Yesterday my coffee came without a little biscuit.
I can almost hear your heart breaking for me as you read this. But bear with me.
Every week, my friend and I sit down for a coffee and a chat. It's a highlight of my week (for him too, I imagine, though he's never said that).
Back to the biscuit.
If you look at it in purely economic terms, the decision to take away that biscuit makes sense. The owner can charge the same amount for my drink, and they've knocked an expense off the bottom line.
The trouble is, no one looks at things in purely economic terms.
I pay £3.50 for a drink that I can very easily make at home for a few pence. So that little biscuit is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Along with the nice crockery, it's telling me I'm not just in a greasy spoon. It's making this experience feel a bit different. In an unconscious way, it's making me feel special.
I can almost hear your heart breaking for me as you read this. But bear with me.
Every week, my friend and I sit down for a coffee and a chat. It's a highlight of my week (for him too, I imagine, though he's never said that).
Back to the biscuit.
If you look at it in purely economic terms, the decision to take away that biscuit makes sense. The owner can charge the same amount for my drink, and they've knocked an expense off the bottom line.
The trouble is, no one looks at things in purely economic terms.
I pay £3.50 for a drink that I can very easily make at home for a few pence. So that little biscuit is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Along with the nice crockery, it's telling me I'm not just in a greasy spoon. It's making this experience feel a bit different. In an unconscious way, it's making me feel special.
You can create enormous value without spending anything
When you think about the value you provide, you probably think of the things that cost a lot. The medical expertise. Those lifts you got installed at eye-watering expense.
But your clients don't even notice these things. They notice the nice crockery. The way someone smiled at them. The fact that their carer also follows the football and can have a decent conversation about the Liverpool back line.
'Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing' is one of those old-fashioned phrases that made no sense at all to me growing up. Surely they're the same thing?
But of course, they're only the same thing if we look at things in purely economic terms, which no one does.
But your clients don't even notice these things. They notice the nice crockery. The way someone smiled at them. The fact that their carer also follows the football and can have a decent conversation about the Liverpool back line.
'Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing' is one of those old-fashioned phrases that made no sense at all to me growing up. Surely they're the same thing?
But of course, they're only the same thing if we look at things in purely economic terms, which no one does.
Ask people why they chose you
Once we stop and ask our clients and staff why they chose us, or why they stay with us, the answers can be very revealing. It's probably not what you think.
And once you're aware, you can start to build on these things. It might not be something you plaster on your home page, but it can really change the way you see your service and how you talk about it.
Standing out in a crowded care market can sometimes feel like an arms race, where you have to spend more and more. But, once you start looking through the eyes of your target market – whether they're job candidates or families looking for care – you start seeing ways to give value that often cost very little.
I heard of one example, where a care home asked job candidates their favourite chocolate bar on the application form, then surprised them with one at the interview. Just think about how much that conveys to someone about their value to you.
Perhaps I should mention this at my local coffee shop...
And once you're aware, you can start to build on these things. It might not be something you plaster on your home page, but it can really change the way you see your service and how you talk about it.
Standing out in a crowded care market can sometimes feel like an arms race, where you have to spend more and more. But, once you start looking through the eyes of your target market – whether they're job candidates or families looking for care – you start seeing ways to give value that often cost very little.
I heard of one example, where a care home asked job candidates their favourite chocolate bar on the application form, then surprised them with one at the interview. Just think about how much that conveys to someone about their value to you.
Perhaps I should mention this at my local coffee shop...