In Getting Paid For Your Talent: A Matter of Time, Dean Harrington, CEO of Shamrock Financial Corporation, writes about his years working at a supermarket, trading time for money. Thankfully for Dean, a later career in sales taught him about the value of trading on talent.

I learned those same lessons, believe it or not, when I was a server (aka “waitress”) in the bustling tourist mecca of Newport, RI. Many don’t know that servers are in the business of sales. Minimum wage for servers is just $2.89 in RI. When earning tips of just 15%-20% per check, it’s imperative that servers “upsell” (get you to spend more) if they’re going to make a living waiting tables.

Serving Cobb salads and lobster rolls to Newport tourists is where I learned the values of trading on both my time and my talent — not just one or the other. There’s much more to excellent service than taking orders and filling water glasses.  I learned 5 lessons that separated the servers who raked in the cash from the ones who barely made enough to cover their bills. Those 5 lessons apply to all sales. Do you see yourself here?

Lesson 1: Passion is a Prerequisite

I was excited to serve guests and make people feel special. I still love serving. It seems everything I do is geared toward making someone else’s life better, more meaningful, more enjoyable, more successful. Helping people is my passion.

If you’re content to trade time for money, passion won’t be as important. You can spend every day doing the same old thing over and over, with no passion, and still bring home a paycheck. I mean, if that’s what you want to do with your life.

But if you want to cut it in sales, you’d better have passion: passion for people, passion for your product, passion for service.

Do you have passion? Or would you rather be doing anything else but what you’re doing? It shows either way.

Lesson 2: Prepare, and Pay Attention to Details

No matter what you’re selling,  details and preparation are vital to success. It’s no different in a restaurant. I studied the menu at home and knew each dish’s ingredients and how it was prepared; attended wine tastings to learn our wine list and how to properly serve a bottle of wine; wiped down menus before handing them to guests; hand-polished my settings and water glasses; kept an eye on the availability and cleanliness of seasonings and condiments on my tables; checked with the chefs each evening to find out what was good, what we were out of, and what we needed to move quickly; and made sure everything I would need for service was ready to go and in place before my shift even began.

There was no stone left unturned. Every detail mattered.

Are you investing time to make sure you can meet your customer’s needs?

Lesson 3: Your Customers are Royalty. Attend to Them.

When my guests were seated and attended to, I kept an eye on each person I was waiting on, looking for any sign of need. I had a choice: I could stand around talking in the kitchen with friends (trading time for money), or I could pay close attention and make each table feel like royalty. I treated people the way I like to be treated when I eat out: not hovering, not interrupting conversations, not being a pest, but watching the body language of each guest and keeping an eye on their glasses and plates.

When a guest looked up and searched for me, I had often already anticipated their need and was on my way to the table.

Are you prepared to deliver what your customer needs when he needs it?

Lesson 4: Invest Into Relationships with Team Members

Back in the kitchen, the relationships I had with the chefs and cooks were paramount to my guests’ experiences. The cooks knew I expected the best, but I had a great relationship with the kitchen staff, so they took care of me. I checked every order before it left the kitchen, and made sure everything was as my guests had asked. If there was a problem, I wanted to catch it before it hit their table. When I picked up my orders, I thanked the chefs. Every time. When a guest loved a dish, I always reported back to the kitchen with glowing words of encouragement, excitement, and most of all, GRATITUDE.

I tipped the bartenders and bus people well, knowing that the attention they paid to my needs would pay off for my guests. When I had extra time, I pitched in to see how I could help the other team members “in the front of the house,” clearing as much from my own tables as I could, getting ice for the bar, washing and slicing fruit garnishes. When another server was “in the weeds” (overwhelmed), I jumped in to help.

My guests were blessed by the relationships I had with other team members.

Are your customers enjoying the benefits of your great relationships with your teammates?

Lesson 5: The Proof is in the Payoff

Customers learned to trust me to deliver the best experience possible, and began asking for me by name when they arrived or made reservations. Because of the trust they had in me, my growing clientele listened when I suggested they invest in a fine bottle of wine rather than ordering separate glasses of the house brand. They trusted my menu recommendations, and took me up on my suggestion to save room for dessert. The check totals were higher, but my guests had a better overall experience — every time.

Because of the time I invested into what was important, I built a clientele of my own, so I was given the best shifts — the days and nights when the restaurant was at its busiest. My tables were served faster, the chefs paid special attention to my orders, the bartenders took care of me, my guests spent more money, my tables were cleared faster for new guests, I regularly exceeded my sales quotas, I took home more in cash tips, and…

Three months after I started at my first restaurant position, I was asked to manage the dining room and staff.

YOUR TURN: What experience taught you the business or sales values that guide you now? Comment here, or write your own post and tell us about it!