Have you ever gone to a restaurant, super excited to order your favourite meal, and then when they bring your food out it’s not even what you ordered?

Have you ever walked away from that restaurant feeling disappointed, let down and feeling like you’ll never ever going back there again?

A while back, Matt and I went out for our weekly date night.

We went to our favourite “fast food” style restaurant to have one of my favourite meals.

We love it there because everything on the menu is gluten free, dairy free, and can easily be made vegan, but it still taste like unhealthy fast food (which is exactly what it is)!

We ordered loaded vegan fries, with all the toppings.

Black beans, fire roasted veges, guacamole, salsa, and we couldn’t wait for it to arrive.

And when the waiter brought the food out, he presented us with a plate of nachos.

Not loaded fries.

Crunchy, corn chip nachos.

You see the problem?

That’s not what we ordered.

Now I’m not the type of person who takes food back.

And I hate making a fuss.

But I was really looking forward to the loaded fries.

So we said something.

And here’s where it got interesting.

The waiter (who also happened to be restaurant owner) could have responded one of two ways.

He could have quickly apologised, fixed the order and we would have been satisfied with that.

But instead he made a move that turned us into raving fans.

He did apologise.

But then he told us to keep the plate of nachos.

And he brought back another plate of loaded fries.

Plus, a serve of jalapenos.

And a serve of house made hot sauce.

I do love me some hot sauce!

And he did it with joy in his heart, a sparkle in his eye, and a spring in his step.

He seemed genuinely thrilled to be able to take a mistake and turn it into an opportunity to shower us with generosity.

Can I tell you, it’s probably the best meal we have ever had at that restaurant.

Let’s be real here…

This restaurant was already one of our favourite fast food restaurants, but I’ve never left them a Facebook review…

…before that night

This restaurant was already the default date night restaurant Matt and I would go to but I’ve never recommend it to anyone else…

…before that night

This restaurant was already a quick, easy, cheap and delicious meal format and I’d certainly never written a blog about them…

…before that night

Do you see how it was that moment of making a mistake with the order and then correcting it with such enthusiasm and generosity that took Matt and I from liking the restaurant to being RAVING fans?

And it got me thinking…

Where can we apply this in our own business?

When was the last time you made a mistake in your business?

And how did you respond to that mistake?

When was the last time you had to share bad news with a client?

And was that an opportunity to turn a client into a raving fan?

Are you surrounded by opportunities each day that looks like mistakes, challenges, and bad news, but they’re actually moments that could turn your landlords and tenants into raving fans?

And when you do turn them into raving fans, what are you doing about it?

Are you asking for testimonials?

Are you asking for reviews?

Are you asking for referrals?

Where are those opportunities for you right now and how can you set them on fire and turn them into MASSIVE growth opportunities?

It’s over to you now.

It’s your time to take these moments (mistakes, bad news and stuff ups) and start seeing them for the opportunities they truly are.

And if you need a few ideas for growing your rent roll, join my Masterclass on 5 Ways To Grow Your Rent Roll.

If you haven’t seen my last blog titled How to use Blogs to Get More Landlord Leads be sure to check that out next!