Saturday, July 3, 2010

Selling 'the Experience' - Part 2.

Hello folks - it's Tim - I know - it's been a LONG time since I last wrote a post for our Blog.

After I did the post called Selling 'the Experience', I happened to do a little searching on the net to see if I could find any other stories about Selling the experience. I found one that caught my attention and it got me thinking a little more about how Patti and I 'sell' the Brickhouse 'experience'.

I found the article in Businessweek.com and it is called 'How to Sell More Than a Product', written by Carmine Gallo. In the article Carmine writes: 'Ask yourself, what does my brand stand for? Try to answer it in one sentence without using the name of the product your company sells.' He sited examples from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz (who Gallo credits with posing this question in an earlier conversation), entrepreneur Richard Branson and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.

Now I will admit that Brickhouse Craft Shop is a very small business, but I will tell you that I know what our brand stands for and I can sum it up with one word:

Connections.

Yes, the product we sell is crafts. But that's not really what we're 'about'. We don't focus on selling crafts. For some of you, that may seem strange.

What we're about is Connections. Even before we opened Brickhouse Craft Shop, Patti began connecting with crafters from across the USA. And since opening in December 2007 we have been 'connecting' in many ways.

We've connected crafters with other crafters, we've connected crafters with our customers, we've even connected customers with customers. And Patti and I have connected with old classmates and even relatives we haven't seen for years.

But what we are about - and what we enjoy the most, is connecting with our customers. Whether they live in the area or are out and about for a day trip, we love to chat with them. We have shared many stories and laughs. We've shared in personal joys - and sorrows. And we have a space on the wall behind our counter where we're accumulating cards and letters from customers. Our customers really are like family and we look forward to their visits.

So while we hope our customers like our crafts, we also hope they enjoy their shopping experience.

3 comments:

Farming On Faith said...

My Friend~
Happy 4th of July.
May God Bless Us All!
Blessings From Missouri~
Carrie

Jenny Garner said...

I really appreciate that article,it is more than just selling a product it is connecting with people. Trying to offer great products that people are aware of,but also offering products that are unique and heartfelt.

Holly Hills Primitives said...

Here, here! That's exactly what our little country stores should be about. The connections, the experience, and the friendships made. Hoping your summer is full of shade trees, flowers, and fun. Dawn