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Secrets from a Million-Dollar Waiter · Salon Success Secrets — The podcast for salon owners who are done hustling harder and ready to break their revenue ceiling.

• 0:34
  Speaker 1: today is going to be an exciting day.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: We are so pumped because we have a special guest.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: If you can see, it is martin, and we're going to tell you all about how.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: How martin has a million dollar mindset.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: He is one of la cirque's top waiter and, yes, lindsey and I have the opportunity to meet him and learn some things about him.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: So it's going to be a beautiful opportunity to see how can we transfer some of that hospitality that Martin provides into our salon companies every single day.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: Love this.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: So if you are excited to learn more about Martin's million dollar mindset, you are in the perfect place today.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: You know, martin, we really had an exceptional experience.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: We met you at an event called Funnel Hacking Live where you shared your million dollar business that you've done as a waiter inside of Listerc.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: And you know, we know that you've also been working on a special project with Dan Kennedy, who is the master of mindset and marketing and sales and all kinds of good stuff.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: And so we're just curious can you share a little bit about your background and kind of what brought you into the world of fine dining?
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: Great question.
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: So how it started was many, many years ago.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: I was having dinner with my mom and I was working construction.
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: I was 16 and my mom said to me, instead of being in construction, why don't you ask the manager for an application to be a busboy?
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: Because if you're going to work, why not make tips, why not just work for tips and the hourly wage versus just the hourly wage?
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: So that's kind of how it started.
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: And then one thing led to another and I had a motorcycle accident.
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: I broke my shoulder, all my fingers, and I was a bus boy and I was laid off and the man who bought the restaurant I was in at the MGM.
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: We became friends and I said can I be a waiter?
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: And he said do you want me to send a boy to do a man's job?
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: And fast forward.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: 33 years later he's one of my dearest friends.
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: Today he runs a casino here.
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: His name is Michael Credico.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: And my dearest friends.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: Today he runs a casino here.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: His name is Michael Credico, and that's kind of how it started.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: And he gave me my shop.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Wow, that's incredible.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: You know it's amazing.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: It's always so fun to hear how people got into the industry.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: You know, and, and what we think is really exceptional about you, martin, is that you know, we know, that earning seven figures or bringing in you know that seven figures as a waiter is unheard of for most people, and, and so we're just curious like, what mindset do you bring to work every day that allows you to perform at such a high level?
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: No, great question.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: So it's not seven figures per year, it's been seven figures over the life, because it was seven figures Then I'm being underpaid.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: Um, no, the mindset is so here.
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: So here's my mindset Everybody that comes into the restaurant, whether a whale, not a whale, gets the VIP treatment.
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: Everybody gets treated exactly the same because it's cultivation, and sometimes somebody will mention you know, I wanted to go to Le Cirque but I couldn't afford it.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: When they give you that indicator, that's the indicator and the magic moment to make something magic happen.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: So every interaction with the guest matters, from the moment they walk in the door to the moment that they walk out.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: Every single detail like it can't slip at any point in time.
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: Nobody should have to ask for water, a menu shouldn't be dirty, the check should be correct.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: If there's an issue, I mean we should overcompensate and really turn that little problem into a magical moment to exceed any and all expectations.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Very cool, yeah.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: So just curious, like cause we work with salon owners and so you know we have service providers in the hospitality business too.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: So, like you know, how do you approach each shift differently than like just the average server?
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: So, like Lindsay, you know how do you approach each shift differently than like just the average server.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: So, like Lindsay and I actually knew, when we heard you speak at ClickFunnels or FunnelHankham Live, we're like we've got to go meet Martin, like this is going to be incredible.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: So it's because we work in that industry and so like we want, like how can we transfer, like that mindset, that beingness, into the salon environment?
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: So, like, how do you approach that?
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Like, what is your mindset that you use every single day to know that, like the guest is key, the guest or the clients are the hero?
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Like how do you, how do you approach that?
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: every single day.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: That's a great question.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: So what I do?
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: A lot and a lot of the waiters sometimes they'll even get annoyed with me I'll say you know, you see the house I live in because the person sitting down, you see the car that I drive, you see the ring on my wife's finger, the shoes on my feet, everything circles back to the guest.
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: So as a waiter like I work in the Bellagio I didn't put up one nickel for that beautiful room.
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: I don't pay one nickel for that rent.
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: Looking at that water.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: Every CEO has empowered me and the whole team to exceed.
