Dining experience can turn customers into salespeople

Agus W. Soehadi, Contributor, Jakarta

When you find a restaurant that serves good food, gives excellent service in its out-of-the-world ambience, will you then keep it secret? Or will you spread the news to your friends and colleagues? Most likely the latter. It is one of human's natural traits to do so, as it impresses people because you are the first of your friends to discover a cool, new place.

It almost always makes one feel respected like some kind of leader who has the latest information on the best newly opened restaurants, cafes or even warung (foodstalls) that have something unique and original to offer. Among the various topics, places to eat -- the worthy ones, of course -- are the favorite of many. Not too surprisingly, the free recommendations given by the first customers are, more often than not, followed by his or her listeners.

Among the numerous unique restaurants in Bandung and its vicinity, Kampung Daun (Leaf Village), Atmosfir (the Indonesian spelling for atmosphere) and The Peak are some of the best eating places the city can be proud of. The plus points are not only the food or the friendly professional staff, but the ambience inside as well as surrounding the restaurants.

The breathtaking panorama enhances the entire experience of new and loyal customers of all three. What makes the clientele increase in number and loyalty reminds us of what Bernd H. Schmith -- a noted marketing expert -- wrote in his bestseller Experiential Marketing: "While quality of products or services can be imitated, it is hard to beat a unique experience that is "wrapped around" them.

A positive experience is in fact an intangible interaction that is felt by a customer and vividly recorded in his mind. It is a totality of the product's or service's features, sales staff attitude, ambience and every tidbit or paraphernalia that go with it."

One of the most important elements in providing good experiential marketing is maximizing the impact on customers' senses. The entire "package" of product and services must be able to please their eyes, ears and so forth. Kampung Daun, for example, takes its customers for a short trip around the scenic West Java mountains before actually arriving at the restaurant. The smell of food even from a distance creates a more inviting atmosphere. Local or ethnic music blends harmoniously. When the sun sets, bamboo torches render the whole place serenely romantic. Perhaps, all this and the rest of details meticulously taken care of heighten the dining enjoyment here.

Bakeries are also offering "experience" to their customers. They let their customers watch the entire process of manufacturing bread and cakes, as it gives them the real feeling of "brand new" or " fresh from the oven". For most customers, watching the preparation of bread and cakes seems to be an enthralling experience. Breadtalk, one of the newly established "bestsellers" in the bakery business, is famous for its long lines of customers all day long. At its flagship store in the Kelapa Gading Mall, the queuing, which may appear to be a kind of inconvenience today, is in fact one of its drawing points as it grabs the attention of other buyers and becomes one of the store's selling points.

Another important element in experiential marketing is the creation of some kind of "ritual" in the process of selling and enjoying the product so that the customer develops an emotional attachment. Take for example the success story of Nabisco's Oreo cookies. Even its advertisement is based on how to enjoy the product in the best way: Twist and separate the cookie "sandwich", lick it first and then dip it in a glass of milk. The whole act executed by an adorable chubby boy is now imitated by many of the product's young and even, to a certain extent, adult consumers.

Bakmi Gajah Mada, a famous restaurant with numerous branches all over the city, is another example. The place is crowded with customers most of the time. Surprisingly, customers find the "waiting-to-get-the-table" period quite an enjoyable experience in itself. It involves the restaurant's staff using the bell to arrange the table and then deftly taking their orders.

The restaurant, apart from the good food it is already well known for, and also highly praised, is renowned for its fast and professional service. The busy staff, however, never lose their friendliness.

As in any marketing strategy, especially so in experiential marketing, a successful implementation means the marketer has to know his customers well. He has to have a grasp, a deep understanding -- a sort of intimacy, so to say -- of his target market. Only by comprehending their inner motivations can he create and provide them with the heavenly experience that exceeds their expectations. Also, he has to make certain, that not only the management, but the entire marketing and sales staff, including every employee that comes into contact with customers, develop a new mindset.

The kind of mindset that places customers and their satisfaction beyond everything else. Based on this customer- oriented philosophy, it is been proven by major companies that business thrives and eventually profits are better guaranteed.

While conventional advertising is necessary to some extent, at the end of the day what better way of promotion than to convert your satisfied customers into unpaid salespeople. They are recognized as the best "advocates" and most trusted endorsers for your business.