I’m in Las Vegas, where 10 of the 15 largest hotels in the world reside. Each hotel competes against the others for huge contracts. Business meetings. Conventions. Super Bowl parties. New Year’s Eve. High rollers.

When the economy crashed, everyone’s business significantly dropped. Slowly, the economy is rebounding, and Las Vegas is experiencing a spurt in business. But the competition is still fierce.

So what are these big hotels doing about it? Pretty much nothing. Bidding wars. Price reductions. Other concessions being made in order to differentiate themselves from one another and woo the big customers.

I believe every hotel is overlooking THE difference. The difference is service – and the perception that someone cares.

REALITY: These big hotels have policies. They have to in order to deal with thousands of people every day.

REALITY: There’s a severe lack of friendliness. There’s a severe lack of sincerity. There’s a severe lack of attitude.

REALITY: The employees take very little pride in serving. They’re just “doin’ their job for their pay.”

So much for Las Vegas. Let’s talk about you.

YOUR REALITY: If you employ people who sell, serve and talk to customers on the telephone or in person, the key to their success is their attitude, their desire, their friendliness, their sincerity and their love of their job.

So the first question any employee has to ask is: How do I feel about myself? If employees don’t feel good about who they are, their execution of their tasks will be somewhere between poor and mediocre. Their expressions, their interactions and their casual talk will be based on negative feelings.

The answer is simple. Every company needs to change the way it looks at training its people.

Most companies have training programs focusing on how to do a job and on circumstances regarding the business. There’s zero about serving with pride, having a great attitude and employees feeling good about themselves first.

In order for your company to surge past your competitors, here are the 6.5 internal actions you must take starting now:

1. An ongoing positive attitude course. Something that each person perceives is for their life, not about their job.

2. A course in personal pride, and ongoing events to support it. Teach your people the difference in pride between owning and renting. Encourage them to take ownership. KEY IDEA: Recognition. Make certain that achievement and improvement is rewarded in public.

3. Benchmark “how to respond” to 25 specific situations. Write down the most common customer interactions and collaborate to uncover “best responses” for each. Train these responses to everyone so that there is a common positive language.

4. Create specific empowerment. Empower every employee with the common language answers and other specific recovery options and actions they are allowed to take.

5. Establish a positive workplace environment. Replace old, worn-out stuff. Fix broken stuff. Serve free food and drink. Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Make your workplace positive so that your employees can be positive.

6. Total company involvement. Leadership must embrace the process and take the training too. This sets the example and the environment.

6.5. The understanding that communication starts mentally. Create an awareness that each person holds the key to company morale – and that a positive atmosphere STARTS with positive thought.

BIG SECRET: For the past 20 years, I have espoused the philosophy and strategy: “Tell me what you CAN do, not what you CAN’T do.” This one strategy will change your responses from negative to positive.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2011 Jeffrey H. Gitomer