- Hey, what's up.
Michael Nicastro here
and in this video we're gonna
shoot into the first part
of my four part miniseries
on the topic of hospitality,
service, and sales.
Format's gonna be a little bit different
with quicker in your face knowledge.
Now, this is the culmination
of my experiences
throughout my entire life.
From childhood having a speech impediment
and being labeled as a dyslexic.
From my first professional
job in advertising.
From my travels throughout
Asia and Europe.
And most importantly,
during my hospitality career
at Union Square Hospitality Group.
From these experiences, I
developed my own way of thinking
and service style.
I'm gonna share with you
service and sales tips
relating to a restaurant setting.
But, these can be applied to any business
or social environment.
Now, these are not dark side
tips to manipulate the guests
and take their money.
These tips really focus on
building that relationship,
building that trust, and
building that experience
for the guest.
This is contrary to the traditional
sales model that focuses
on large short term purchases
without much thought
on the overall experience and longevity.
We're playing for the long
term not the short term.
Let's get into it.
People judge you on the spot.
How you stand.
How you walk, this all
influences your perceived value.
Body language is also reflective
of your emotional state.
If you're happy, upset,
or angry, this influences
your body language.
So, let's dive into seven
points that really work on
improving your body language
as it relates to service.
Now, I pre-wrote these
for you, save you time,
so we're gonna go through
them really quickly.
Number one, eye contact.
Maintaining a comfortable eye contact
really establishes trust.
Sometimes when I'm at a table,
I have a tendency to look down
instead of looking at the guest's eyes.
But, when I engage with the guest,
it really creates that
connection between us.
Number two, square up.
So, whenever you're speaking to someone
whether it be serving tables
or in any professional setting,
stand up with firm posture and
really look at them head on.
Okay.
Sometimes I see people off to the side
or some weird positions.
Face them.
The same applies if you're
in a social environment.
Maybe a bar or a night club.
If you approach a guy
or a girl from behind
it's gonna be a little
weird and off putting.
But, if you go up and directly
approach them from the front
it's a little bit more welcoming.
Number three, body positioning.
So, if I'm speaking to someone
if I cross my arms like this
this is kinda a stern feeling.
If I'm leaning against the wall,
it's kind of a standoffish
off putting feeling.
So, whenever I'm taking the order,
I like to stand up
straight with firm posture
I have my server pad here, my pen
and I'm in a relaxed comfortable position.
I can move my hands if I please.
Number four, nodding.
So, I learned this at Union
Square Hospitality Group.
But, it's very simple.
If you wanna show agreement with someone
that your speaking to
saying yes with a slight nod
really adds to the
connection between you guys.
And number five, hand gestures.
So, using hand gestures
to emphasize a point
can really drive home what you're selling.
For example, the pork chop is phenomenal.
All right.
A little hand gesture there,
but don't overuse hand gestures.
I'm Italian so I overuse hand
gestures from time to time
and it kinda adds to a funny speech.
Right now,
I'm having a hard time
controlling my hands (laughs).
And number six, smile.
So, I'm not saying go fake a smile
but, a genuine smile
really makes a difference.
And no one wants to
speak to an angry person
keep that in mind.
So, a little exercise that you can do
is watch a funny movie
or a funny YouTube video
and look in the mirror
and see how you look
when you're actually smiling.
So, get comfortable with that
and kind of be aware
of how your face looks
when you're happy and when you're smiling.
And, number seven.
Open handed service.
So, I'm gonna show you by
demonstrating open handed service.
Open handed service is a subtle technique
that can really enhance
the guest experience.
I'm gonna demonstrate.
Here's my iPhone.
Let's pretend it's a pizza.
So, let's pretend there's a guest
sitting right here at this table.
A lot of times,
people drop food on the table like this.
So, notice how my arm is
kinda in the guest's face.
It's very intrusive.
Instead, to give open handed service.
I would hold the pizza in my right hand
and drop it like this.
Okay.
As you can see, my arm
is not in their way.
And also, I'm squared up and facing them.
So, all seven points
that I discussed today
really amplify and build on one another.
All right.
That wraps up our seven
points on body language.
Thank you so much for listening.
I hope you enjoyed this
quick and easy format.
I just wanna provide
really digestible content
to you right now.
Stay tuned for part two.
We're gonna dive into verbal language.
Thank you so much.
Take care.
To conclude.
Service is Fun!
No no, that's dumb.
