcel of business ownership. Cash flow, advertising, marketing, employees, suppliers, customers, all take their toll over time. Stress can easily overcome anyone. To say starting a business is tough, is the understatement of all time. Good business owners are able to put business on the back burner for at least a short time while their subconscious works on a solution.
Wouldnt you like to getaway?
Not talking about taking a vacation or taking time off from the business. Im talking about taking a step back. Trying to look at the business from the outside rather than the inside. Take off the owner hat and put on the customer hat. How do you want customers to see you? Whats missing? Are your products and services the best you can offer? Are you employees well trained, helpful, and courteous?
Sometimes you want to go??Where everybody knows yourname,
Sometimes businesses forget why they are really in business in the first place??to serve their customers. Every good business knows their only job is to provide good service and good products at a fair price. Dale Carnegie, in How to Win Friends and Influence People, writes, The most beautiful sound to any person is the sound of their own name. What can make a customer more loyal to a business than the common courtesy and consideration of calling them byname?
and theyre always glad youcame.
Weve all seen the sign, Customers are not an interruption of our business they are the reason for it. Customers really arent looking for wow service or knock my socks off treatment. All they really want is for the business owner to appreciate them and be always glad theycame.
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same
Customers want to know that youve seen the problems they are experiencing before. They want to know that you are experienced in handling and recommending solutions or referring them to someone who can. Not every problem has a cookie cutter solution but your marketing and advertising messages state you are the solution to their generalproblem.
You wanna go where people know, people are all thesame,
The biggest mistake I see business owners make, is to shortcut employee training. Every customer who comes in contact with an employee should get the same answers to the same question. Theres no excuse to ever hear an employee say, The boss would have to make that decision and hes out to lunch can you come back later? I want to go where there is someone who can solve my problem. I really dont care who thatis.
Some FinalThoughts
OK, I may be taking some latitude with some of my assumptions based on the lyrics. The point of the song is, theres a place??Cheers??where you can go and be insulated from the problems of theday.
Thats what customers are looking for. Getting through life for them is taking everything theyve got. Why compound the problem forthem?
If you can solve their problems, not only do you inherit a loyal customer, but you also have a powerful, word-of-mouth, public relations tool building your business.
Take a look at Tom Egelhoffs Amazon Best Selling Small Business book, How to Market, Advertise and Promote Your Business or Service in Your Own Backyard.
Toms New YouTube Channel??The Art of Learning Small TownBusiness
Listen in on Toms weekly Saturday radio show 8 am to 11am Mountain Time Open For Business on AM 1450 KMMS Radio,Bozeman.
Build A Strong Small Business Using the Theme Song from the TV Show Cheers was originally published in Startup Stash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
