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Examples of adding value in a business

StompingAcorns

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I thought it might be helpful to have a thread that stimulates our thinking and observations around how businesses add value.

I went to a car wash the other day. This is one of those "in between" models where you do the vacuuming but the car wash is automated - you drive your own car through. Normally, I only vacuum once in a blue moon. Saturday, I decided to get out and do a quick vacuum. I noticed when I got out that there were signs saying you could use two complimentary towels. I thought, what the heck. I am not into washing my car, but I thought it would be nice to dust the inside, and it doesn't cost me anything. So I reached into the box and pulled out, to my surprise, a large, damp microfiber towel. And wiped down the inside of my car. Oh, wow, what a difference that made! I spent maybe 10 minutes on it, and the car looked like it had been detailed. There was a drop box for the dirty cloths right beside the box of clean cloths.

When I ran my car through the wash, I chose the most expensive option they had ($13 instead of $5) because this experience a) made me feel generous towards the owner and b) made me want the car looking better than usual. While driving through, I realized I should have wiped down my windows. So after the wash, I pulled into the vacuum area and got another cloth. I wiped down all my windows, inside and out, and then wiped down the entire car to get that layer of grime that a touchless wash can't get.

A full service car wash costs me $25 with the tip. An economy wash with no frills costs me $5. I chose to pay $13, my car looked better than it did from a full service wash, and I got the personal satisfaction of accomplishment with very little work on my part. (Who knew the power of a damp shammy?!?)

This is a great example of a value-add service with a high benefit. I don't know what his costs were - initial - the signs, bins, and cloths - ongoing - probably just the cost of keeping the towels washed and replaced every so often. This business owner has found a way to distinguish his car wash above all other self service locations.

What have you noticed businesses doing to add value?
 
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Get Right

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My car service place washed my car after they worked on it. I didn't realize until I got home (they didn't charge or say anything). I assume they just noticed it was dirty. Guess who will get my future service business?

My tire place fixes all my flats for free. Guess where I buy my tires from?

In one of my businesses, I write a short thank you to every customer (and throw it in the box). I get a lot of e-mails thanking me for this...and repeat business.

It takes so little time/effort to make a huge difference in how people view your business.
 

StompingAcorns

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My car service place washed my car after they worked on it. I didn't realize until I got home (they didn't charge or say anything). I assume they just noticed it was dirty. Guess who will get my future service business?

My tire place fixes all my flats for free. Guess where I buy my tires from?

In one of my businesses, I write a short thank you to every customer (and throw it in the box). I get a lot of e-mails thanking me for this...and repeat business.

It takes so little time/effort to make a huge difference in how people view your business.
Those are great examples!

I love the thank-you note. It reminded me that when I order protein shakes/bars, they always include a sample of another product I didn't order.

Also, I ordered a book and CD on performance training, and the author personally autographed the book and wrote a note addressed to me on the CD.
 

JDawg

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Just the other day I was actually thinking about this.

I went to grab Thai food with a friend. My friend asked for an extra side of peanut sauce, and was later billed an extra $0.50. It doesn't seem like much, but he was pissed that the waiter never mentioned that he would be charged an extra fee. That's just not good business. I guarantee you he will never go there again.

On the other hand, I was at a different Thai restaurant a few weeks earlier (I freaking love Thai food), and the owner came out and thanked us for the business. We also got free deserts on the house. This is probably my favorite Thai restaurant - and because I feel appreciated, I naturally want to give them more business.
 
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Bigguns50

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Last month my Wife and I went to her work's Christmas Dinner w/the owner and employees at an upscale restaurant. This restaurant's been in business 30 yrs and is well known. The atmosphere, food, and service were amazing. What topped off the night was an elderly lady that walked over to our table and asked how everything was. She introduced herself as the owner. She is 85 yrs old and was absolutely charming. She told us how at a young age she told her Mother she would turn this pizza joint into a 5 star restaurant. She went on for a while....and created a sweet memory for us all.
 

