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.
Mellissah Smith is a serial entrepreneur and business leader with more than 20 years' experience in marketing.
- She runs an international
- marketing consultancy firm
- that provides small businesses with a marketing
- consultant and in-house team of creative, web development and PR experts. Marketing Eye serves small
- businesses looking for marketing support and management in Atlanta,
- New York marketing company
- ,
- Sydney marketing consultants
- ,
- Melbourne marketing consultants
- .
