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The Key Lime Incident

Keylimedrops_1Leaving a dress shop empty-handed, my wife, Frances, picked up a mint from a bowl placed for customers to help themselves on the way out of the store. I heard the crackling sounds of the paper followed by, “Mmmmm – Creamy. Key lime! I’ve never had one of these before!”

Not a big deal. Right? Just a bowl full of mints strategically placed for customers to sample on their way out of the store. It seemed insignificant at the time.

Two weeks later, Frances said, “I want to go back to that store with the Key lime mints.” Okay. She said nothing about the clothes they carried, the service they provided, or the great bargains she saw. She simply wanted another Key lime mint.This time, after we wandered through the store, mints dissolving in our mouths, she bought something. Now here’s my disclaimer: Of course it wasn’t just the candy that produced the sale. If the selection of clothing didn’t suit my wife, if the service was unfriendly, or the merchandise disorganized, the candy alone wouldn’t necessarily trigger the purchase. But the flavor anchored the store in my wife’s TASTE memory. That first day of shopping, we went into dozens of stores. The only one she remembered was the one with the mint. Talk about a profitable ROI.

How simple. How inexpensive. Choose a unique and uncommon food sample – something that will set you apart - your "signature flavor." Obviously, not peppermint! It can be candy, cookie, chip, cracker, gum, etc. Be imaginative. Display openly where customers can’t miss it. Take it with you on sales calls or to networking events.

You’ve just raised your score on the Customer Experience Index.

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