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: So when you're given that kind of gift, you really have to run with it.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: So people expect it, especially now in the 21st century.
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: You know services slipping.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: When they come into a place like Le Cirque, they're just blown away that they never received that.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: So to answer your question, I constantly remind myself my problem is never their problem.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: If, even if I'm tired, as you probably noticed, I drink a lot of coffee all day long them, Even if I'm tired, as you probably noticed.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: I drink a lot of coffee all day long.
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: So what I do, I remind myself that this is about them, the two hours that we have together.
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: Everything needs to be special.
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: If that means changing something, if that's an allergy, even if they're having a bad day, that's still.
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: The onus is on me to turn them around.
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: Even if somebody is tough, most people will either apologize or circle back, so to make them feel special for that time.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: Part one.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: Part two it can never slow down, because what happens, especially in my industry?
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: People start to just kind of become complacent and that's really kind of the cancer of the whole thing.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: You can't slow down and it has to be a constant reminder.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: We do it during the pre-shift and it's constant just reinforcing that we're here for the guest and that needs to be first and foremost all the time.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: That's an incredible way to look at things.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: You know, and really circling back everything to your life about that guest and you know, I'm sure it gives you a deeper sense of gratitude, for you know everything that you've created in life.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: I think you know I'm sure it gives you a deeper sense of gratitude, for you know everything that you've created in life.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: I think you know another thing that stood out to us too, martin is you know kind of your view of your relationship with, like, the owner of the business you just mentioned?
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: I don't pay a dime to be in that space.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: Can you kind of tell us your thought process, like, what is your relationship like with the owner and your view on how you show up inside of the business every day to generate what you do?
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: No, great question.
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: So what's really interesting is so if they see me, the owners really the hotel and the corporation runs that that restaurant it was a family.
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: Now it's run by the hotel.
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: But if they see me anywhere outside of that restaurant, they know because the high level of trust, either I'm going to do something for a guest, I'm going to get something for a guest.
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: So to expand on that, like if I see something on the floor in the casino, I'll pick it up.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: I'm a union employee, I don't have to pick up anything but I treat it as if my own.
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: So they know that the trust between me, the vice president, the CEO, the president of the hotel, is rock solid.
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: They get cards from me, they get books from me, They'll always get a handwritten note of some sort that I appreciate working there and I will never, ever slow down.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: So in the event, I do need something plates, a little executive approval on some purchase.
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: Rest assured it will happen because of the trust.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: So it circles back to trust that my attendance really for that industry is stellar.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: They know that I don't miss work If I'm not there, you know something is seriously wrong in the universe.
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: Yes, speaking of work, how many, how many days of work have you missed, martin?
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: Zero.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Yes, and how many years have you been there?
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: 27.
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: I take vacations, don't get me wrong.
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: I have four weeks.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: What I do.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: Now this little sidestep because of the contract, I cash out my vacation and I put it in the 401k.
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: So when they opt to close the restaurant, I take that vacation.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: I don't just arbitrarily take them.
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: I have 16 days I could miss, plus four weeks of vacation.
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: That's a lot of time to miss.
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: I don't miss it.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: To me, the energy is the customer.
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: There's not a better industry in the world where you can go from X to X, and it's rare that.
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: By no means am I bragging, I'm not.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: I live 10 houses down from the chairman of the board.
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: I live in a country club.
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: I'm just a waiter.
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: I get paid to carry a tray, so really it's how deep you want to go in the relationship.
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: I really have any business, but this is the one that's on full display because, as you ladies did witness or feel and assert, it's really intimate and there's a lot of time at the table.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: They watch you, they see you, they see your suit, they see your shoes, they see your body language, everything's on full display and when they see all the waiters talking to each other, it's a level of comfort and confidence.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: So those little things, that orchestration creates a much bigger thing.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: So good, you know, to all of our thousands of salon owners listening, martin, they've just hired you all like they're ready for more Martins in their salon, so let us know how we can get in touch with you.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: But just curious, like, is this something you taught yourself?
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Or like, is this something that Le Cirque does in teaching?
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Like their standards?
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Like because, like when we were there, we noticed that every single person like really interacted with us.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: You know it felt very warm, very welcoming.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: So, like, what is the process for someone to like join the team?
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Is there certain training they have to go through, or is it just your standard and you know if you're going to be part of that team?
