You might think you’re only a food delivery person, but in reality you’re also a salesperson and relationship manager. Some of this sounds like corporate wankspeak, but hear me out. When you arrive at their door, a customer makes a snap decision about you. If you’re addressing them respectfully by their name from the very first moment they meet you, can influence their perception of you.

I have had great success by simply using the customer’s last name when they open the door. For example,

“Good afternoon Mrs. Robinson, how are you today?” The conversation continues, and you can close with “Okay Mrs. Robinson, your total is $42.37.” No need to overdo it with the names, two times are enough.

Learning the name is only a matter of remembering the last name on the order and applying Mr. or Mrs. If you happen to have an androgynous customer, I can only wish you luck.

Names are a little thing, but they make such a difference.

Think of the times you’ve had people unexpectedly call you by your last name. Sure, sometimes its strange, but other times its quite nice. Why? We all love our names, and we love to hear people using it. Our names are almost a magic word.

Your job as a service person is to make the customer feel respected and appreciated. Most people don’t get nearly enough respect, so when you show them respect, customers are appreciative

Even better, you can establish rapport. Most business is repeat business. Establish a good relationship with your customers to start with, and they will remember you. When they remember you, you become less like an automaton and more like a real, living human being trying to earn an income.

If you’ve never made it a habit to use a customer’s name, give it a try. The power of names can open doors…and wallets.

A good mechanic uses good tools, and a good delivery driver should to. If you want to increase your pizza delivery tips and income, then you need tools that make your job easier.

A cell phone. Cell phones are pretty cheep and ubiquitous these days. They are also the most useful tool in the driver’s arsenal. If you like, you can call every single customer and let them know you’re on your way. If you’re lost, you can call for directions. If you have any problems, you can call your store. The list goes on and on. If most of your shifts are in the evening, you can probably save money by choosing a plan with free nights and weekends.

A log book with a folder. Use this to keep track of your good (and rotten) customers, your tips, gas receipts, auto maintenance receipts, etc. If you figure out any addressing weirdness for particular areas, note these as well. Over time you’ll collect a huge knowledge base. If you really like analyzing data, you can use this data to plug your tips into excel and make charts and graphs.

A good city map with sectors and an index. You can often find these at gas stations. If you like gadgets, you could also use a GPS device or an iPhone. Some cell phones even have a GPS map built in. Keep in mind, though, that your car is a target for robberies. Any digital goodies you have, you need to keep them safe.

An LED Flashlight. I like LED lights because they’re inexpensive, bright, and tend to last a long time. You’ll need this when you’re making deliveries, examining your car, whacking dogs over the head. I prefer a pocket size flashlight, but some drivers like the idea of a full baton-style maglite.

Leather gloves. These are great if you have to do any auto maintenance like changing a tire or checking your oil. Also, you’ll probably get gas at least once during your shift. Rather than get gas all over your hands, use these gloves to keep your hands clean and baby soft

These tools are only the essentials, the basics. If you want to learn about the other tools you can use to increase your pizza delivery income, then order Pizza Confidential today.

Robberies are on the mind of every pizza delivery driver.  The thought of losing your money or your life over a couple box of pizzas is a depressingly terrifying one. However, with a little knowledge and effort, you can take some steps to hopefully prevent avoid robberies. Here are a few tips.

1. Know the Dangerous Neighborhoods. This is obvious: some places are more dangerous than others.  If you know which neighborhoods have high crime, you can take extra care when going to these places.

2. Learn about your customer before you leave the store. If possible, check their order history. This that confirms you’ve got a regular customer. Also, it might give you some information that will help you find the house faster.

3. Call the customer to confirm the delivery. This is a win-win step: you confirm you have a real customer and save time by preparing the customer for your arrival. The customer is happy because they know exactly when they’re getting their food. Not only can this help prevent robberies, you might increase your tips

4. Only deliver to occupied houses. Refuse deliveries to a vacant house. Period. Unless it’s daytime and there’s a construction crew, you should only deliver to houses where people actually live.

5. Scrutinize the house. If you have any concerns about the people you’re delivering to, cruise by their house first. Stay in your car. Just check to see that the lights are on. If the lights are off, call the customer and ask them to turn them on.

6. Park as  close as possible. The less distance between you and your customer the better.

7. Lock your car. If you’re making a delivery somewhere when you’ll be out of site of your vehicle, lock it up. I’ll admit that when I gwento to nicer suburban houses I rarely locked my car, but I only did that if I could keep an eye on it.

8. Stay Outside. Even if it’s raining, never go into a customer’s home. Once you’re inside, you’re trapped. Outside, you can at least run away.

9. Meet customers in the lobby. For apartment buildings and some offices, you can save time and stay near your car if you arrange to have the customer meet you in the lobby. Do this by calling the customer.

10. Carry only enough bills to make change. Never carry any more cash than you have to. If a shady customer sees their delivery driver carries a lot of cash, then a little light might go off over their stupid head and give them the idea that you’d be a good target.  Hopefully your store will have a drop box for you.

11. Beware of People Lurking. Especially groups of young men. Even worse if they’re wearing hoodies, bandanas, ski masks, anything like that. If they’re eying you, drive on and call the customer. Have the customer come outside to meet you. If you can’t reach the customer, call your manager.

12. Keep your Cell Phone handy. If you see people on the street but have to make a delivery, keep the phone in your hand. Worst case scenario, hold it up to your head as if you’re having a conversation with the store.

If you do get robbed, just give the scumbags what they want. It’s only pizza and (hopefully) a small amount of money. Fighting back seems like the right thing to do, but it’s not worth it.

Stay safe!