Susan and Renee contacted me with a curious dilemma – there are too many people at their hot dog cart in downtown Phoenix. (Well, yeah… look at those smiles!!! – more pics below)
They write…
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Hi Steve,
This is Susan and Renee, owners of Surena’s Wieners in Phoenix AZ. We are having a problem lately and are wondering if you or any of your Hot Dog Cart News readers can help us with.
We operate our cart on a daily basis on a busy corner in downtown PHOENIX. The corners are awarded in an open auction each year. We have a brand new shiny hot dog cart and both of us have previous restaurant experience so we have great customer service skills. Too great it would seem.
We have a handful of regulars who have decided that our corner and our hot dog cart are “the place/to be”, sometimes for hours at a time. While these are good customers, and friends, they are definitely impeding on our ability to have a steady stream of customers because they are there so long.
It is a fact that as rude as people can be, customers waiting in line will not interrupt a conversation to place their order.
We believe that we need to smile and address everyone who passes in order to make a sale. We cannot do that when engaged in conversation. We are glad people like us but how do get these people to stop overstaying their welcome and negatively affecting our sales potential?
This has become a serious problem, the more people like to hang out at our cart the less we are selling. Any ideas?
Thanks for your time, we are getting frustrated, we are trying to save our house with this business, and we need to make as much as we can in the time we are downtown.
Susan and Renee
www.thedogdealers.com
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I had the same problem with my King Weenie Hot Dogs permanent location. While it’s great to have a following, too many people congregating directly around the cart definitely impacts sales in a negative way.
I started to tell folks, “Sorry but I can’t talk now. I need to give all my customers the same kind of service that I give you.” It was a tactful way to put it and it reinforced the fact that I care about ALL my customers.
However, you don’t want to chase these folks off. Just as no one wants to eat at a restaurant with an empty parking lot, a bunch of people at your cart tells potential customers that your food is awesome. It will definitely increase sales – as long as the customer can get to you to place their order.
I solved that issue by creating a “gabbing area” 20 feet away from the cart with a few lawn chairs. It clears the area directly around the cart, but your “regulars” can still hang out and make you look like a popular place for lunch. When you are slow, walk over to the gabbing area and hang out with them. When a customer shows up you can disengage from the gab, walk back to the cart and provide great service.
How about the rest of you slingers? Have you had a similar problem and if so, how did you resolve it? Let us know in the comments.
-Steve
I would just give them a little silent treatment. You won’t lose them, they just won’t be able to engage you. You do have others to sell to and that’s the priority.
” Please excuse me, I have another customer to take care of”. All of my customers understand this. Everybody is #1 and I treat them that way.
Hi folks,
I can’t say this has become a problem for us YET. But we do have a few regulars who like to stop by and chat…fortunately with my brother more than me. I keep an extra chair for “guests” to chat with him while I serve. But most of my customer/chatters understand that business comes first and they take a back seat while someone else is placing an order. If they’re real friends, as some have become, I politely say, “Excuse me, here comes a customer. I have some business to take care of.” And I say it with an enthusiastic smile so they know I’m not chasing them off. Fortunately, my brother is the “entertainment committee” and sometimes I even have to interupt him to help out when things get going. If you can work it out with the chatters that other customers have to be taken care of and put priority on serving them vs continuing a conversation, you should do well. A crowd around your cart will increase business, but continuing a chat while people are waiting is a very major mistake.
In the winter I work for Crossmark, the people who do the samples inside of Sam’s Club. We have the same problem, people are lonly, and they want to stand directly in front of our cart and talk and talk. (and eat many samples) We all have a quota that we are to meet every day, so this can be really wearying! What we do is just say “excuse me” and look past them to talk to the next person and make our sales pitch.
I like your gabbing area idea, Steve. I was gonna suggest the same thing.
Ladies, you are gonna have to just say, “Well, gotta get these dogs slung! You have a great day!” and dismiss them with a smile. If you stop talking, so will they. And if they stop talking they will eventually go away.
I had a guy and his dad who did this every day to me when we had our cart. I finally would just say, “Ya’ll have a nice day!” and walk away like I was getting something out of the van. and I didn’t come back until they had gone. They never got offended (they all know that they talk too much) and they still came back.
I would suggest looking on youtube, and watching videos that teach you how to be a sales man. Every good salesman knows how to get rid of the ones who aren’t going to buy so that he can get to the ones who will.
Many blessings on your newfound business. Don’t forget to call the SBA in your area. They love to give loans to women owned businesses!
God Bless! Wanda (Dixie)
Most of the time the “chatters” don’t realize how long they’ve been hanging around. Set an old fashioned timer for about 5 minutes. Every time it goes off excuse yourself and check your hot hold compartment, rotate your soda in the ice chest, restock your chips……you get the idea. Be polite and keep the timer going, if they don’t catch on that this is your job you may have to be a little more direct.
