Coffee Shops, Chiropractic… Same Thing

This morning, I started my day like any other…

I went to Pete’s Coffee in Danville to respond to emails and begin my usual morning process of writing to and for my ChiroTrust members and private clients.

Almost.

Today’s going to be a busy day with a lot of computer work. So instead of going to Pete’s Coffee where I know everyone, I went to “The Coffee Shop” in Danville. I’ve driven by the place before so I knew that they wouldn’t be as busy as Pete’s or Starbucks, which reduces the odds I’d run into a friend or acquaintance.

Like I thought, it was slow. They had just one customer other than myself… and no one was behind the counter.

A minute later, a young woman in street clothes emerged from the back.

Her: “Are you here to pick up abc?”

Me: “No.”

Her: “Are you here to pick up xyz?”

Me: “No.”

Her: “How can I help you?”

Me:“Medium almond milk cappuccino for here, please.”(At coffee shops, “for here” means something: a real cup not a paper cup.)

Her: “I will start on that right away.”

She rushed to finish whatever she was up to in the back room.

Me: “Thank You.”

I went back to my table to wait and set up to work

~ 7 minutes later…

Her: “Almond milk cappuccino!”

Me: “Thank you… Is that a medium?”

Her: “For cappuccinos, we make only one size… Do you want it in a medium paper cup?”

Me:“No, but I would prefer a real cup please.”(I say to myself, “for here”.)

She handed me a real coffee cup.

I poured from the paper cup into the real cup and then placed the paper cup back on the counter (still about 25% full).

While I put one stevia and a little cinnamon in the real cup, she reached to grab the paper cup…

Her: “I’ll dispose of this for you… Unless want the rest.”

Me: “Yes, I’ll take it thanks.”(I say to myself, “Yes, I’ll take what I paid for. Thanks.”)

I handed her a $20 bill.

She gave me the change this way:

• 1 $10 dollar bill
• 1 $5 dollar bill
• 1 quarter.

I drop the quarter into the tip jar and returned to the table to work.

WHERE THINGS WENT WRONG…

1. I walked in and there were virtually no customers.
2. No one greeted me when I walked in.
3. The employee looked like she just got out of bed.
4. The employee didn’t truly listen to my order.
5. The employee didn’t use common sense.

Even though the cappuccino was pretty good, I will not return to “The Coffee Shop.” (A terrible name but that’s for another day.)

IF THE EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WAS ON POINT…

1. I’d return at least once a week when I need to be left alone and get a lot of work done. Estimated Annual Value to “The Coffee Shop”: $250.00
2. The employee would have been confident and smart enough to give me my change this way: 1 $10 dollar bill, 5 $1 bills, 1 quarter. That way, it would have been easier for me to give her at least $1.25 for the tip. (Estimated Annual Value to the employee: $65.00)
3. I would tell others how great this place is. (Estimated Annual Value: Immeasurable but A LOT! Because if this place was worth me telling others about it, then other would do the same and THAT’S how you build a business worth marketing.)
4. The place would be able to afford to market to people like me and to scale into multiple locations.
5. The owner/s would be a lot happier, a lot richer, and be able to impact more lives with his/her/their generosity.

TAKE AWAY…

Do everything first class. It pays off big.

Customers pay attention to every detail.

Hire rock stars.

If your patients aren’t telling others about you and your practice, then your marketing will not be nearly as effective.

Don’t be discouraged. Fix one thing at a time and over time, everything will improve.