The Intangibles Matter

Here is how the artist interpreted us:-)

Other fun and creative ideas I have read about ..

A bakery I read about called By The Way Bakery in Hasting-on-Hudson has a rolling pin for a door handle. Even before a person steps inside, they are given a clue as to what to expect and a higher level of experience is anticipated even before they step inside. 

A cupcake bakery in Colorado has a fantasy story time each week where the owner dresses up in costume and reads to the kids who are also encouraged to dress up in a favorite costume. Each child receives a free cupcake to eat while a favorite story is read by Cinderella or Snow White:-) Creative and wonderful, this bakery creates buzz and brings customers in week after week for very little effort and expense and creates loyalty that would be difficult to beat.

Going the extra mile pays off! Customers know you care. It creates an “emotional point of difference” that no amount of money can buy.

Do people really notice these things?

YES, YES, YES!

We worked with a high volume children’s photography studio a few years ago that needed more good clients and wanted to build loyalty. One of the first things we did was advise them to purchase bubble gum scented soap for the restrooms and offer bottles of water to each client automatically.

Unfortunately, they decided to use cheap soap refills from the Dollar Store and never offered water to their clients unless asked-then it was brought out in a small paper cup.

It was a very sparse and unexciting experience to go there and it felt “cheap!”

Of course, we also worked with them on their photography and sales, but I believe the little details (they thought unimportant) they failed to do was part of what led them to eventually close.

What’s the ROI of experience? How can you measure the intangible? How many dollars can love, caring, experience and connecting with people earn? 

For years, companies were not able to measure these things, but it’s a new day and with it, the realization that the things we cannot measure may just be far more valuable than we ever imagined.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

-Theodore Roosevelt