This week I went to see Dream Girls in London with my friend Rachel.
As we were going to be travelling back quite late, so we decided to stay over instead. I booked a cheap and cheerful hotel for us.
When we arrived, there was much discussion about how we would get to the hotel in Covent Garden.
- I wanted to grab a cab (it’s convenience every time for me, not price).
- Rachel wanted to get the tube – 2 tubes, as a change was required. (Rachel doesn’t believe in spending over the odds unnecessarily).
Rachel won – on the basis that it wouldn’t be THAT far to walk from the tube station at the other end (with our heavy overnight bags… my heels… and Rachel’s recovering broken ankle).
First of all, we spent about 5 minutes at the Oyster card machine whilst she topped the cards up, and off we went onto the tube.
We got off the tube at our destination, and Rachel got her phone out to look at a map to guide us to the hotel. This is what happened next:
- “Premier Inn” I said. Shall I look at the address on the confirmation?
- “No” said Rachel, “I can just type it into my phone”.
- She found the location. 5 minutes away. We started walking.
- We went wrong, and had to look back at the map.
- We corrected ourselves and carried on walking.
- We got lost.
- We looked at the map again.
- We’d gone too far.
- “Shall I look at the address on the confirmation, and just check we’re going to the right place?”
- We agreed this was a suitable course of action.
- I checked the confirmation.
Wrong hotel.
We were supposed to be heading to the Travelodge.
I hailed a cab. We jumped in, and sighed with relief, as we put down our heavy bags and rested our weary feet!
We both got our way in the end – tube and taxi it was.
But too much money spent on that one trip.
The moral of the story:
Sometimes it pays to pay, to get the product or service you really need.
And it’s worth noting that the reason someone chooses a product or service shouldn’t be down to the price – but the value that you are able to offer.
So, think about your product or service…
What value is it that you offer, that connects to the needs, pain points and emotions of the customer?
If you can describe this to them within the marketing messages you share, then you are much more likely to resonate with them and get results.
When push comes to shove, you can have the best product in the entire world, and use the right marketing and sales channels – but if what you say doesn’t resonate with them, then what use is it?
Victoria ????
