Comparing two businesses and can't choose?
Every Saturday and Sunday morning, I take my dog for an early morning stroll around Faulkner Park in Melbourne.
Each weekend, I am faced with the same dilemma - where do I buy my coffee and croissant from? There are three cafe's nearby; Cafe Vue, Fleur Depot de Pain at the Blackman and one other on Commercial Road. I never remember the name of the one on Commercial Road, but I do frequent it quite a lot.
Each weekend, I am faced with the same dilemma - where do I buy my coffee and croissant from? There are three cafe's nearby; Cafe Vue, Fleur Depot de Pain at the Blackman and one other on Commercial Road. I never remember the name of the one on Commercial Road, but I do frequent it quite a lot.
Mainly, the decision of where to go is decided based on what time I walk. If it is pre 8am, I go to the Blackman where the coffee is great, service is usually very good, but the croissant is not fantastic in comparison to the cafe on Commercial Road.
Cafe Vue is often out of the question because they don't do skinny flat whites (low fat coffee) and use only organic coffee. I love the idea of organic but full cream milk doesn't work for me at all.
The no name cafe on Commercial Road has average service and usually a big line up but their croissants are delicious, crispy and just with the right amount of texture. They taste fresh and are always soft in the middle whereas the ones at Fleur Depot de Pain taste like they have been made yesterday.
The problem with this equation is that I can't choose other than basing my decision on time. There lies the problem. If someone cannot choose why they should choose you over your competitor, then you are doing something wrong. Something has to change. You have to do something at makes the decision easier for your customer and breeds customer loyalty.
Like Monday to Friday, I always get my coffee at the one place - Commodity Cafe. Why? Their service is exceptional, they remember name and they feed my dog chicken each morning. Their coffee is ok, but I am sure that there is better around St Kilda Road, but I would feel disloyal by buying coffee anywhere else.
Take a hard look at your business and decide what makes you different from your competitors. Make sure this stands out loud and clear.
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comments ( 4 )
David
22 Jun 2012There is so many things to take into when choosing. Location, quality, service, price etc. Cafes that offer free wifi access is enough to send me there
Replypriscilla
22 Jun 2012Small business's should definitely focus on differentiation, giving customers a reason to choose them. Most of the time one reason is enough, you don't have to be good at everything. Being the best at one thing and making sure customers remember that one reason why your business is unique is a good way to build a customer base.
ReplyKathryn Wilson
05 Jun 2012A consumer should choice to do business with one business over another by examining the customer service they recieve. In order to gain cusomters, business need to build relationships, and i believe it is this that will keep your cusomters from going somewhere else, or from having to make a choice between two places.
ReplySandra
04 Jun 2012I wouldn't know which cafe to go to either considering each has their own positives and negatives. This is why small businesses should work on giving you a reason to choose them. If your competition is in walking distance, it should give you even more of a reason to differentiate your business.
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