StompingAcorns

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I wonder if we should include "how businesses leave money on the table." There is one particular nail salon I go to once in awhile for a mani-pedi. They have probably 200 colors to choose from for the nail service, and they sell some colors out front. However, every time I ask to buy a color - usually the one they just applied to my nails - they don't have it in stock. So this week, like usual, I left the salon, drove straight to Ulta, and picked up the colors I had asked for. I call that leaving money on the table. I could understand not having discontinued colors in stock, but they obviously just don't bother to stock the colors they use. Incredible.
 

Runum

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My car service place washed my car after they worked on it. I didn't realize until I got home (they didn't charge or say anything). I assume they just noticed it was dirty. Guess who will get my future service business?

Sometimes the repairman may lean or rub on the car during repairs. His clothing may cause scratches in the paint. If the car is dirty the rubbing is very apparent. They will wash the car to hide possible minor scratches by repairman or it could be just a value added service.

Might want to check your fenders in the glare of sunlight.
 
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OldFaithful

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This is fortuitous. Just this morning I was thinking about a company I'd worked at that had some interesting ideas.

Adding value to the suppliers (aka employees):
1) Quite often, 1 of the 2 business owners would bring in a couple boxes of ice cream bars on a hot day. (Always the same partner, BTW.) It was a manufacturing facility, so some areas of the shop were often hot. As you can imagine, some people just complained about the heat and didn't appreciate the gesture, but others did. I always liked the idea, and I'm pretty sure that he paid with his own $ because it's hard to justify that as a business expense.
2) Several times a year the company would have a fully catered lunch for everyone, and there was no particular rhyme or reason.
3) They gave away items with the company name/logo, and typically good quality items. Polo shirts, jackets, coffee mugs, etc. I appreciated the decision to get a better quality item, since some others I've dealt with have offered the cheapest item they could possibly get.

Adding value to the customers:
1) Every time we launched a new product/project, a thank you card was passed around and everyone signed it. That card was sent with the first shipment of product to let the customer know we appreciated their business.
2) This company frequently sent engineers to the customer's facility to meet with key people and establish good working relationships, learn more about the customer's needs, etc. Most companies will send their salesmen, but I've never seen another company invest so much engineering time in this way.
 

OldFaithful

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Quote: I wonder if we should include "how businesses leave money on the table."
Great idea, @StompingAcorns. That could be an entire thread all on it's own.



Sorry about the format, for some reason the reply feature isn't working for me today.
 

Invictus

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Last weekend my girlfriend and I visited a Thai restaurant. Besides the awesome food and generous helpings, you get a free soup while you wait. It isn't much, really just a small bowl of tasty broth. They also provide half a sliced orange for a free desert. All for dine in guests. None of it cost extra.

There is also a different Thai place that is only like five minutes away instead of fifteen to twenty (or longer if there's traffic).

Guess who doesn't care, I'll make the drive. [HASHTAG]#brandloyalty[/HASHTAG]
 
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StompingAcorns

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This is fortuitous. Just this morning I was thinking about a company I'd worked at that had some interesting ideas.

Adding value to the suppliers (aka employees):
1) Quite often, 1 of the 2 business owners would bring in a couple boxes of ice cream bars on a hot day. (Always the same partner, BTW.) It was a manufacturing facility, so some areas of the shop were often hot. As you can imagine, some people just complained about the heat and didn't appreciate the gesture, but others did. I always liked the idea, and I'm pretty sure that he paid with his own $ because it's hard to justify that as a business expense.
2) Several times a year the company would have a fully catered lunch for everyone, and there was no particular rhyme or reason.
3) They gave away items with the company name/logo, and typically good quality items. Polo shirts, jackets, coffee mugs, etc. I appreciated the decision to get a better quality item, since some others I've dealt with have offered the cheapest item they could possibly get.

Adding value to the customers:
1) Every time we launched a new product/project, a thank you card was passed around and everyone signed it. That card was sent with the first shipment of product to let the customer know we appreciated their business.
2) This company frequently sent engineers to the customer's facility to meet with key people and establish good working relationships, learn more about the customer's needs, etc. Most companies will send their salesmen, but I've never seen another company invest so much engineering time in this way.
Very good observation - adding value to employees as well as customers. My company used to have something every 6 weeks or so - free ice cream from an ice cream truck that came by, a Cinco de Mayo pot luck (they provided the main dish), fresh popcorn, etc. They have scaled way back (since evidently the person who was approving these left the company); but I remember the impression it made on me, to be so attentive to the employees. I also love the group signed thank you card - nice!

