Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

The other day I was at an airport and had time to grab a pizza prior to the flight. The pizza was supposed to be from a recognizable restaurant chain. While it looked like it should have, it didn’t taste like it should have. It turns out the pizzas are flown in frozen and baked on site. The quality was not what was expected and a bad reflection on the restaurant.

This made me think of a buddy of mine who had a wonderful public relations opportunity when his restaurant was asked to prepare the food for huge special event. Due to the large quantity, he had to prepare the food in advance. When I tasted it at the event, it wasn’t up to the usual quality. He was concerned, and for good reason.There were at least ten thousand people at this event. And, they were sampling food from his restaurant that wasn’t up to his typically high standards. While he should have been elated over the opportunity to showcase his restaurant, he immediately turned scared for the bad impression he might give his potential customers trying out his food for the first time.

The opportunity might have been great, but only if he was prepared for it. You have to know when to say, “No.”Anybody that had heard about this restaurant from the event would hear a mediocre review, at best. That’s bad PR.There is an old saying that sums this up: Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.

(Copyright ©MMXII, Shep Hyken)