Brainstorm Cookies
The Excellence of Being First - Part 2

Sweating the Small Stuff

Cookie_monster_1Improve the PEF and you'll improve the bottom line.


Thirty years had passed since I was fired from my last job in retail, so I thought it was time to see if I'd learned anything. Frances invited me to work with her
  at Brickwood Antiques and Interiors, a collectibles and gift shop. Well, she worked and I watched her work, would be more like it.

Frances baked homemade cookies the night before (yep – she worked, I watched) and we set them on the counter at the other end of the store. Customers would have to walk the length of the sales floor to reach them. My theory was that they would. I was wrong. When I'd say, “Fresh homemade cookies on the counter,” they would smile and say, “No, thanks.”

So, I tried taking the platter of baked goodies to the customers. All 7 of the next customers took one. The eighth did not, muttering something about a diet. I would tell the cookie eaters, if they wanted another, the plate would be on the counter. More than once, a customer would wander through the aisles and discover – wha-do-ya-know – they’re at the counter. Well, might as well have another.


Here are some observations from this informal experiment based solely on my subjective opinion and skewed judgement.

  1. In spite of all the new "Self-service" technology being forced upon customers ("for your convenience"), most people still respond more favorably to being served.
  2. Cookie-eaters wouldn’t leave the store until they finished the cookie/cookies, so they browsed longer.
  3. Cookie-eaters seemed more at ease and conversational.
  4. Presentation matters. The aesthetics of the plate, the shape of the cookies, the arrangement are micropersuaders that influence decision-making. Consider these three elements in your merchandising and presentation techniques: aesthetics, shape, and arrangement.
  5. No discernible difference in sales between the cookie and non-cookie eaters.

Was I disappointed about that last item – “no difference in sales”? Not at all. Okay, I was a little disappointed, but the main objective was for the customer to associate the enjoyable taste of the cookie with the pleasant experience of exploring the store. Overall, the sharing of food created a more welcoming and relaxed shopping environment.

Of course, for the strategy to be successful, you’d have to keep providing cookies for an extended period of time. But gradually, it would trigger word of mouth and after a short while, the resulting profits would more than pay for the cost of cookie dough. (Insert your own pun here).

The key to improving the PEF is to provide a “service that delights.” It doesn’t take much to be above average. Often, it’s the small stuff that makes the difference. Something as simple as homemade baked goods can set you far apart from your competitors.


Some other “small stuff” suggestions: buy your customer a soft drink during the summer, make a personal delivery, give away a gift certificate to a popular restaurant. Ideas are all around you. Ultimately, small stuff can make a big difference in your bottom line. So, pass me another cookie and I might buy something.

-mike

P.S. We’d love to hear your “small stuff” suggestions. Add your comment to this blog or send an email to [email protected]
p.p.s. To offer some inspiration for stimulating those creative juices, in a separate post below, I've included my wife's recipe for Brainstorm Cookies! Oh yeah! They really work!
md

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