This past Sunday was Father’s Day. (shout out to all the fathers worldwide: much love and respect!)
And you know what that means, right? (no, I’m not talking about…ugly ties, bad shirts and pointless accessories from the Shave store or any other terrible gifts)
No, I’m talkin’…SUNDAY BRUNCH BUFFETT!
(scarfed down mine with the fam at Calendar’s Grill – the one-off upscale incarnation of Marie Calendar’s in a beautiful turn of the century style building right next to the LA County Museum of Art – shout out to those fine people, excellent work!)
That’s right, long glorious tables lined with toughs of eggs benedict, sausage links, home fries, piles of fresh fruit, Belgium waffles and course: the omelet bar.
Undoubtedly you’ve noticed there’s always a line at the omelet bar, usually extending half a dozen or more people deep, all eagerly awaiting their chance at eggy goodness.
But why?
Is there magic in them there omelets? Or gold? Or some other fantastical element I just can’t fathom…unobtanium perhaps?
The answer to this question lies in the solution behind two classic marketing puzzles…

• Why “exclusive offer” and “limited number” are phrases that sell like an unrelenting avalanche
• Why people will pay more for certain products, purely based on “perceived value”

Have I piqued your curiosity? Well good, then I invite you to read on discover more about the “omelet bar mystique” and how it applies to other inalienable truths in marketing (and perhaps a few nuggets about how these truths apply to marketing your small business)…

Exclusivity

Everyone wants to feel special, like you’re joining a club to whom precious few gain entrance. Luxury cars, high-end handbags, private gated communities and jewels from Tiffany’s represent the currency of exclusivity – those symbols of singularity that sets you apart from the masses.
And believe it or not, the omelet bar does exactly the same thing:

• Access is restricted, forcing you to wait in line (as anticipation builds)
• You have your own, individual turn with undivided attention focused on you
• Your omelet’s not “mass produced,” it’s constructed right in front of you
• Your omelet is constructed to your exact specifications – in fact you’re obligated to “build your own”

Perceived Value

You could buy a top-of-the-line Honda sedan with all the options – leather interior, heated seats, navigation, rearview camera, built-in satellite radio, Bluetooth enable, etc… for significantly less than a Mercedes with the same “options.” Plus, the Honda will run better and more efficiently, be less expensive to fix and last longer. (Google Consumer Reports and see for yourself)
You could have a custom leather handbag made by a master craftsman with the finest materials to whatever design you specify, all for as little as $300. Or you could buy a Gucci handbag, crafted with equivalent leather, mass produced, with a Gucci specified design Gucci, for $3,000.
You could buy a 2 karat diamond from a broker and have gold setting custom made for $10,000. Or you could buy the same quality diamond with a simple gold band setting from Tiffany’s for $25,000+.
In all of the scenarios the former choice is a significantly better actual value. But people who can (afford to), often make the latter choice – price be damned – because of perceived value.
The omelet bar works the same way.
Your basic omelet includes eggs, cheese, veggies and maybe some meat (if you swing that way).
I’m sure at your average brunch buffet you could find an egg casserole or grab some scrambled eggs, home fries and sausage and closely approximate an omelet. And you wouldn’t have to waste 10-20 minutes standing in line behind 12 other people to get it.
But the perceived value of a “custom made” omelet cooked right then and there just for you trumps the actual value of assembling (basically) the same thing from the buffet yourself.

Building Your Small Business Marketing in the Image of the Omelet Bar

So how can you build an omelet bar-experience into your business that has customers lined up by the dozens? Excellent questions – so glad you asked!
Top tier customer service – Baking in that WOW Customer Service Experience provides the perfect foundation for exceptionalism. By elevating your “baseline,” so to speak, with the WOW experience, you’ve already wrapped your customers in the warm and fuzzy feelings special treatment.
Exclusive offer – Everyone wants to feel special, and nothing says special like Exclusivity. Reaching out to loyal customers with a “special offer” just for them not only grabs their attention, it triggers those “I feel special” endorphins in the brain that hasten emotional action over rational thought.
Adding value – Everything you throw in as part of the “sticker price” engenders the same response that elevates the omelet bar above the regular buffet. The more you add in at “cost,” the more special your customers feel.
Custom built (just for you) – As already stated, the omelet bar line swells to such numbers because this is your opportunity to “have it your way” (at the omelet bar). Nothing feels more special than something made just for you, to your exacting specifications. The more you’re able to provide that experience, however it might manifest in your business, the longer your customer line up will be.
Listen up – The buffet is rote, whatever is offered, is what you get – you don’t have any input. At the omelet bar, you give specific instructions and the results are reflected in the final product. Patrons know they’re requests are being heard and fulfilled. Your customers want the same thing. Even in simple phone or email conversations a basic counseling technique, reflecting meaning, works wonders: respond to customers by restating their request (paraphrasing in your own voice) as you understand it, to ensure you’re both on the same page. This is also the perfect time to suggest alternatives that may better serve the customer’s needs or outline why you’re unable fulfill some aspect of their request.

What About You

Can you think of any “omelet bar experiences” that made you line up to do biz with a specific company?
Which of the tenets described above could you apply to your small business to generate the “omelet bar effect” among your customers or prospects?
Talkback: Let’s hear what you have to say!