I was just at my friend’s new business – Bluestone Cafe – in the heart of Sydney’s bustling CBD (central business district).
28-34 O’Connell St, Sydney
Australia 2000
During the lunch hour, lots of business professionals were having their coffees and quick eats. I decided to take my time and eavesdrop on conversations within earshot. It was not intentional; you have to believe me.
Doesn't the vinegar in the olive oil remind you of America?
Most of the topics surrounded United States’s debt, fluctuation in the ASX (Australian’s Securities Exchange) and the refugee situation on Christmas Island. Eventually, I got bored and tuned out, until I saw a really tall woman enter the cafe.
She was blond and wore a beige London Fog trench coat. At first, it looked like she dropped something on the floor because her eyes searched the tiles.
“Did you redo the floor?” she asked Steven (the owner).
Steven chuckled. “Well, not exactly. Since we close on the weekends, I bleached the floor on Saturday and scrubbed every square centimeter by hand on Sunday. It would be nice to get a new floor, but that’s at least $30k. This will do for now.”
“It looks nice.” She took a closer examination. “You put in a lot of work.”
“You can believe it. And you’re the first to notice it. Thank you.”
I would normally think it’s absurd to commend on the cleanliness of floors (as it should be clean by normal standards), but it was more than that…
Price, Convenience, And Something Else…
In an interview with Howard Schultz (CEO of Starbucks), Schultz responded to Bobbie Gossage of Inc Magazine about the new wave of consumer expectations.
There’s been a real sea change in consumer behavior. And those companies that are consumer based must appeal to the consumer in a different way today than they did two or three years ago. And it’s not all based on value. Cutting prices or putting things on sale is not sustainable business strategy. The other side of it is that you can’t cut enough costs to save your way to prosperity.
I think the question is, What is your relevancy to the new life of this consumer, who is more discriminating about what they’re going to spend money on? The customer today is very well informed. In addition to price and convenience, there’s something else they are influenced by, and that’s what the company stands for: how it treats its employees and its customers. We’ve found that consumers are willing to walk another block and potentially spend a little bit more for companies whose values they truly trust.
I completely agree. Which brings me back to the clean floor issue…
For those who are unfamiliar with Sydney’s CBD, there are about seven coffee shops per block. So, why Steven? They’re the little things.
- He scrubs the floor every weekend on top of the daily mopping.
- He checks the tempering everyday to make sure the espresso flows evenly for a good brew.
- He scrutinizes the coffee beans on smell and packaging dates.
- He takes pride in creating each espresso by hand (not with a button).
I drilled Steven about the last one because it conflicts with my belief in efficiency. A machine can technically be calibrated to produce the same quality result – every time. This allows for scalability.
In the end, he won the argument. “If people wanted a machine brew, they could get one at the vending machine. If they want a custom hand-crafted espresso, then wait in line.”
And sure enough, there was always a long line.
Your thoughts…
I bring this up because this is very much like our own photography industry. You cannot deny it. A lot of people are getting good at the craft and at a very fast rate. Aside from price, convenience, there has to be something else.
The answer is something along the lines of building belief…a core value as to why you’re doing what you’re doing that ultimately creates a discernible difference … as to why pick you. So, what do you stand for? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Like this? Thanks ahead for sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus!
All the best,
Lawrence Chan
P.S. This is something I talk about in my new book with Wiley Press. Okay, I said it. The cat’s out of the bag. :P Expect it to be in bookstores sometime in October (I think). It’s going to be rad. I poured a lot of my brain juices in there.
P.P.S. Hey Australian photographers – do you have a photo shoot that I could partake in? Preferably wedding / boudoir? I need some photos for a project.
Aug …-16 – Melbourne
Aug 17-20 – Brisbane (18th coffee meet – details coming soon)
Aug 21-28 – Gold Coast
Aug 29-31 – Brisbane
Sept 1-8 – Cairns
Sept 9-18 – Sydney (coffee meet – details coming soon)
Thanks!
P.P.P.S. I have a little espresso machine at home, but it’s nothing like the power of a commercial one. Wowzers.
Steven closed the store to show me all of the knobs and buttons and then took the training wheels off.
The following latte was not made by me. Mine came out to be … how can I put this … steaming brown milk. Don’t get me wrong. It was still drinkable, but it totally lacked the aesthetics.
I’m thinking I might move to Sydney and work for Steven for a few months to perfect latte art.
I’m not a photographer, but love your blog. I totally agree, there has to be something else, so the question you should answer for your own business is Why would you hire me? What is that thing that makes you stand out from the crowd? Thanks! Janet
Another good post Lawrence. I learnt long ago as a bellhop for the Marriott (working my way through school) that people simply want to be taken care of. We’re all in the service industry. Showing you care about your business shows you care about your customers.
He seems exceptional.
I LOVE Australian accents.
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Another great insight Lawrence. I love reading your posts and then applying them to my own business :)
I love this post. Well said and very true!!
Great post. I bet Steven felt great that his dedication was recognised, especially for something that people normally take for granted.
The coffee meet in Brisbane sounds really interesting, I will be waiting with bated breath for more information.
Great article Lawrence. I saw a book called ‘It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose’ by Roy M. Spence Jr. Thinking about buying it now because of this post. Thanks!!
Great read Lawrence. It makes total sense. It’s not just the price cutting & convenience, BUT something else. Something that I feel only ‘you’ can do and create on your own. And each person has that – whatever it may be. And, usually it’s something very simple. Great post!
Thanks for sharing this Lawrence! In an age where people do outsource alot, I still do much of the work myself. Perhaps I need to put more emphasis on this to my potential clients-
Thanks for sharing!
Your blog is quickly becoming my favorite! There’s always great food for thought here. I’m convinced that though photographic skills are important, the client experience really is the “something else” everyone is looking for. It’s the reason why I go to Nordstroms over the other places at the mall that sell the exact same product for the exact same price – the upscale, yet welcoming experience. As a consumer, I want to be taken care of and know that my business is valued – and I’m sure my clients feel the same way too.
Lawrence, thanks for another great blog post. Customer service is so important! I can’t wait for your next post.
It’s funny me and a couple photog buddies were discussing this recently. In many markets today there’s so much competition and many people are shooting at a high level. I think to a large extent a discerning client will gravitate to 1 of all of these 3 things: service level, style and to some extent personality. Those are 3 things that will always vary from photographer to photographer. I’ve had many clients tell me the one thing that sold them on me was my personality after the first meeting (even over the phone). I’ve also gotten similar comments in relationship to efficient service and my shooting style.