When you go to Starbucks and order a latte, what are you really paying for? Milk, sugar, espresso and a cup? No way! You’re participating in the Starbucks experience.
As you hit the door, you smell the aroma of coffee. You’re in a perfect coffee-toned world, where soft jazz and comfy chairs await. In placing your order, you get to put your personal stamp on your beverage of choice. You wait by the end of the counter for a drink served up to your specs. In short, when you go to Starbucks, you’re claiming 15 minutes for you, your wants and your way of being.
Take that Starbucks experience and apply it to your consulting. Stop producing products. Start providing experiences:
- Business consultants offer strategies for improving revenues, cutting costs and increasing customer retention — not reports
- Graphic designers help clients project professional images in sync with their target markets — not logos, brochures or websites
- Personal trainers help clients meet personal fitness goals — not workouts
- IT c onsultants help automate business processes to free up time for value-added business activities — not tech support or system implementation
- Personal chefs provide healthy meal planning solutions for busy families — not prepared meals
What experiences do you provide for your clients? This is homework. Reply with your answer — and, if you like, a description of your business and your website (if applicable) — and I’ll feature you in an upcoming post.
Well, I’m still getting things off the ground, but I’d like to think that I give small business owners peace of mind because they don’t have to think about their IT needs once they hire me. No more frustration or going through tech manuals.