Last night a friend ordered a drink at the bar.
For change, the cashier handed him back a ten dollar bill and a quarter.
Assuming she wanted a tip, she put him in a difficult situation.
He had four options:
1. Leave a quarter.
2. Leave nothing.
3. Leave a $10.
4. Ask for change.
All four are bad options.
If you want something from your customers, make it as easy as possible for them to give it to you.
As a valet, I always gave back change making it easy for people to tip. Depending on the clientele, I’d make a snap judgement and either give them back 5’s or 1’s. Either way, I made it easy to tip.
When they asked for change for a $5 bill, about half the time I said I didn’t have change regardless of if I did. I made it easy for them to tip me $5.
To get what you want from customers, make as easy as possible for them. Remove any barriers, excessive decisions, and as much mental work as possible.
Make what you want the path of least resistance.
Connect with me on Twitter: @BenNesvig
