As a student of people and ideas I have to admit
that what two guys are doing in a Northeast Florida Starbucks
is absolutely genius.
The other day as I tried to pay for my green tea at my
local Starbucks the cashier said, "Don't worry about it sir.
Those guys over there are paying for it today." She then
handed me their business card from a stack by the register.
Turns out the guys were wealth management / financial planners
who once a week, at different times, will spend a few hours at
this Starbucks and buy customers their coffee or tea. Most
people, like me, will walk over and thank the gentlemen and
walk away with their business card in our pocket.
I thought about how brilliant this was. People love their
Starbucks in the morning. While they are waiting in line they
smell that aroma and think, "Yes, there is a God for only God
could make something that smells so good." For many the
Starbucks experience has become a ritual or right of passage
that helps them take on the day. It's become an emotional
experience that makes them feel good. It's become a bond of
love.
Imagine yourself at the register, which is very easy for
many of us, as you anticipate holding that coffee in your
hand, thinking "YES." Then the cashier tells you it's FREE.
Wow, an unexpected gift. Now instead of feeling good you are
feeling great. You feel so good you don't mind placing a
stranger's card in your pocket. When you walk over and say
thank you to these financial planners they cease to be
strangers and become more like acquaintances and neighbors.
Then about an hour later when the caffeine really kicks in
you're feeling so great, you think, "Wow, those financial
planners are great guys." Now instead of acquaintances they
have become more like long lost friends. These financial
planners brilliantly connected something you love with a
service they offer. Not surprisingly I found out that these
men do receive a good number of calls from the Starbucks
customers interested in planning for their financial future.
It is said we remember one third of what we read, half of
what people tell us and 100 % of how feel. Whether we are
watching a commercial, listening to a teacher, or talking to a
sales person it is how we feel that impacts us the most. We
can't remember what we ate for lunch a week ago but we can
remember where we were on 9-11 when we saw the World Trade
towers collapse. We remember how we feel and when it comes to
investing our money, buying a product, purchasing insurance,
or choosing a restaurant we will make our choices based on
these feelings.
This leads us to the greatest sales strategy ever-but it
doesn't involve coffee. While the Starbucks idea is brilliant
it isn't the best way to build a business. There is a far more
powerful strategy to create an emotional connection and foster
and emotional memory. It's so simple and it doesn't even cost
a dime. It's to love your customers. Caffeine is temporary but
love lasts forever.
Love and business are two words you usually don't hear in
the same sentence but when it comes to sales, customers do
business with people they like and who love and care about
them. When customers feel like they matter and feel cared for
they love back with more loyalty, more business and more
referrals.
So if you are in sales, and we all are, I encourage you to
make loving and caring about your customers your top priority.
You don't have to buy them coffee to connect your product or
service with something they love. You can be the
connection. Your love can be the bridge that connects your
customer with your product or service. After all, no matter
what we are selling, people are always buying our energy and
making decisions based on how our energy makes them feel. And
while coffee is an energy source that makes people feel good
it doesn't compare to the energy of love. Look out for your
customers interests. Show them you care. Share the love and
you'll be so successful you'll be able to buy your own coffee
shop and give away all the coffee you want. :)
Sending Positive Energy your Way,
-Jon
