Starting as a hostess, with the intention to become a server, I was offered ten dollars an hour to start with based on my qualifications. I shortly was promoted to serving which allowed me to become the sales person I am today. It enabled me to improve my customer service even further, learn how to up-sale every food and beverage item to create more revenue for the company as well as my wallet, and to work in a “buddy system.” It trained me to be quick on my feet, pay attention to minor, yet crucial details, and always go beyond and above for the guest. I was approached by my manager, Mary Duncan, to promote BJ’s at local events and companies. I created packets to give out to these potential customers. My objective was to get guests into BJ’s by using enticing words to interest them in our restaurant as opposed to other restaurants. Also, we strived to get the larger corporations to sign a house account with us.

Since this industry was completely new, I started out as a customer support assistant. I was responsible for all the administrative duties, helping customers, along with supporting my team. I quickly was promoted to being a leasing consultant and from there learned how to effectively sell our product. I strengthened my customer service skills and increased my sales skills. We were expected to hit certain quotas each month and I always met or exceeded the projected quotas. I learned a great deal from this job experience, such as how to effectively make retention phone calls and emails.

I was asked by a previous Cask N Cleaver manager to take over the front desk at Sycamore Inn due to a leave of absence. Impressed with my people skills I started right away, improving my professional performance. I began to receive more duties then that of a hostess, such as running food and assisting the servers. My typical duties consisted of: answering the phone, making reservations, running food, greeting guests, and seating guests in an order to make the entire restaurant flow accordingly.

This first job experience taught me how to execute critical steps in the restaurant industry. I learned how to be prompt and present for each shift. I acquired the skills to be friendly and make a positive statement to the guests as they walked through the door. I learned how to multi-task by answering the phone, taking reservations, greeting guests, along with seating the guests. I quickly figured out how to deal with angry and sometimes “hard-to-please” guests to give them the best experience possible.

Working in another new industry, I was excited to learn and see what I was capable of doing. I began with a fixed salary, and was responsible for seeking out new customers that would use our repair shop for their diesel trailer damages. I was not expected to land any accounts for the first few months, but surprised them when I landed two in my very first month! From there, I consistently landed accounts each month making cold calls and visits. Due to my unexpected success so early on, I was awarded a salary raise plus added bonuses within a few months. By the following year, I received an additional raise. I have now acquired 37 new accounts and generate on average $40,000 in revenue per month. I am also responsible for maintaining these relationships and ensuring that they are completely satisfied with our services by follow-up phone calls, emails and visits.