I like it Kevin! Ding!
I have found in any business you can never be to friendly!
kepp them around, as they will brag your business up and just make it better,,
I’m just starting out in the slinger business, but I don’t see it any different!
Hours at a time?!!!! No wonder they are eating hot dogs, they don’t have jobs that afford anything else. 🙂
LOL! Sounds like they’re living the dream…
All the above are great ways to deal with the problem. BUT!
Have you ever thought that YOU may be the problem?
I have had several direct customer contact bussinesses and I had the same trouble with nice friendly people never wanting to leave in a normal way.
Then it hit me like a brick; IT WAS ME!
I initiated the conversations and I continued to engage my customers in the conversations. DA!
Once I realized that it was me that had to adjust, things turned around quick.
I still am friendly, with boundaries, and yes I still have all of my regular customers.
Think about it and you will figure how to limit your input to all conversations without hurting anyones feelings.
Happy sales to you until we meet again,
Clifford
Well the age old problem of time management falls into place here, remember a great salesperson is a time manager actually a time horder,,,when engaged in conversation with two or more always try and keep your product mention in 1st place,,If you have already closed some small talk is great and a great builder,however if your customer didn’t buy a cookie or somthing to top off a great meal you still have a chance to close again,,,,SEEK the ORDER!!! THen when new prospect steps up or approaches you break away with,,”Great to see you again, not trying to be rude but GOT somemore hungry people here!” (break and then while turning away)”Thanks for stoppin hope to see you tomorrow”!{slight wave of the hand}( and with that turn all the way to new prospect and greet.
You heed to put up channel straps, such as at a bank walk up, direct the people to your order area , then away from it!
Or, you could just charge more! Add to your signs, “Open for Business” add ons and your price list! At the bottom of the add ons, have a price for “Random Conversation” beyond 3 minutes! It is funny until u really charge somebody! Then, most get the idea that this is business. Time is money!
Sometimes, it is just as easy to say, not trying to be rude, but hold that thought and I’ll get back to you as soon as I finish helping my other customers! Then, get back to them at the end of your day! Enough times that is done, they will get the idea!
Also, sometimes, it is good to hire a blabber mouth. Let them stand off from the cart a little and have much conversation with everyone promoting your business in all conversation! No matter what is the subject, the blabber mouth will always promote your hot dog cart business and then hand the customer a card or flyer! Flyer will have your items, prices, and locations and times!
We get this sometimes @ the boat. We politely tell them we have to set them adrift so we can serve other customers. With limited docking we try to keep them moving when we’re busy.
Or ye can walk the plank mate !! Arrrgg !!
1st mate Jim.
@Wanda,
Hey Wanda, My business name is Dixie too.
I worked my way through college as a door to door Fuller Brush Man and I knew these housewives wanted the break when I arrived (I know, crummy job, visiting with lonely housewives, but SOME one had to do it right?). My policy was always, “$1 equals one minute gabbing” and that always worked. So, now a $5 sale equals 5 minutes (if I am not too busy) chatting. It still works for me as I work.
Skip
I kinda just speak to everyone as they come buy, I do wait on my customer as they come up but I just kinda work around the talkers. My only problem is when the health inspector comes up. I even tell him that he is going to have to wait till I can wait on my customers. If you loose one customer and gain 5 are you not doing better….
That’s a GREAT problem to have. Just be polite and most people will understand. That’s what I do when I setup in front of Walmart and the traffic gets heavy.
Hello,
I understand the problem this can turn into. While I am a new dogger, I have developed some regulars.
Most of the time, it is not a big deal. However, “motion creates emotion”!
I appreciate the regulars coming up, because they create more traffic.
When that traffic comes, I politely tell them “If you can give me a minute, I will get right back to whatever topic we were discussing .
It seems to work really well.
When I make one of my Chili Dogs it is fun to make it a production and interacting with the customer. As a result others customers see the end result and I usually pick up three or more premium sales. It is a blast to interact with the people who come to my stand, it keeps them coming back.
We have one of our carts at a regular location 3 days a week and I agree sometimes it can be tough to break away from conversation from the regulars so new guests can see what we have to offer. The way we approach it is saying something like ” Sue can you excuse me for just a moment, looks like these folks are hungry”.
Having a restaurant food server background, I have learned ways to ask and remember customers names. When I can’t remember a name chances are I can remember the dog they ordered last, and that alone builds a bond.
Having a few regulars around the cart seems to be good for business as long as you can ask in a respectful way that they move aside so you can help your next guest.
Dan Hart
Nanas’s Heavenly Dogs
San Diego & Phoenix