Lesson: "Where does your paycheck come from?"

It seems like a pretty straightforward question-

"Who funds your paycheck?"

Whenever I have had an issue with a team member who is not delivering great customer service, this is how I open my feedback meeting.

"I just observed you with your client and I saw/heard some things that fell short of my expectations, and probably theirs, and certainly our company's. We're going to talk about what those are.

Let me start with this...'Where does your paycheck come from?'"

Now, that's a bit of a weird question, I admit.

But my purpose in asking is to get the team member to realize in the sharpest focus possible:

THE CLIENT FUNDS HIS/HER PAYCHECK!

As you can imagine, more often than not the team member responds that his boss, the company, Human Resources, his/her sales, the store's sales, or the bank provides it.

If necessary, I take a few minutes to remind the team member that if we don't have clients, and we don't keep them happy so that they return...he or she does not have a paycheck.

From my own experience, if that doesn't immediately change the level of service an employee provides, it is time to help the employee find a job with another organization that is a better match for their talents.