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: There's no other way to do it besides this way.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: No, it's good.
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: So the founder was Serio Macione.
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: So Serio was an Italian immigrant and Serio's whole thing was making everybody feel comfortable.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: I mean, he heavy, heavy Italian accent, but he spoke fluent French, english and German fluently and what he would do is is if somebody asked for water, he wouldn't go ask somebody to get the water, he would just pour the water.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: So, to answer your question, atlas Cirque everybody's Forbes trained.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: It's a lot of training.
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: It's very basic training at best, but it's a lot of follow-up.
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: So each person there will correct the other, not in a condescending way, like if something's wrong, the temperature on the meat was wrong, somebody will hear it and fix it.
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: So there's a lot of accountability, there's a lot of responsibility and everybody cares, and it really it's the management of the hotel, the whole food and beverage team not because I work there.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: They're spectacular, they really care and each one of them, like the waiters at La Circa's, came through the ranks.
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: You know, we chose to stay as waiters.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: They wanted to go into management, but they all care.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: So the training is constant.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: We have a usually a 15, 20 minute pre-shift which we go over.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: Who's coming in?
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: Sometimes those people are Googled what table did they like?
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: What are the dislikes?
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: Timing, et cetera.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: So there's a lot of communication, overt communication, and there's a lot of.
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: I mean, we're all mature in that place.
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: I mean, all of us are near senior citizens now, so we don't look like it.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, don't look like it at all.
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: No, so there's, it's really a level of caring, and I'll just, if I can digress.
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: We had a customer come in.
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: It was a fiance and his friend and the girl, and I promised them a big birthday card.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: I have the name on top of my head, mr Vu, but I'm going to text him here in a minute just to follow up and then, even though today's my day off, I'm going to run the book over to the post office with a giant birthday card because I gave him my word.
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: So part of that to answer your question is, I promised him something and that will come true.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: Yes, I could wait till tomorrow to bring it to the hotel to have them mail it.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: However, I'm going to take on the cost today.
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: Is it expensive?
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: No, but it circles back.
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: I gave him my word, the trust, and it goes back to the relationship with the restaurant and the branding.
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: So just curious, martin, was that something that they taught you to do?
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: Was that something that you started doing?
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: Like, what?
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: What was your mindset shift around?
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: You know, hey, how do I add those extra special touches?
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: Because that really stood out to Jen and I as well.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: You know, when we had our experience with you, you actually weren't even our waiter at our table.
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: You know, when we had our experience with you, um, you actually weren't even our waiter at our table.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: Um, you were.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: We had a different waiter, um, and a whole team of people that were all incredible, by the way, um, but you, you know, really, I mean, we were like, hey, we, we saw you and you know we got to talking and you said, let me grab your information, let me get your address, and you sent Jen and I separate packages and and you know, it really is incredible to get something like that in the mail and you sent us the, the book, um, unreasonable hospitality, because you obviously knew we were in the hospitality business as well.
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: And, um, you know it's so brilliant.
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: What?
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: What sparked that idea for you?
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: What kept it going?
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: Um, and and really, just what was your?
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: No, another great question.
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: So when you first came in, I made eye contact with you, I remember, because you were sitting in the lounge.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: So what I used to do, I used to play baseball.
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: So everything is eye contact and if I know someone looks at me, I know at some point that either a we've interacted or they want something.
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: So it just took me a second.
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: So even though I wasn't the waiter, I knew I had told Carl who was your waiter.
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: I'll kind of just let me just touch that table a few times.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: Then it's just very natural that all of us are there.
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: It's not just one or the other, because really it's a whole team there.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: But how that came about was many years ago, probably in 2012,.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: I had wrote a letter to Warren Buffett.
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: It's actually right over there.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: I just can't show it because it's private and my mom, who I love, she goes.
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: He's not going to respond.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: I said, ok, so we'll see.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: So I wrote a letter to Buffett.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: He promptly responded.
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: He invited me to the shareholder meeting in 2013.
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: That's how that started.
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: I thought, wow, my copy pulled.
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: So then I started doubling down on the letters.
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: So everybody at some point gets a letter, a card, something big they're usually really big from me.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: Yes, it's expensive, yes, it's time consuming, but now that's become the brand.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: So even though, yes, I'm a waiter, yes, I work for the hotel, I have a personal brand.
