What Dining at the Best Restaurant in the World Taught Me about Sales

By all restaurant measures, Eleven Madison Park in New York City is a culinary juggernaut. It boasts Michelin’s highest 3-star rating, one of only 14 on the American continent. It also earned The New York Times coveted 4-star rating, one of only five in the city. It was also ranked the number one restaurant in the world and features an entirely vegan menu—the only Michelin 3-star restaurant with that distinction. But that success didn’t come overnight.

In his bestselling book Unreasonable Hospitality, restaurateur Will Guidara shares his triumphs, failures, and lessons learned in elevating Eleven Madison Park (EMP) to this rare status. Because the book has so many powerful and relevant connections to the world of modern selling, I often find myself sharing stories from its pages with my clients.

Less often, however, do I find myself in New York City speaking at an event around the corner from its revered dining room. Yet that’s precisely where I found myself last week. So when the opportunity to dine there with my friend Michael Litt, CEO of Vidyard, presented itself, I was beside myself with anticipation!

Was the food next level? Absolutely! But incredible food alone isn’t enough to justify EMP’s status. In a world where “the experience is the product” the emotional impact of our visit extended far beyond the plate.

What I experienced that night held critical lessons for how the best salespeople and organizations in the world execute their craft.

 

Lesson 1: Personalise the experience by doing your homework

The moment I walked in I was warmly greeted by two hosts and the tailored experience began. “Welcome to Eleven Madison Park! Are you here to meet someone?” “Yes”, I said. “His name is Michael”. “Ah yes, Michael Litt?” they replied. “You must be David Priemer. Please, right this way”. Michael shared that from his initial experience, they had clearly Googled him before he arrived to provide a contextual welcome as well. This simple preparation took very little effort yet made this world-class venue shrink around us and feel immediately comfortable.

 

Sales lesson: Whether you’re prospecting, preparing for your first meeting, or connecting later on down the funnel, if you want to deliver a high-value and memorable experience to your customers, spend time doing your homework! Has anyone from your organization spoken to them before? Does something related to their background or education stand out? Did they recently post something interesting on social media? In a world where the bar is so incredibly low, even a small bit of human effort and preparation can provide the fuel for a unique and compelling first impression.

 

Lesson 2: Impress them when it matters most

When you first sit down at a typical high-end restaurant, the host asks you what type of water you’d like; still, sparkling, iced, etc. They then track down your server to relay your preference and have them bring it to you. But if the restaurant is large or especially busy (like EMP), that process might take a few minutes which is a problem because the start of the experience is when you’re most attuned to delays (a scientific principle known as the primacy effect). Hence the common reaction of “We’ve been waiting ages for water!” even if it’s only been 5 minutes.

To expedite the process, our host at EMP used clever behind-the-back hand signals to servers waiting attentively across the room (the same way baseball catchers signal to their pitchers). Our water preference arrived in moments ensuring our perfect experience kicked off without interruption.

Note: most people would never notice those secret signals. Having read Unreasonable Hospitality, I was on the lookout for them!

 

Sales lesson: Your initial pitch, discovery question, and even the first few slides in your sales presentation are moments when your customer’s awareness is most heightened. Make sure your execution is tightest in these moments and don’t waste them! For example, if your customer fills out a lead form on your site, prioritize connecting with them in five minutes or less to maximize your conversion potential. When delivering your first call deck, lead with their problem and industry perspectives (i.e. the things they care about), not your products and services.

 

Lesson 3: Sweat the small things

Out of all the incredible eye-catching things to look at at EMP, when I sat down at our table one surprising thing struck me immediately; how extremely clean the glassware was. I know you’ve probably seen a million wine glasses before. But not like this! Despite the dim lighting, these crystal glasses sparkled with a diamond-like shine. When I mentioned it to our server, she proudly replied, “Oh yes. We have two full-time polishers on staff here”. Crazy!

