Want a new perspective for your business? Take a Vacation

One of the things I love about living in France is the different attitude there is about "work" and "life." The French have a deep and abiding belief in the importance of taking a break from work and spending time enjoying themselves. (This is something that I can really get behind and it's one of my favorite adopted customs!)

We just got back from a week in the north of France - we visited the wine areas of Chablis, Champagne, Burgundy and Alsace. We also zipped over into Luxembourg for a day of exploring.

We explored vineyards, the champagne house of Mumm, the Midieval hospital of Beaunes and so much more...

But the best part is that I came back refreshed and energized - and with a notebook filled from front to back with marketing ideas for my clients!

You can do the same thing with your business - and you don't have to go to the French Riviera or the north of France to come up with your own marketing ideas - you just have to think outside the box for a bit.

For example, the first area we'd decided to visit was the village of Chablis. So that was where we spent the first night. We found a hotel in the Michelin Guide, and Alain called ahead to make a reservation. We'd been driving for several hours, and we were tired and ready to stop when we got there.

But - the price they quoted us was higher than what the Michelin guide said it would be. Not by much - it was only about 15 euros. When we checked in I pointed it out to the girl - who asked to see it in the guide and dutifully wrote it down. And then proceeded to charge us the higher price. Now 15 Euros is not enough to haggle over, but I have to admit, it left a negative impression with me.

Some of my impression was a little changed by the girl who was on duty - she was the desk clerk and doubled as our waitress. She was cheerful, friendly and gave us some great suggestions for things to see the next day. She also gave us a special card that would allow us to go to a wine shop the next day (it was also owned by the same man) and have a free wine tasting. We wanted to tour a vineyard too, and she told us to ask at the wine shop.

And the food was good, plentiful and a good price - and the room was large, clean and quite comfortable - so like I said, I felt better about the room rate not being honored.

But the next morning, when we went to the wine store, the woman who runs the store didn't seem to happy to see us. When we showed her our card and said we'd been guests of the hotel the night before and were interested in tasting the house Chablis. She merely pointed to a list on one of the oak casks that had been turned into a table - and said that's what was available - but her whole attitude was that we were really bothering her and she didn't want to waste her time.

And when we asked about the possibility of touring the vineyard, she flatly told us it wasn't going to be possible and that we'd have to find another vineyard to tour.

And to top it all off, we noticed that the prices of the Chablis here was more expensive - in some cases almost twice that of the exact same bottles in other stores. So after looking at each other (and doing that silent communication thing that couples do), Alain said that it was really too early for tasting wines and we left.

(And we went right back to the first shop we'd visited and bought another specialty of the area) - and bought a case of Chablis for our cellar as well as some to give as gifts and a couple of older bottles that we could drink sooner.

So what does this have to do with you and your business? Think of it in terms of your business brand, and the experience your customers have when they're buying from you.

From my experience as a customer, here are the problems:

1. The price in the tourist guide wasn't honored at the hotel. (I seriously doubt 15 Euros would have broken the owner - but it certainly would have gone a long way in giving us a better experience and impression of the hotel and his other businesses - which would have translated into us spending a lot more money than the 15 euros.)

2. Our experience in the wine store was a total failure. We were there to buy wine - and if we'd received even a little bit of special treatment (because we were guests of the hotel for example), the owner would have profited to the tune of a couple hundred euros.

3. Rather than thinking about the entire experience for the customers - the hotel, the wine store and a special tour of the vineyards - maybe something provided only to guests - we would have left Chablis as brand ambassadors - and would have happily told everyone we know about what a wonderful time and experience we had.

Instead, I'm left with a love for Chablis - and we plan on going back this spring - but we won't be staying at that hotel - or spend any money at any of the businesses owned by that particular company. We'll be going somewhere else.

So this is what I want you to think about...when it comes to your business - what kind of experience are your customers having when they're ready to buy your products or services?

And if you've got just one product or service right now - think about how you can expand your offering - and provide more to your customers.

The case of the hotel/restaurants/wine store/vineyards is a perfect example of how you can add on additional products or services to your current offering - here's how it could have been handled:

Customers stay in the hotel - and will probably eat in the onsite restaurant - and drink the house wines. The next day, they're invited to a free wine tasting - where again, you offer them a unique experience - and increase the opportunities for them to buy something else from you. If you time it right - and maybe offer an additional discount to the other restaurant - again - a bonus only offered to guests of the hotel - you have a good chance that your customers will decide to eat in your second restaurant - and again, drink your wines. After lunch, it would be a perfect time to offer a tour of the vineyard - and make sure they get to experience something extra or special because they're customers. (A special tasting or a discount if they decide to buy a certain number of bottles, for example.) And of course making sure that all the employees are dedicated to ensuring that the entire experience runs smoothly and works for the customers. How much more money would your customers be likely to spend? And what would they be likely to say about their experience to others?

Here's a suggestion - if your products or services warrant it, invite someone to be a "secret shopper" - and go through your purchasing experience. Check for customer service, your brand experience and the satisfaction level of your customers.

If you only sell online, buy from yourself - and keep an eye out for how you can improve the experience and what add-ons you could provide for your customers. (And let me know what you discover...)