My husband loves Starbucks, a “Venti Carmel Macchiato upside down” to be exact; a drink for which he believed there could be no improvement. But then he was listening to a morning-drive radio program and the hosts described what it was like to drink their favorite Starbucks concoction from a mug, instead of the paper to-go cup. In all our time visiting Starbucks, we have never seen anyone drinking coffee from a mug. Even our cashier had not tasted Starbucks in a mug. With more than a small dose of skepticism, my husband tried it. The result?
My generally non-expressive husband (thank goodness we balance each other out) fell back in his chair and said, “That is incredible.”
Really? “Incredible?” I had to try it and I was surprised at how different and improved the coffee tasted. Here’s a picture of his coffee.
Notice the cup. Beautiful isn’t it? I just love the intricate pattern on it. Don’t you? The colors suit the cup perfectly and the logo practically pops off the saucer…
You’re not crazy, there is nothing there. There is nothing on the cup. And that is the point.
The customer experience is not about the cup, it’s about what is in the cup.
While I’m sure a Starbucks team scoured the earth for the best, plain, white, porcelain cup, the company spent thousands more hours and dollars perfecting the art of creating a Carmel Macchiato. The cup, while important, is not the main focus. The cup exposes and enhances the object of customer passion – the coffee.
Where is your focus? Are you devoting more resources to your cup (office decor, website, business cards, marketing materials) than you are to discovering and perfecting that thing for which your customers are longing?
Starbucks, with billions of dollars at their disposal and access to the best marketing minds in the world could have chosen any type, shape, color of cup they wanted. But they chose something unassuming. Why do you think that is?
For more information about customer experience, contact Alicia for a complimentary initial consultation or sign up for Camp Sanera, A Boot Camp for Small Business Owners.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Alicia, I love the way you are able to take something that happens in our everyday life and they apply it to our business. A great visual and what I am sure makes you a fabulous Coach. I love your blog and look forward to all your posts. Thank you for sharing.
Patty Farmer
Dallas, TX
@pattyfarmer
Thank you for your comment Patty! We can learn so much about how to run our businesses by looking at what happens in our life, on the news and in nature. I’m a goof-ball that way. I was watching UP and all I could think about was how perfect that movie is for business owners. Yes, I am a geek! Welcome to the Sanera family Patty!
Alicia, inspiring read and should remind everyone that the product is more important than the packaging! We need to have a nice professional business card, website, etc.., but if our products/services are not top notch, who cares what the package looks like. I could go to the nicest looking office in town to meet with a service provider, but if they don’t give a first rate impression based on skills, services, quality, etc… I move on to someone who can provide that!
That is so true. I met someone at a networking group the other day who has a phenomenal product that no one has heard of. Why? Because her website wasn’t perfect, so she’s waited seven months. She’s lost seven months of revenue because she was focusing on the appearance of her cup instead of talking about her fantastic product. Thank you for your comment Lissa!
Alicia-
This is an awesome post with a wonderful message that each of us can appreciate and apply in our own ways. Unassuming can be amazing.
Thank you for sharing a neat perspective and insight.
Susan