What Makes Your Business Special?

I did a phone interview for a local magazine last week and was asked the question, “What makes Glacier Homemade Ice Cream & Gelato special?" That's an easy question for me, and I answer the same pretty much every time. Our stores are special because:

Our stores carry the highest quality ice cream & gelato available.

We have great customer service.

We have a large selection of flavors. Up to 80 per store.

Our stores have a fun atmosphere.



The reality is, people come into Glacier for an experience. Each feature of our store helps to create a unique customer experience. Omitting one would be like leaving out the most important ingredient in a recipe. Like any great recipe, ours has a few secrets:

• The smell of waffle cones and hot fudge.
• Quality music.
• A money back guarantee on all products. If you buy a milkshake and drop it outside, we’ll give you another at no charge. Employees are empowered to give up to a $25 gift certificate to solve a customer issue.
• Free samples of any ice cream or gelato. No limits. We’ll occasionally give groups of people a free cup of fresh ice cream right out of the machine as well.
  
• Interesting displays. We have cool things on the walls like vintage Hot Wheels and Matchbox collections, an original Marilyn Monroe picture, the first issue of Mad magazine from the ‘50s, funky oil paintings, and other vintage toys.
• Credibility. Customers from around the country rave about Glacier products in Yelp and on other food-review sites.

We try to lay the groundwork for a great customer experience. Do customers solely come into our store for ice cream and gelato? No. Ice cream and gelato are simply commodities. According to Dairy Foods Magazine, scoop shops sell only 25% of the ice cream in the United States. Grocery stores sell over 50%, and convenience stores sell another 7%.

You can’t open a successful business without creating a great experience for you customers. You’ve got to separate your store from the competition. A great product is just the cost of entry into the market, and that goes for just about any product or service. You can have the greatest ice cream in the country and fail miserably because you don’t run your store properly, have miserable employees, a grouchy owner, etc. Think about why customers patronize your business. What kind of experience are you creating?

Successful businesses need people to want to return. They need to build reputations via word-of-mouth. To do so, you’ve got to know what attracts your customers. It’s important to talk to your current customers, take surveys, and even check out your competition. We’ve found that people come into our stores for the following reasons:

They want to celebrate. Our stores are a popular destination after sports events, concerts, etc.

They want to feel better. Ice cream is the number one comfort food for men and women. People often come in after doctor visits, tough days, and even have after chemotherapy treatments.

They appreciate the high quality of the products. Some of our customers will only eat Glacier ice cream. That’s about 20%-25% of our customers - a very high number for the industry.

To have an inexpensive family experience.

For a date.

To give themselves a special treat.

To be in a relaxing third place. We serve coffee, espresso, and great frozen desserts.

To bring in their out of town guests. People like to show their special places to friends and relatives.

Many people reading this are not in the ice cream business and don’t even have a retail store. It doesn’t matter. Why do people use your product or service? How can you improve your customers’ experience with yourself or your product. You have to analyze why people patronize your business, and why people patronize your competition’s. Build the foundation for future growth. Be special.

Glacier Ice Cream