 

Sales lesson: From the design of your slides to the format of your emails and proposals and even the camera setup on your video calls, customers notice the small things! The good news is that in a sales landscape where customer expectations for these things are relatively low, even a small amount of effort can go a long way.

 

Lesson 4: Execution matters! Practice. Practice. Practice.

During our meal, the servers moved around the dining room like choreographed ninjas with an efficiency I’d never experienced before. Calm and natural yet purposeful and organized with no wasted movement. As they prepared to deliver each course, the servers would assemble in groups of two or three with their backs to the wall across from our table. Only once they were ready would they deploy as a group to announce and present the dish. Perfect execution. There was no fumbling around or “Oh shoot, I forgot [whatever] from the kitchen. Be back in second!”

 

Sales lesson: Game time is no time to practice! It doesn’t matter if it’s an important presentation, a product demo, or a barrage of sales objections. Use your time off the field to perfect your delivery until it’s buttery smooth. I give dozens of keynotes every year yet people are surprised to hear that I spend hours refining my delivery for each one. Whether it’s shooting free throws, making cold calls, or speaking in front of an audience, when something looks easy it’s because that person spent hours and hours practicing. Don’t skip practice.

 

Lesson 5: Stories sell

As the meal began we asked our server if she had a wine recommendation. She smiled and quickly returned with a unique bottle and a story. Born in the UK and very much into food and wine, she said she had always dreamed of coming to New York to dine at EMP. She described how she saved up and in 2012 finally made the trip overseas to make her dream come true, splurging on the 2011 version of this bottle. She told us that the experience was so special that when people ask for a wine recommendation, she often suggests it as a way of sharing a small part of her life-changing experience with others. The story was priceless and we were sold!

 

Sales lesson: Everything you say about your product or service increases or decreases its value in the mind of your buyer. Emotionally charged stories, such as sharing the journey of like-minded customers who arrived on your doorstep, the hidden problems you helped them uncover, or even comforting narratives that helped overcome your buyer’s objections, remain one of the most powerful information delivery mechanisms in sales.

 

Lesson 6: A single weak link can ruin the customer experience

Several servers and food runners visited our table over the course of the evening. But it didn’t matter whether they were explaining a course, clearing dishes, or pouring water. Every single one of them was extremely knowledgeable about not only the food itself but also the history of the restaurant and the fascinating insights former manager, Will Guidara, shared in his book. The powerful and cohesive guest experience their team created left no room for disruption or disappointment.

 

Sales lesson: Your customers experience a number of handoffs between various groups and roles in your organization. For example, from business development to sales, from sales to customer success and support, and perhaps down the road, to a new salesperson. Each handoff has the opportunity to create a jarring, frustrating, and decidedly negative customer experience if key context and information are missed. By putting care and attention into these transitions you can create a powerful and positive experience that transcends your solution.

 

Lesson 7:  Strong back-end systems yield consistent results

At the end of the meal, we were asked if we wanted a tour of the kitchen to which I replied with an emphatic “YES!” A lovely staff member named Isabel, whose sole job at the restaurant was to curate unique guest experiences like this led us back. I was blown away by how pristine the kitchen looked! In fact, it looked more like a high-end airport lounge than a kitchen. Zero mess. Not a crumb on the floor. No harsh fluorescent lighting. Premium. Organized. Efficient. It was no surprise that an operation like that turned out the most incredible plates I’ve ever seen.

 

Sales lesson: Things like CRM hygiene, forecast calls, training, and enablement programs that help promote ongoing focus and accountability within your sales operation may not be sexy. In fact, many salespeople often complain that they take precious cycles away from the sales floor. They are however critical to helping produce high-quality, predictable revenue outcomes.

 

In a world where the experience is the product, there’s a lot modern salespeople can learn from the hospitality industry about how to execute their craft. I’m grateful to count this experience among the most special and unique I’ve ever had and the critical sales lesson it reinforced.