Page 32 - Flathead Beacon // 4.22.15

32 | APRIL 22, 2015
BUSINESS FLATHEADBEACON.COM BUSINESS IS PERSONAL Mark Riffey
How did
D.A. Davidson & Co. grow to be the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest?
One relationship at a time.
406-752-6212 or 1-800-955-2208
200 First Ave. E., K-M Bldg. Kalispell, MT 59901
406-862-2101 or 1-888-564-3008
14 West Second Street, Whitefish, MT 59937
D.A. Davidson & Co. is not a tax advisor. Before investing, you should always consult your tax/legal advisor about the specific tax consequences and advantages of your situation.
YESTERDAY, I SAT DOWN IN A store that’s part of a Montana- based coffee shop chain. I wanted a quick cup and I had about an hour to write before a young man’s Eagle Board that was down the street, so this location was a perfect fit.
I drove past a national coffee chain to reach this place. I try to visit locally owned places whenever possible, and like many, I’m a creature of habit. This place has spent a lot of time as my writ- ing venue over the years. The visit re- minded me how a chain store can still win your neighborhood.
HABITUAL HABITAT
I admit that when it comes to cof- fee, I’m not most people. Maybe I’m a coffee nerd. Even so, let me shine a light on some reasons why people go to their place instead of your place – and most of them have nothing to do with coffee – unless they’re coffee nerds, too.
When I visit a coffee shop, I tend to seek out a place that roasts its own beans every week rather than using what was trucked to them after being roasted and packaged months ago.
I sit at the same table in this par- ticular shop, if possible. It’s out of the sun and elevated so I can sit or stand and work, and it has its own power out- let. From that perch, I can see the entire store and observe customer service and other things that I write about.
WHAT CHANGED?
I hadn’t been in this shop for a while, so the absence made it easier to notice what was different.
The outlet next to “my” table had been fixed. It had been loose for years, so being rid of that looseness was nice.
When I ordered a mug, I got a pa- per cup. They still have mugs. I rarely take coffee to go. I prefer ceramic. Hey, I warned you.
The coffee was lawsuit hot. In oth- er words – way too hot, even to sip. Ten minutes later, it was drinkable. Do you have any idea how long and painful that kind of wait is for someone who is en- joying the aroma of a new-to-them cof-
fee that they can’t wait to taste? Again, I said I wasn’t a normal coffee drinker.
I ordered a pastry. In the old days, I was always asked if I wanted it warmed up (whatever “it” might be). Regardless of my answer, they’d deliver it on a plate with a fork rather than ask me to stand at the counter and wait on it. This time, it was handed to me across the counter, still in cellophane. No wait, but no plate and no, “Would you like it warmed up?”
You might think these details are silly, but these are the kinds of details that transform an average experience at a nearby shop into “the only place they’ll go for recreational gathering place cof- fee,” much less, “simply can’t work at home today coffee.”
I’d guess that the real change since my last visit relates to who trains the staff and how. They were cordial, friend- ly and all that, but the experience had changed.
WHAT DIDN’T CHANGE?
I was greeted when I entered.
Once it cooled, the coffee (a new one this time) was excellent.
Once I unwrapped it, the pastry was excellent despite not being warmed up.
The wifi worked.
I had a quiet place to write for an hour.
WHAT ABOUT THE CHAIN?
What are you doing to stand out from a national chain? What are you doing to make us drive past the chain store to go to your place?
Not all of you own a coffee shop, but most have a national chain or regional player in your market. Seek parallels. Take the stuff they do well (like train- ing and systems) and use it to improve your place. Ignore the stuff they do poor- ly, other than to eliminate it from your place. Stand out by making yours the only place they’ll go - and make sure ev- eryone knows why.
Don’t think that a national chain can’t appear in your market.
Stand out before you have no choice. Many of the things you can do are things they’re not allowed to do.
Winning Against the Chain Store
“STAND OUT BEFORE YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. MANY OF THE THINGS YOU CAN DO ARE THINGS THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO.”
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, rescuemarketing.com, or contact him via email at [email protected].