Working in hospitality has some good points and some not so nice ones. Like every job on this planet. Let’s not lie. There is one part though that is good and bad at the same time: socializing with soo many people. After over 4 years of working in customer service and hospitality in general I realized that was my biggest lesson of all in terms of development and mentality.
After the years, leaving behind the hospitality industry (it’s never good bye, it’s always see you later) I looked at the things that differentiate me from others that have not had this experience.
These are the biggest lessons I took from hospitality that made a whole big difference when working with business clients:
Kill them with kindness
Working in a client-oriented environment in Reykjavik, Iceland I became so invested into always be kind, polite and understand that difficult customers can be turned around in your favor. I am forever grateful for this opportunity at an young age. 🙏
The customer is not always right, but needs to feel so
Sometimes, just letting people do their thing (with a limit) can fix half of the problem. You become more analytic after working with some many personalities. You learn to let them be who they want to be and don’t get offended by it. It’s not about you, it’s about their momentum.
Always create an experience
Create a clear and safe space for your customers to explore your products and services, help them along the way and just make it simple!
Show them you’re on their side
Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and understand their experience helps with being empathic and work together to grow together. In the end, any b2b experience is a people2people experience. Don’t go too professional and forget about your own values and the company’s values. Impress them by combining the professional side with your human-like side.
Be memorable and be kind.
People will always remember how you made them feel rather than what you did for them.
