What is the Soup of the Day?

 

How important is training?  We have been talking about “training” throughout several of my blog articles.  You will have noticed that whenever the topic of training is brought up, I have tried to stress its value and above all, its importance.   No one is born to be anything and certainly not a salesperson.  We are trained for a profession, whatever it may be. We learn throughout our careers various skills that make us proficient in our professions.  Without these skills, there would be no profession.

We do not acquire skills instantly, it requires effort, and often a lifetime of learning.  

We learn and we practice, and then we practice some more.   There is no end to training because there is always something new to learn, to make us better at what we do, make us more effective in our roles, and make us successful.   Training, like so much of life is a journey and every journey begins with a first step.

Many restaurants offer a “Soup of the Day” on their menu.   How often have you asked the service staff “What is the soup of the day” and they do not know.  This is normally one of the first questions asked by a patron.  The reply to that question by the staff is very often a flustered, embarrassed facial expression, followed by “I don’t know and will have to check.”  Why does he not know and why didn’t he check before coming over to the table to take your order?

If you ask the manager why his staff did not know what the soup of the day was, he would probably reply “Oh he is new, he is part-time, or he lacks training.”   Why was he on the floor doing a job that he was not trained to do?  The manager should ensure that his staff are well trained and not allow him on the floor until he is properly trained.   Sound familiar?  Knowing the soup of the day is a fundamental skill for all restaurant staff.  How ironic that it is so common they do not know.  

The moral of this story is the importance of training. 

Training results in success while a lack of training results in embarrassment and the opposite of success.  If you do not have the skills, you should not be performing the role.   If you want to perform the role, get trained, be trained, learn the skills, practice the skills, and practice the skills more.   Never stop training or learning. 

A successful salesperson hones his sales skills and ensures that his skills are perfected before attempting to see a prospect to make a sale.  He practices his pitch repeatedly.  He anticipates the objections and is prepared with answers to the objections.  With his skills, he manages the prospect, manages the process, and manages the results.

Next time you go to a restaurant, ask the waiter “What is the soup of the day?”  See what you get as a response.