Quote: I wonder if we should include "how businesses leave money on the table."
Great idea, @StompingAcorns. That could be an entire thread all on it's own.
True, it should probably be in a separate thread.

Last weekend my girlfriend and I visited a Thai restaurant. Besides the awesome food and generous helpings, you get a free soup while you wait. It isn't much, really just a small bowl of tasty broth. They also provide half a sliced orange for a free desert. All for dine in guests. None of it cost extra.

There is also a different Thai place that is only like five minutes away instead of fifteen to twenty (or longer if there's traffic).

Guess who doesn't care, I'll make the drive. [HASHTAG]#brandloyalty[/HASHTAG]
Those are great ideas! You're so right - we shop with people we like and not always for only convenience. I pass two grocery stores to get to the one I prefer to go to.

I started this thread because I thought it would be good for us all to get in the habit of observing what businesses are doing well, even if on a small scale, to help us stimulate our thinking about how to do things better in our own businesses.
 

StompingAcorns

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I bought an office chair last week and had to put it together. I've put a fair amount of furniture together over time, but this was the first time I had seen the instructions done this way. What amazed me is that they separated the screws and such into their own baggies by step number. So when you get to the next step, you open that baggie, and voila, everything you need for that step is there.

No more hunting for this or that screw and wondering if it's the longer screw or the shorter one, the fat one or the thin one. What an excellent idea. My only complaint was that the plastic these screws were in was so tough it was actually difficult to cut open with the scissors. But that's a small price to pay for such clarity and ease in instructions.

For those of you who are manufacturing, I thought this was a great way to differentiate a product.
 

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Invictus

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I bought an office chair last week and had to put it together. I've put a fair amount of furniture together over time, but this was the first time I had seen the instructions done this way. What amazed me is that they separated the screws and such into their own baggies by step number. So when you get to the next step, you open that baggie, and voila, everything you need for that step is there.

No more hunting for this or that screw and wondering if it's the longer screw or the shorter one, the fat one or the thin one. What an excellent idea. My only complaint was that the plastic these screws were in was so tough it was actually difficult to cut open with the scissors. But that's a small price to pay for such clarity and ease in instructions.

For those of you who are manufacturing, I thought this was a great way to differentiate a product.


This would have saved my best friend's life. I murdered him while we were assembling IKEA furniture.
 
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becks22

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@OldFaithful the group thank-you card is wonderful. I always like to give my clients a holiday gift and a handwritten card always gets sent out with every gift.

I think the way to add value is to think of a complimentary service or product that makes your memorable. If you are memorable, you will get those loyal customers to come back. I know I am very loyal to certain businesses because they have always treated me well and I don't want to risk going someplace else and be disappointed.
 
G

Guest34764

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Signed up for two different SEO analytic services.Both were free and I was on trial.

Upon signing up on "A" SEO site, I was emailed a generic cookie-cutter email saying thanks.That's it.
Upon signing up on "B" SEO site, I was personally called by a representative who asked If I had any questions and thanked me for using their services.It wasn't much, but It made me feel much better about them.I told them that the other site I signed up for didn't do this and I thanked them for the call.promising I'd give them my business when It's needed.

It's just simple stuff that can really go a long ways.So just make the extra effort to make a customer feel special.
 

StompingAcorns

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It's just simple stuff that can really go a long ways.So just make the extra effort to make a customer feel special.
I think that's a really great point - sometimes a simple touchpoint can make all the difference.

Last night I was out with a friend, and she is neighbors with the restaurant owner. When he came over, first he stood and chatted with us for awhile about things that had nothing to do with the restaurant. I liked this, because it made it feel like the relationship was more important than his business. Then, after we had chatted for a long awhile, he asked about what we were eating and how we liked it. It was the perfect way to get feedback and left a much better impression than if he had led with restaurant related conversation.
 
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