Imagine if you went to a restaurant, and rather than receive a menu listing the different dishes on offer, you were told all about the chef …
“Our head chef has been cooking professionally for over 20 years. He has trained with numerous well-known and highly regarded chefs worldwide, and has worked as a sous chef in two separate Michelin-starred restaurants. He is classically trained, and specialises in traditional French cuisine.”
Having had time to read the “menu”, the waiter then arrives to take your order.
There is a choice of fish, meat or vegetarian. No other information is given.
The chef is clearly a professional. He has good training, good “qualifications”, so the food is bound to be good. But you haven’t heard of him before, so you don’t really know what you’re likely to receive. Something “traditionally French” is as far as you could probably guess.
And what if you choose a dish that is served with something you don’t like, or can’t eat? What if you like the look of your fellow diner’s dish more than yours once it has arrived … if you wish you’d had the opportunity to choose that one …
If it isn’t too expensive you might be prepared to give it a try. But for “fine dining” prices? You’ll probably want the opportunity to choose exactly what you’re going to be eating. To know, for certain, that you are going to enjoy it.
So what then, if that same restaurant had another option … a “second menu” …
This menu doesn’t tell you anything about the chef. But it tells you everything about the food …
“Lobster Ravioli served with lemon butter and wilted spinach”
“Sesame encrusted seared tuna steak with a white wine reduction and jasmine rice”
“Oven-roasted duck breast topped with Champagne vinaigrette and pancetta, served with Dauphinoise potatoes and green vegetables”
The prices for all dishes, on both menus, are the same.
What would you choose?
One option tells you all about the chef … the person that will be cooking the food.
The other tells you all about the food. What you’re going to receive … what you’re going to be eating.
I’d guess that the majority of the time, people would go for the second option. Because people like to know what they are paying for; what they are receiving; if it is what they actually want … or need….
I wonder if it would be different if the prices were different? If the food from the chef we know so much about – that he has trained with the best, and worked in Michelin-starred restaurants – was cheaper than the other menu?
I suspect he’d get more orders, as the value certainly sounds good. His credentials are good after all. But this means he’s had to drop his prices … he’s had to undervalue himself, in order to get the orders. But without telling his customers exactly what he’s going to be cooking them, it’s unlikely he’ll manage to persuade many of them to pay anything close to Michelin-star prices.
In restaurants, this is of course an unlikely scenario. But convert this to a service-based business, and it’s a common issue …
Giving details about yourself – your qualifications, your experience, your track record … your expertise. But not actually telling your clients what you can do for THEM.
Not telling clients enough about the DETAILS … so they aren’t sure if you can provide the solution that they need. So they aren’t able to understand the VALUE.
But maybe just a simple shift from “what I do” promotion, to “what you get” promotion … where the message becomes a SOLUTION to THEIR problem … maybe this will help your clients understand the value.
And once they understand the value … once they understand exactly what they will be receiving, gaining … eating …
Maybe then, they’ll be happy to pay more for it too?
SAME solution, SAME service … MORE income.
Sounds alright, right?
If you want to know more about how to get clients to understand your value click here ...