Are you allowed walk ins
Being in a coffee world one of the best thing that I like is to search , find and visit coffee shops in the different places in the city. To explore and taste all the goods. To discovering ideas and give to my mind and my body ,joy. I found a place down town in Manhattan and start follow the GPS. Needless to say I’m very bad in directions and so I’m following very strictly the >>go orders. But in this situation something went wrong. Even though I followed the direction and I was at where the GPS instructed me , the cafe was invisible. I walked up and down that street, but no luck. No sign, no tables outside in the sidewalk , no logos, no nothing.One of my walks , I show inside the windows in the building , some people sitting in table. Yes, I found it. But wait…. Can I allowed to go inside.? The whole situation seems to me like a membership club. Only for people with a membership. I walked in, and yes, it was a cafe..
In our era that marketing and advertising plays crucial role, and if a coffee shop owner doesn’t know how , or don’t want to do it ,it’s a big red flag. Many places acting like that. Let’s think logically. How as a coffee owner you spend time , money, doing research to find the best beans, or to prepare the best sandwiches, but you don’t pay attention to how to inform the walking or visitors from other places to come into your place.?.Ok. maybe your landlord didn’t allowed to put any sign in front of the building. Or either to hand any flag. BUT, for sure you can put any small sign or small flag in front of your store or on the sidewalk. Social media, is also very important, but if someone likes your drinks from reels or Instagram, and trying to find you, how can make him/her walk inside?
One of the golden rules to be successful in business is follow the rules. Don’t think -owner-as a seller to sell drinks or your product , or music. Think as a buyer. Put yourself in their shoes. If you understand how the buyer think, then you can make him/her your customer. And this is the point. You doing business to make money and contribute to society, something from your ideas and your effort.
To finish the story , I’ve never stayed in that cafe. I refused to continue their wrong way of working , with my money. And I say “wrong” because from a marketing perspective it was wrong. If you open your coffee place for your friends and people in your building …..then I’m not belong to your place….. I walked a few streets and I found another small cute cafe. Invisible from far away. That cafe with their sign and nice bride logo, called me to visit them. And I did.
