I am an avid coffee drinker, so I frequent coffee shops on a more than regular basis to say the least. Even though I go to multiple locations to get my caffeine fix, I find that nine times out of ten or at least 95% of the time, I go to the same Starbucks located in Henderson, NV near my college. To go to this location, I literally drive fifteen miles one way, when I have a Starbucks less than a quarter mile from my home to get my coffee and relax. The employees or Baristas at this particular location always have a smile on their face for me when I walk in. They treat me like I am personal friend instead of just another customer. When I am having a bad day, they notice and inquire about what’s wrong and have actually sat with me to talk and cheer me up. I have seen how well they treat the other customers but it never compares to the treatment I get. This kind of treatment just reminds me that “Sound marketing is critical to the success of every organization. Large for-profit firms such as Procter & Gamble, Google, Target, Toyota, and Marriott use marketing. But so do not-for-profit organizations such as colleges, hospitals, museums, symphony orchestras, and even churches.” (Marketing An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, page 3) If it wasn’t for the treatment I receive from the employees, I wouldn’t have such a strong loyalty to that particular Starbucks and would probably frequent one much closer to home or another coffee shop chain all together. Treating you like a friend and not just another number makes you want to come back more for the good feelings, when you could go anywhere you so desire and hear another drone voice asking “You want fries with that?”
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