A couple of years back, we three friends planned to visit Girnar. On the spur of the moment, we made the bookings. There were no comebacks. We booked the air tickets to Rajkot, rented a car, and made bookings in Hotel Click in Junagadh. We did not bother to check the ratings of the hotel. Click was the first hotel that showed up in the recommendations.
We reached Junagadh late in the evening. While we were checking in, the Manager at the front desk inquired about our plan to visit Girnar. We told him that we would be climbing up that night. He assured us that he would give us a wake-up call at around 12.30 am. We thanked him for this help, had our meal, and retired early to bed.
By 1:00 am, we were at the reception, ready to leave. To our surprise, the Manager was there to see us off. He told us that since we had selected an odd time and month to climb, we would not find any food stalls open on our way. He had therefore packed sandwiches and fruits for us. That package served us well. That was the only breakfast we had on the way. Since we started early, we were back at the hotel around 9.30 am. The hotel offers a free complimentary breakfast. We were hesitant to take it. This time a different manager was on duty. He insisted that we take breakfast. We told him about the free stuff the hotel had already provided us. He told us that it was routine, and we should have a complimentary breakfast.
Surprisingly, the cable TV in the room was not working. The guys tried their best to fix it. We had no complaints. That simple act in the night had delighted us. We were sold.
Where do you think I will stay when I am in Junagadh next? Which hotel would I recommend to people when they visit Junagadh?
Click is not a budget hotel. The stuff they packed for us was not more than a couple of hundred rupees. The price did not matter. What mattered was the courtesy and consideration shown by everyone in the hotel. The hotel has a great ambiance, serves tasty food, and is speckless. However, we only remember the package they gave us in the night. I call it the Cherry Topping.
In our quest for differentiation, we come up with complicated things. Usually, these things are not easy to execute consistently. They fail. When the industry standards are met, what differentiates us are these Cherry Toppings. They are small, quick, economical, repeatable, and very effective.
Metrics: What are the Cherry Toppings you can add to all the departments in the company? Yes, I mean all. Accounts, HR, Admin, Finance included. List them, implement them, reward people for doing them. Business is all about perception. Perceptions have a lasting impact that goes beyond the hard things that your company does. Find as many Cherry Toppings as possible. After all, they only add a penny to the cost and increase customer satisfaction by 10X.
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