Surely you have noticed that many sandwich and burrito shops now shout out a welcome as you walk through the door. My daughter, Rachel, recently started working at one of those Mexican food joints called Moe’s. It’s a pretty yummy place to eat. Clean, quick and tasty. The freshly deep fried taco shells are amazing! And yes, every time someone walks through the door, she looks up and shouts “Welcome To Moe’s!”.
Rac
hel and I were out shopping the other day and every time we walked through a front door to any store, a bell chimed our arrival. Rachel said, “Every time I hear one of those bells, I feel like I should shout “Welcome to Moe’s!” Thankfully, she didn’t. It would have been a little awkward to explain.
The customer service strategy of acknowledging a customer’s arrival with a personal greeting was once a foreign concept to her, she never had to do it before. But after two short weeks, it is an ingrained habit that can be easily triggered by a simple bell chime.
How did it become a habit that she would unconsciously want to do even in another context?
- Repetition (hundreds of times a week)
- Physical Involvement (pause what you are doing, make eye contact, shout)
- Positive Feedback (a customer’s smile, or return greeting)
- Accountability (a manager was always nearby to observe and listen)
How will you create a new habit?
What action do you want or need to turn into a habit?
How can you leverage the factors of repetition, physical involvement, positive feedback and accountability in your favor?
What common cue in your day will be a trigger for you to remember your new habit (i.e. a chime, a light switch, a toothbrush, a turn signal, a phone ringing, someone entering your office, etc.)?
Join a conversation and post a comment telling what strategies you have used to create a new habit.
Sequoia Life Coaching Website Strategies For Life And Leadership Newsletter
Patti Larson at Sequoia LIfe Coaching 
Hi Patti – I love Moe’s! Never thought about their greeting, though, in the context of developing a new habit. But you’re right about the pieces and how they fit together. One of the issues I’ve had trouble with is tracking time for my clients. So, applying your steps, I’ve set up a timer that runs for 15 minutes. When it goes off, I stop, mark down that chunk of time and reset the timer. My positive feedback is a larger check at the end of the month, and my accountability is the bill collector! Thanks for an inspiring post.