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A commercial brand denotes a difference. Management guru Tom Peters says, "Be distinct or be extinct." Marketing’s Jack Trout says “Differentiate or die” – both mean as an individual, a business, a provider, a solution, a product or all of the above. In the world of Coffee this is critical, after all, every cup of coffee is different and while consistency is the name of the game and quality is the price of entry it is the story that will win the day – Your Story.
The essence of a great coffee experience is the perception in the minds of the consumer. Its all about that total experience and while that means great tasting coffee for sure – that is now a given (so lets forget about the 80% of operators who actually sell bad coffee for the purposes of this article) – the bar has risen again amidst the age of the never satisfied customer. Your coffee experience has to look, feel, sound and smell fantastic too.
We must create feeling and be emotional about what we are selling. For years, the large coffee chains have devoted tremendous resources to the branding process. – It is an assumption that their coffee will taste good but a fundamental difference with coffee is that it is a cuisine and not at all like a tin of Coca Cola or even a bottle of wine that will taste the same every time. The key is controlling the brewing factors and that takes care, appreciation, time, money and requires excellent planning if you are going to produce this consistency on a daily basis for your regular customer. It also I believe takes great partnerships with people who can help and support this process because you can’t do it all yourself – there are simply too many things that you need to be expert at. Those small businesses that have the right partners and who can model the right behaviours of the big boys can achieve amazing results.
In a market where there are so many coffee choices, being different can be the determining factor in the decision-making process. Today in all businesses there are many similar models – and in coffee there are so many brands all fighting for survival in a coffee sea of sameness. If the coffee were served in a plain cup you would have no idea whose coffee it was – and today’s average coffee consumer actually doesn’t know that he doesn’t know how to tell a well made cup of coffee.
As coffee entrepreneurs, we must have the courage to be different, leave our comfort zones and stay committed to our point of difference over the long term. Businesses are not built in a day; many take years. However, the cumulative effect can produce astounding value outweighing the time and money invested.
So how do you stand out? You must first completely understand the true meaning of the words distinctive and unique. Many coffee offers are only an afterthought with no plan or any kind of well formed outcomes in place. Ironically many times their competitors are saying the same thing usually abusing the words quality and taste and both are lost in the deep sea of coffee sameness, getting nowhere.
Once you decide on your unique, strategic direction, then you must communicate the plan to the world focusing on how fantastic your coffee experience is. When you actually publically tell your story it is a great motivator because you better practice what you preach or you are dead. Your position needs to be real, an extension of your core values and something that can be delivered with integrity.
Here are a few pointers for differentiating your coffee. There are many more.
• Your location
• Your credibility
• Your attitude
• Your size
• Your expertise
• Your special coffee’s
• Your speed of delivery
• Your personality
• Your style
• Your innovation
• Your technology
• Your speed to market
• Your niche customers
• Your social consciousness
• Your environmental position
Successfully marketing your coffee business sometimes takes a radical shift in thinking. It is not merely the logo, some catchy tagline or the usual marketing textbook stuff. You have to somehow communicate your heart and soul and if you think that’s just idealism then think again – The winners all do it simply and effectively – and they do it every time with every important decision and resonate it through every point of contact with their market.
Big isn't beautiful. Small isn't beautiful. It's simple that is most beautiful if you want to successfully sell lots of coffee.
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