First Written on July 14, 2008 Revised and Updated Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Treating customers with respect I hate people who respect their executioners - Jean Paul Sartre - French Philosopher Shoot the hostage - Famous line in the Keanu Reeves movie 'Speed' directed by Jan de Bont After I publish a new article, I invariably visit the site to check whether it is okay, whether the links are working, what ads are appearing and whether there is a need to further improve upon it. I visited my article page titled 'Biggest is not the best - it may be the worst' after it was published at evancarmichael.com the other day. What I like about their site is that they give links to related articles on the subject. It is great to read such articles because it gives a different perspective on the subject. Many of us think we know it all. It is not so. Every opinion and perspective matters. Life is a one big learning process and journey.  I read Mr. Seth Godin's brief article titled 'The bad table'. It was a great read. He has hit the nail right on the head. In his article, he has said that treat new customers the same way you would treat valued, established and loyal customers. He has also said that, if you have to allot a bad table to somebody, treat them extra special, whether they are new or established customers. He is absolutely right. However, I have a different way of looking at things. I recommend not to have a bad table at all by the kitchen and in a corner with the table jutting out in odd angles. With high cost of real estate, we all try to optimize the space available. It makes good sense. But the restaurant business is slightly different. When we visit a fancy restaurant, the expectation is very high. Invariably, we pay through the nose. The fancy restaurants make very good margins on their food sales, sometimes as high as 200% or even more. People do not mind paying that because of the prestige value associated with eating at such restaurants, the ambience and a different experience. When the profit margin is so high, why have a bad table ? Get rid of the table and accompanying chairs. Shoot the hostage. As long as the table is there, there will be some unhappy customers, even if you treat them extra special.  A long time ago, I had to travel in a hurry and did not get reservation in the hotel I normally stay. I was booked in another reputed hotel but I was their guest for the first time. The flight was delayed and I checked in late in the night, almost at 2.00 AM in biting cold. The reception was manned by two people. A few other guests were also waiting in the queue to check in and one of them was their regular. The receptionist just called him and completed the registration formalities though he was quite behind in the queue. If I were him, I would have refused and waited for my turn. The other way it could have been handled was he could have been given the room key and the bell boy could have got the registration form filled in the room. I have seen this happening in airline counters, hotels, restaurants and many other places. In another incident, I was talking to the Banqueting Manager in the lobby of a reputed hotel to organize a workshop. Suddenly, she got up and rushed to greet someone whom I came to know later was the hotel Chairman and Owner, who had just walked in. For her I was not important as a customer. My small business was not important. The owner was very important but does the owner know he has lost the business.  I was traveling by economy in a much acclaimed international airline. There was a mile long queue with women having babies in their arms. The business and first class check in counters were empty and the staff behind in the counters were idling. I do not see any reason as to why the economy class passengers could not have checked in at those counters. If any higher class passenger had come in, they can always be checked in first and people traveling in economy are not morons or fools. They do understand and such customers have to be handled first because they have paid for it.  Another great brief article listed in the same page by Ms. Vicki Donian titled 'Build It and They Will Come?'.  She summarized the whole thing by saying treat the customers and everybody else with respect and in the same way you would like to be treated. That is the bottom line.  I also read sometime ago, a lady celebrity saying that respect is passé. I am sorry, she is wrong. Respect for the customer or for that matter any other human being is a basic necessity. It can never be passé. One gives respect and takes respect. Respect cannot be demanded. It has to be commanded. For that we ought to lead by our thoughts, actions, deeds and words. Written  by Madhavan T Gopalachary The views, opinions and interpretations are personal. Sponsorship does not mean that the sponsors endorse them. Editorial Policy © Copyright, Jul-08 . www.madgopes.com . Without prejudice. All rights reserved www.mmgindia.com is the official website of Madras Management Group, Chennai, India. www.madgopes.com and www.mmg.name are personal websites and all editorials are published under their banner to retain editorial independence. We would highly appreciate feedback from readers and it may be sent to ipr@mmg.name.