People Buy and Recommend for Emotional Reasons: Dutch Bros. Coffee Example

The below article is from the April 15 edition of The Buzz Bulletin. Sign up here for the free monthly Buzz Bulletin with tips, strategies, and ideas to get people so excited about your business that they'll recommend it to friends.

"People don't buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons." - Zig Ziglar

Last month, my wife Ellen and I packed up the car (and the dog) and took a long road trip from our home in Portland, Oregon to San Francisco to introduce our daughter Anya to our family and friends in the Bay Area. In both directions, we were reminded that cultivating personal connections is one of the best ways to attract loyal customers who generate referrals.

On the way down to San Francisco, we stopped at Dutch Bros. Coffee in Redding, part of an expanding regional chain of drive-through coffee stores, for a few pick-me-up lattes. At the drive through window, a friendly twenty-something asked us where we were coming from and where we were heading. When I told her that the trip was our daughter's first visit to her grandparents' house, she smiled and asked a few questions about the trip while she made my drinks. The coffee was good yet it was the barista's exceptional friendliness that stood out.

On the return trip to Portland, we stopped at another Dutch Bros. Coffee outlet (caffeine being the fuel behind a 1,200-mile road trip with a toddler and a rambunctious dog!). Once again, a cheerful barista asked us where we coming from, whether we had fun in San Francisco and where we were heading. If there weren't a long line of cars behind us, I'm sure he would have engaged us in a longer conversation based on his friendly demeanor.

Does Dutch Bros. Coffee train its employees to use a customer service script? My wife, an inherently skeptical New Yorker, thinks that they do. Yet even she acknowledges that the experience was a pleasant one. In fact, she avoids the well-stocked and attractive grocery store that is close to our house because the clerks are usually so involved in chatting with each other that they make her feel as if she is interrupting them when she asks a question or simply goes through their checkout lines. She'll drive out of her way to go to other grocery stores further from our house because they have friendly employees who take the time to chat and smile, not to mention make eye contact.

Taking a personal interest in your customers costs nothing yet makes a big difference. When I worked in our family's furniture stores, I remember the outstanding personal touch of one of our managers. In all customer interactions, he made sure that the first three questions he asked had nothing to do with furniture. Instead, he would engage people on a personal level asking how their days were going, what movies they had seen recently, or where they had found some interesting accessory or item of clothing that they were wearing. He listened carefully to what they said and followed up with questions that showed he was paying attention. He varied the approach he took with customers to suit their personalities and moods, yet he always displayed a genuine interest in people before trying to sell them anything.

Think about how your business creates personal connections with your customers. Have you found that more business is closed when you or your employees interact with your customers on personal level? If so, it's worth spending time discussing and developing ways to ensure that everybody in your organization has a plan for connecting with customers in a memorable and welcoming manner. By doing so, you will make people feel connected to your business creating long-lasting loyalty and referrals.

Comments

[Ed Young]

Hi Patrick:

Yup....that personal touch does it every time. I avoid certain supermarkets because of that non-caring behavior that many "unfocused" clerks exhibit in the face of their most valuable asset....the customer, the one who pays for their paychecks!

I went into a car dealership here in Portland, Oregon with money to buy a brand new car while I was a college student. Because I was not dressed in a suit, no one came up to me. After a few minutes, I asked to see the manager. He asked if he could be of service. I laughed, and told him that he had missed the boat by not teaching that simple line to his lazy salespeople huddled in the corner of the showroom.

I showed him my cashier's check, and told him that I would not bother him and his "pre-occupied" staff in the future but would send them a picture of my new car that I would buy from another agency. He stuttered, stammered and almost dribbled all over himself, but I was angry. I left with a wave of my hand.

Yes....I did send them a picture of my new car that I purchased that evening from another agency. I sent them more pictures as I bought more brand new cars in the following years. I have been in Portland for more than fifty years and have sent that agency a photo of each and every new car that I have ever bought.....before that agency went out of business. I wonder why that happened????

Ed Young

[Patrick Galvin]

Thanks for taking the time to share your fantastic story, Ed. It certainly supports my point and adds another one that all salespeople should take into account: be careful when forming snap judgements about people's ability to buy. One never knows where the next great customer is going to come from.

[Dave Benjamin]

When I was a pilot for SkyWest Airlines I used to do overnights in Redding. The Dutch Bro's coffee was a short walk from the hotel. Good stuff! Jean spent a lot of years in Redding. Her family moved there around 1977. I think I get some additional business just taking time to ask customers about their sailing plans and figuring out what type of sail will best match their sailing style.

[Patrick Galvin]

Dave,
Nice hearing from you. I'm not surprised to hear that your conversations are making an impact on sales (or should I sails). Keep up the great work!
Best,
Patrick