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: They know that if I'm there it's going to go a certain way.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: If they need something, they call me, rest assured it'll be done, even if that means I have to drive.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: So, for example, I forgot one night a lady's to-go order and she had texted me and the restaurant was closed.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: I just threw it out.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: I said we can't take that chance, it's bad.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: So I said I'll bring it to you the next day.
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: So we had the chef going early.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: He cooked it, we put it in the refrigerator, I ran it over the refrigerator, I ran it over the following morning to her office.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: She's a surgeon.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: So how that came about was it just started with Warren Buffett?
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: I wrote the letter.
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: It worked.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: And then I obviously get all Dan stuff, magnetic marketing and then I started following Dan stuff and I started just really copying it.
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: And he used gold.
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: I use gold letters, envelopes, teaser copy.
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: And then I started using stickers.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: So if I know that, for example, you're in the salon business, I'm going to use something in that business.
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: I'll get it on Amazon, I'll get it from the dollar store, or I probably have it in my little swipe file.
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: I have another whole little area for stickers, so that's how that kind of came to fruition.
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: Now it's gotten bigger and bigger.
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: Now I can't get away from it.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: So good and I have the envelope right here because I actually just shared it with my team this morning.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: So Lindsay and I were so excited when we got our little envelope and with our book and then our amazing card.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: So it was just like we've done a lot of fine dining in our days that's one of our favorite things to do but this experience really stuck out to us and so we just want to say thank you for that.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: We couldn't wait for us to be able to share that with other salon owners, because I think one thing we noticed in our industry is client retention right, and so, like, what I'm hearing you say is the fortune is in the follow up, and so, like, is there any other ways that you utilize or that you use to keep like those high paying clients coming back time and time again?
• 16:25
  Speaker 3: I do.
• 16:25
  Speaker 3: So, matter of fact, there's one that's coming in.
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: He's a really prominent attorney.
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: On Thursday and, without saying his name, he's based out of Illinois.
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: Very good, he had went through cancer, so he's a baseball fan.
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: So I just, again, just to keep that retention I ran over to Michael's, I got the little kind of little baseball display case, scuffed up the baseball and say look, you're number one.
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: We need you on the team.
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: I'm pulling for you, man.
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: It had nothing to do with the business.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: He comes back every time he goes and that ball's on my desk he goes.
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: You don't know what it meant to me to get that ball.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: You're pulling for me.
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: Do I call?
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: I don't Because it's easier for me to say something on paper than it is via a text or an email, because then they know it's my words.
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: As you can see, my handwriting is horrendous, but you know it's from me and it's usually in a Sharpie.
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: So the retention is the follow-up.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: So, even if I don't, hear from somebody.
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: They're still going to get letters from me.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: It might be a little one, might be a big one, they're going to still continue and they'll always get a letter.
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: To keep that retention, because that's the secret sauce.
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: So amazing.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: That is the secret sauce.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: That's incredible.
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: You know, and how do you keep track of, you know preferences people's, how do you keep it so personalized?
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, obviously we've heard the, the one experiences, but just do you keep track of that they have?
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: You know allergies or any sort of preferences um that a lot of your repeat customers have?
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: No great question so what I do.
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: So this is just one here.
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: This is a woman that came in, very nice, senior citizen, out of Florida, boca, and a little intimidated by the restaurant, so I just knew that she liked chocolate.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: So she went to the show.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: She came back to give me her card.
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: I fired off the letter.
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: For me personally, I happen to have a great memory.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: I can usually tell you where they sat, if they're left-handed, if they're allergic to nuts, if they don't like seafood.
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: I have a nephew who it's really serious and when I played baseball locally I came from the same program as Bryce Harper that if you were on the bench and Coach Thomas asked you anything about that player, if you could not answer when he looked at you, the whole team would run.
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: So that started when I played baseball from 1985 to 1991 when I was in middle school and high school.
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: So the memory started.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: He used to tell me be present all the time, pay attention.
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: So it just started and then it just became a thing Like I remember the phone numbers.
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: I remember what table they like, where they sit, because when someone hands me 100, 200, 2000, that's a real big deal and that requires a lot more attention.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: That means I should remember the little things.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: Like I might send him a shoe that's as big as Shaq's shoe and say, look, I got really big shoes to fill.
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: I just put the shoe in there.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: I just want to say I know he's going to do that.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: So it's the little little things like.
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: So, to answer your question, I'll get a card, I'll write something on it.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: I'll write something on my own card.
