Do your customers come back? How welcome do you make them feel? How are you treating your internal customers?

Recently I walked into a new Starbucks (I had never been to this one.) I was greeted with a “hello, thanks for coming in!” That is the first time that had happened, except when Starbucks had first opened.

I had an opposite experience at a restaurant where I took my parents for a birthday celebration. We were greeted rudely upon entering, waited twenty minutes for a table, and did not receive the correct food.

What accounts for the difference? Attitude. Training. Reward. Starbucks, while downsizing, is still investing in training for employees, developing new products and taking care of their employees. One manager told me, “we treat our employees how we want them to treat our customers.”

Often I hear CEO’s and managers say, “In a tight economy, we cannot invest anymore into our employees.” Fortune magazine, Forbes, Apple computer all continue to report that this is the most important time to invest in your employees.

When employees feel skills are improving, communication and leadership issues are addressed and the company is invested in growth, employees return that investment 110%. Cutting back, ignoring deteriorating attitudes, stress and lack of communication skills all lead to losing employees and customers.

Providing the opportunity for all staff, managers and executives to reassess skills in leadership, sales, communication and conflict now will pay off ten times. What is the price on developing a self sufficient team, excellent communication and conflict resolution skills?

Al you need do is ask your employees: “Six months from now, when everything is better, will your current employees stay, or leave?”
Currently, 68% state they are leaving. How iwill that impact your bottom line?

Investing now in your employees pays off ten times in profits, retention, great word of mouth marketing.