It's Like Chocolate Cake
Who loves chocolate cake?
I do. In fact, my wife sometimes makes fun of me and my love of chocolate. I drool over the Dove chocolate bar commercials. I moan a little when I bite into a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg. I'm a hot chocolate snob now, and can't believe anyone drinks hot chocolate from anywhere besides Starbucks.
Okay. I realize I have a problem. But, that's not why we're here.
Back to chocolate cake. And, I'm not just referring to plain old single-layered chocolate cake. I'm talking about the kind with two or three layers of frosting and then cake and then frosting and cake and maybe even another layer of frosting and cake.
For me, the best part is one of those middle layers of frosting, it moistens the layers of cake above and below. It gives the cake an extra bit of umph!
What I realized recently is that a business has the opportunity to be like chocolate cake. Most products or services are like plain chocolate cake. We're excited for that outer layer of frosting. It's sweet and tasty. (We feel good about what we've bought.) Then, we take a deeper bite and get into the cake. Sometimes the cake (and our experience with the product or service) is delicious, moist and smooth. It's not quite as good as the frosting, but still altogether a pleasant experience.
Other times, the cake is a little dry. We need the frosting to ensure the overall experience is a good one; and sometimes even that doesn't do the trick.
We were sold on the frosting, but the cake didn't deliver.
On the other hand, there's the double or triple layer chocolate cake. The frosting (our initial experience) is delicious, exactly what we expected. Then that first layer of cake is good, too. (We're pleased with the product weeks or months into using it.) And, then, BAM! We hit another layer of frosting. The cake around it tastes a little better than it did at first. (We received an email from the company where we bought the widget, sharing a little tip on how to use the widget more effectively.) The next layer of cake is even better than the first. That frosting above and below gives an added richness that you didn't expect. (A note arrives in the mail, asking how we're liking the widget and if there's anything we don't like about it!) The final layer of cake is so moist, so awesome, you just have to tell the world about this amazing piece of cake! (The company responded directly to a comment we sent back after that last note, and we updated our Facebook status with, "I love Product X. You've got to try this thing!"and links to the company's website.)
There are a ton of single-layer chocolate cake businesses out there, which opens up all kinds of opportunities to provide two or three or four layers with your product or service.
What about you?
What can you do to add a layer? An unexpected positive experience? An additional "touch" a week or two after a purchase? A how-to video sent just before a seasonal event where your product is often used? The options are limitless, you just need to be intentional.