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: If I have a copy of their check, I'll write the check, I'll keep a copy of it and then I'll just write something on it so I remember and I'll just keep it in my pocket.
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: And then I have a little little notes and spreadsheet on the computer that if I need the address cause I can't remember all the addresses but most of them I have just I could tell you the street or the first number of the address.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: Wow, so good, so good, and I remember when you were speaking to us that day at Funnel Hacking Live, you mentioned one of the tips that you got.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: I can't remember exactly the number, but I think it was like 23,000 the first day and then maybe they came back a week later and it was a certain amount and certain amount.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: So, like you know, tips are in the hospitality industry and the salon industry.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: They're really big for us too, and we've I've even had team members that no longer are here, but they've said, wow, she didn't really give me a big enough tip, and so, like the conversation we have to have was like, well, what value did you give them?
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: Because if you truly give them that value, at the end of the day they're going to want to return that favor.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: So, like, can you just tell us about your, your biggest tip or a great tip story that you remember that you received?
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so the story I told.
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: So when that individual came in, the tip was $23,000.
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: And then it came the following night, it was $10,000.
• 20:31
  Speaker 3: And then it came the following night, it was $5,000.
• 20:34
  Speaker 3: So what I do with the waiters and again they know I'm notorious for first you have to practice gratitude, you know you can't expect $23,000 every night.
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: The average, like in anything across the board, is spectacular.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: So I'll say to one of my colleagues, just being sarcastic, I'll say you know, what's funny about you, man, is that you'll excuse my language, you'll bitch and complain about a tip, but when someone's overtly generous you don't say anything.
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: So how can the lesser tip be more?
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: So really it depends.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: So now he won't say when I'm present he won't say a word about anything, because you can't expect someone to give you their mortgage or their 401k or their house.
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: Maybe they can't afford it, maybe it's a credit card.
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: But if you look at the averages and you teach them to manage their money effectively because really it's about the average If you want to go with a good average so for example, at Le Cirque it's probably north of 25, 26, maybe 27, maybe even 28% return that's a damn good return on time.
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: But that takes a lot of education and time, you know, and getting people to come back.
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: They don't just come back, because they come back for either the service or how you made them feel or the little things you did Like.
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: For example, we don't serve French onion soup.
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: People want French onion soup.
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: If they are really hell bent, we'll go get it.
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: But, that being said, we'll reciprocate with the other restaurant.
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: We'll make sure we acknowledge them and the guest remembers that, and then we'll say something suddenly Sorry, it took an extra second, which it didn't, but once you get it at another outlet.
• 21:57
  Speaker 3: So now we're just planting the seeds.
• 21:59
  Speaker 3: We're not saying we did you a favor, but sorry, it took just a second.
• 22:01
  Speaker 3: So we're kind of reversing the psychology on it.
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: So it's a fine line of teaching people to be gracious and practicing gratitude, but I would use the story as the waiter saying hey, listen, if you just go with the average and you treat them right, look at it over a six month to 12 month period, look at the return, then Look at your bank deposits, because that will be the indicator what I say in a restaurant.
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: If one shift in a restaurant or one client or one person is going to make or break your day, you've got a much bigger problem.
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: Amen.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: Yes, and I think too, what stood out about you is you made all these deposits into us before we had even made any deposits into you, and so I think you know that's just such a unique mindset and you know, I'm just, I'm just curious.
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: If a salon owner or a beauty professional wanted to position themselves as Martin or Lace Cirque of our industry, what would you say is the first step that they should take?
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: Again, another great question.
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: I mean, and I don't just say the first thing would either a pick up some book on hospitality or go to a place that really practices hospitality.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: The first interaction with the person is is everything the way they're greeted at the door?
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: If for in your business, I mean personally, when they sit down, are they offered a bottle of water or they offered a coffee?
• 23:25
  Speaker 3: A little less things to make someone feel comfortable, I mean personally, when they sit down, are they offered a bottle of water?
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: Are they offered a coffee?
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: Little less things to make someone feel comfortable.
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: Even they may, you know, decline, but to make them feel comfortable and then to cultivate that relationship how are they followed up?
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: with.
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: Is it a?
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: thank you card.
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: Is it a text?
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: I mean the text is really informal, but a handwritten thank you card going out at the end of the day, inviting them back, offering you know some other service.
• 23:48
  Speaker 3: So my wife is kind of indirectly in your business.
