Story Time
There are two, nearly identical, Mexican food places from which to get a fully loaded vegetarian burrito at lunch, within walking distance to my home office.
Both are "fast food" resturants, lunch counter types, not a typical sit down with a waiter and what not.
Which One Would You Go To?
Burrito Place A is about 3 blocks away and takes me maybe 5 minutes to walk there.
Burrito Place B is roughly 13 blocks away and takes me 15 minutes walking commute time.
Burrito Place A is 10% across the board cheaper than Burrito Place B.
Both use top quality ingredients, and both make an excellent burrito that leaves me satisfied.
Which One Do I Choose?
I go to Burrito Place B every time, all the time, without even thinking about going to Burrito Place A.
I walk farther (30 minutes round trip vs. 10 minutes), and pay more, for a burrito that is nearly identical in every way to Burrito Place A. And here's why...
My first trip into Burrito Place A was a sterile, faceless, nameless, cookie cutter experience. Great burrito, great price, but that was it. I was a number, $5 more bucks in the register.
My first trip to Burrito Place B was couldn't have been more different.
I was greeted when I walked in, asked how my day was going as they made my burrito by hand behind the counter. In general the staff were affable, friendly people, who looked like they enjoyed the interaction with the customers, as much as working with each other.
As I was eating, one of the staff members came by to see how every thing was, and then get this...said "Good to hear everything was made to your liking. I just wanted to tell you we appreciate your business, if you need anything let me know". This guy didn't own the place, heck he wasn't even the manager, he just took pride in making a great burrito, and wanted to be sure I enjoyed it - wanted me to know he appreciated my business - how cool is that?
When I walked out I heard "Thanks a lot, have a good one and come see us again". Like a friend telling me they'd see me later.
And come see them again I do, over and over again anytime I need a burrito for lunch. I walk farther and pay more for the same product I could get elsewhere. But why would I go anywhere else?
How Far Would Your Customers Walk?
There's a lesson in there for any business - would your customers walk farther and pay more for you?
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There are lots of businesses that are identical that I will choose a pleasant and comfortable experience over convenience, like the gas station guy that always asks how I am doing and “What is new with you?” She will ask. There is a Chinese restaurant that has average fried Chinese food, yet the waiter there is hilarious, loves to give compliments and is great at making you feel appreciated for helping their business. So of course we go there, and on the opposite there are places with great food that I would never go to again as they seemed to care less whether we were a customer or not. I am buying a good experience along with a product, whether it is a retailer or service provider most companies need to learn to tailor themselves to providing excellent customer experience as a whole not just with their product, as most of their product identification will come from the staff they interact with. Thanks for the post!
Matt,
I love lessons like this. Shee-ya I’d walk the extra blocks. These are the kinds of folks that deserve our business, deserve to be IN business.
I would like to think that is how I treat my online customers as well. Folks would do well to take heed…
George
This is a great story and a great lesson. Years ago I worked in marketing for upscale hotel properties. The hotel buildings were magnificent and the amenities were luxurious. But none of that mattered as much as whether the housekeepers said hello to guests they passed in the hall. Human care and connection trumps everything.
@Lyndit
Good examples…customer interaction, and customer service in general can be a great differentiators. It’s a must have ingredient if you are selling a commodity type product (food), or have stiff competition.
Thanks for coming by,
Matt
@George
The funny thing is, and I didn’t mention it in the post, is that I literally walk by Burrito Place A on my way to Burrito Place B. It’s not that I just don’t choose them, I make a conscious decision each time to give my business to the people that deserve it!
Matt
@Jack
And I think it’s highlighted even more when you are selling a “premium” type product, in your case luxury. At a $30/night budget motel I may not care as much if the housekeeper says hi to me, but at a $500/night place I sure as heck will notice if they snub me.
A couple cruise lines do this well. They post up employees on each floor of the cruise ship that are there to take care of “x” number of guests on that floor…most have standards to know each person’s name within the first 24 hours so that you are not only greeted, you’re greeted with “Good morning Matt”. That type of service sticks out, going above and beyond just saying hello, people remember it.
Matt
Great article. A lot of businesses spend quite a bit of time/money with strategies to bring in new customers, but they do little to retain them once the customers are at their doorstep.
The funny thing is that often times the little things (as you illustrated) is what keep the customers happy and these little things cost little to nothing to implement.
Simple changes can yield a nice return if one pays greater attention to details.
@Mike
The little things really are the big things in business. And you’re right most businesses focus too much effort on new customer acquisitions, instead of keeping the ones they have happy.
Thanks for dropping by,
Matt