• 23:50
  Speaker 3: She does the nose hair waxing and she always does something gratis and everybody comes back to her and she's very soft spoken, almost a little shy, but she's like an assassin with with the checks.
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: I mean, like she tells me some of the checks, I'm like, oh boy, wow, that's a good business.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: If I had to impart one thing, it's how you make them feel upon the entry and upon the exit.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: But the interaction throughout if, if any point in time, they feel the condescension or the sighing or the huffing and puffing, that's a whole different conversation.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: How you make somebody feel.
• 24:23
  Speaker 3: That's like when you really have to sit down and say maybe this is the wrong business, maybe this is not working you know because you can't
• 24:30
  Speaker 3: you can't expect from somebody.
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: And my dad used to tell me, you know, he didn't drive and I would drive him and I was late one day and he goes, it's not the guy in front of his fault that you're late, and he didn't say anything else after that.
• 24:40
  Speaker 3: I just kind of wow, right, and even restaurant, you know it's even.
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: If something's wrong, if there's a mistake, I always oh, my fault, I wrote it, I wasn't paying attention, they know it wasn't my fault, but at that point we have a relationship and I always tell the chef at the same time let's just make an alliance, okay, now they come back.
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: So, yes, we lost on the chicken or the steak or the Wagyu, but they've came back infinitely more.
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: But they've came back infinitely more.
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: So you start weighing the scale.
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: Which is it worth?
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: So if you could dive deeper into the relationship with the person you know.
• 25:09
  Speaker 3: If I can just touch on one story, my first consulting gig uh, a friend of mine owns a yoga studio here, becrum.
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: It's since closed and she goes can you just take a look at it?
• 25:18
  Speaker 3: And the very first thing I did is I called and the girl who answered the phone hated hot yoga and I was like and she doesn't like the fact that you're making her be the janitor, the person answering the phone and the salesperson.
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: And she just kind of looked at me and she's very successful and she goes why?
• 25:36
  Speaker 3: I never even thought of it that way.
• 25:38
  Speaker 3: I said she hates yoga and she's no disrespect, she's not fit, she doesn't want to be in this industry.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: She doesn't want to be in this industry.
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: She doesn't like beauty, she doesn't like vanity.
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: It's almost repulsive to her and said no disrespect, but she's the wrong person for the job.
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: I mean, she's hurting your business.
• 25:53
  Speaker 3: You could just say right off the bat, as soon as I on the phone, I was like, oh, she doesn't like.
• 25:55
  Speaker 3: It Made me feel like, well, I don't want to go there.
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: And that was kind of the first tell as a person answering the phone.
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: So I think the first interaction and the last and everything else in the middle is kind of the key, so good.
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we could listen to your stories all day.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: What a remarkable idea.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: Just the salon owners.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: We do that.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: All we like to call salons just to see, like what it is like when you call the salon, because it gives us a lot of feedback on, like what can we do to be better.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: So, with that being said, you know success can be defined by so many factors, but, like, what's the best piece of advice that you could give or that you've ever received about success or being successful?
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: Oh, that was great.
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: A couple of them.
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: Number one is be really well-read in everything.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: So when I'm done here with you ladies, I'm going to head down to my coffee shop.
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: I read the liberal papers, I read the Wall Street Journal, I read them all.
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: I kind of follow Dan's stuff so I can pretty much tell you what he's writing because I'm in his head.
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: And then tonight I'll go back over magnetic marketing and then with the cereal book I'll go back over kind of the concept of not just being a restaurant being a club over, kind of the concept of not just being a restaurant being a club.
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: So for success really is just showing up.
• 27:07
  Speaker 3: You have to show up, you got to show up in a big way.
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: Like my theory is dress down Fridays it looks terrible.
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: Like if they see me in my gym clothes at the restaurant their reputation's out the door.
• 27:15
  Speaker 3: They cannot see that Like even in the hotel.
• 27:18
  Speaker 3: They know that I sit in a certain way.
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: They can never see me anything other than my tie because they look at me different.
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: And they know that I was a dishwasher.
• 27:24
  Speaker 3: They know that I came through the ranks, always talking about attendance.
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: So most people won't even come sit with me because they know that I'm not going to talk about missing work, I'm not going to talk about debt.
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: Usually there's a book in my hand, so they know that the people I'm talking to are the ones that are in the same mindset.
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: So surrounding yourself with the right person, the right environments.
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: Obviously, like you ladies, as soon as I looked at both of you when you sat down, I knew it just took me a second and that's when I told my colleague I was like raise the bar.
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: You got to keep raising the bar, and that across the board is really kind of the secret sauce as well, kind of to the success it's just, you can't slow down and you can't be complacent.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: So good, martin, you know we really did have an exceptional experience with you.
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: You're an exceptional guy.
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: I know you've been working on a fun project with Dan Kennedy.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: Is it all still top secret or is there anything fun that you can let leak out that?
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: Any fun projects that you're working on right now?
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: Yes, okay, yeah.
• 28:28
  Speaker 3: Sorry to jump out at you.
• 28:29
  Speaker 3: Yes, so.
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: So the book um, marketing to the affluent, the fourth edition will come out, uh, which is a great book.
• 28:35
  Speaker 3: I mean, dan really nailed it.
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: I'm, you know, I'm, I'm very pleased with my chapters, but there's no, no one better than Dan.
• 28:45
  Speaker 3: Like, when I was writing with him, I was like I don't know how this happens, how this guy can be this good, with his eye being lost, diabetes, making it out of hospice, and I don't just say that, but to leak a little bit, we want to take hospitality to another level and what is, what is the whole theory behind that?
• 28:59
  Speaker 3: So we're going to pull back the curtain, just giving a little snippet.
• 29:02
  Speaker 3: We're going to use that little Las Vegas book over there, kind of just showcasing what happens in Las Vegas.
• 29:12
  Speaker 3: It's nothing in stone yet, but hopefully it'll be on one of these major platforms that we all subscribe to, if all goes well, knock on wood.
• 29:16
  Speaker 3: And really taking it to the next level, because really this applies to all businesses salon owners, restaurants, car washes, anything, as Dan would say with continuity, coffee shops and I think we've just scratched the surface on that and I'm kind of at the forefront because I'm constantly pushing and I learned as a little boy my mother's incredibly hard to wait on, and I learned she's very particular about the coffee being hot, the ice being, the water being full.
• 29:42
  Speaker 3: She hates to ask for anything.
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: So I had a kind of front seat to hospitality early on, so I'm looking to capitalize on that with Dan.
• 29:50
  Speaker 3: So so stay tuned we're so excited yeah, well, thank you.
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: we just want to say thank you so much for, first of all, creating a memorable experience for Lindsay and myself.
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: It was awesome.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: We can't wait to go back to Vegas, just to come back in and eat at Le Cirque.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: The food was fabulous, the service was just, it was just amazing.
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: And so just thank you for your time, thank you for sharing your knowledge.
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: I mean, the world is better because of you, and that's exactly what Lindsay and I want to create too is to pull back the curtains on the business of hospitality and to really take serving people to a whole new level.
• 30:28
  Speaker 3: Well, if I could impart one thing what I always say in the restaurant, as I said, look, we're not in the service business, we're not in the restaurant business, we're in the make you feel special business.
• 30:35
  Speaker 3: So those little chocolates you ladies got, I invite everybody back.
• 30:39
  Speaker 3: And I say the same thing Even if you're just walking by stop in, we'll have a little goodie bag.
• 30:46
  Speaker 3: If you're downstairs, text me.
• 30:47
  Speaker 3: If I don't answer, call the restaurant, I will deliver it.
• 30:49
  Speaker 3: If I can't deliver it, somebody here will deliver it.
• 30:51
  Speaker 3: So the service after the sale is just as important, if not more important than the initial sale.
• 30:57
  Speaker 3: So I thank you, ladies, you're a pleasure.
• 30:58
  Speaker 3: Hopefully I get to see you again at Le Cirque and anything you ever need in Las Vegas.
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: I'm a resource for the both of you.
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: Cirque and anything you ever need in Las Vegas.
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: I'm a resource for the both of you.
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: Well, thank you, Martin.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: We are beyond grateful, and if you've got some amazing things out of today's podcast, go ahead and leave us a review or share it with somebody.
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: That you think would really just take some amazing things away from today's episode.
• 31:21
  Speaker 2: As soon as Martin's book comes out with Dan Kennedy, we'll drop that in the show notes as well.
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: It really truly was a pleasure to know you, and we can't wait to continue our relationship with you, Martin, and just really revolutionize the hospitality industry forever.
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: So thanks so much for joining us and thanks for tuning in.
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: Thank you, ladies.