A back and forth between Maggie and Rich on what goes into a 5-star (or 1-star) experience. Maggie turns the question back to Rich and he shares his 1-star rant. They also share feedback from Instagram followers and their conclusion about business in general. Spoiler Alert: “Its not about us”. Visit housecoffeepodcast.com to submit a question or feedback!
Special thanks to TJ McMaster for mixing and editing our episode!
Transcript
Intro:
Hey, you’re drinking house coffee – unfiltered conversations brewed at the intersection of real estate life and coffee shop service. We’re Maggie and Rich – local business owners and friends sharing stories and welcoming you to pull up a chair with us. The door’s always open. Let us pour you a cup.
Maggie:
At the red lights on and the
Rich:
Numbers are rolling. So cool every other time that’s been true. It’s awesome. That’s how that works.
Maggie:
Hey, guess what this episode 7
Rich:
Episode 7. Congrats.
Maggie:
Yeah
Rich:
Government made it this far.
Maggie:
I’m so impressed with us both
Rich:
Now. As of today. We’re still hoping that episode 6 drops Thursday.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
Because I only just send those files to TJ, my bad. But I’m sure that’ll be fine. I’m sure by the time you hear this you’ll also have heard episode 6 on Thursday just like you expected to
Maggie:
Yeah.
Rich:
So yeah, yeah today. How you doing?
Maggie:
Yeah doing great. Yeah, it’s a lovely day
Rich:
Good.
Maggie:
I’m
Rich:
Doing well. Thanks. I’ve had. A good day running around with my boy and hit up some specialty coffee shops and okay just went to one Jacob Alejandro.
Maggie:
Where’s that?
Rich:
It’s in Troy j a coffee culture is maybe the more formal name. But it’s name for the two guys that own it Jacob and Alejandro and they’re real deep in like the specialty coffee World. They kind of do a good job of marrying like Matt like I don’t want to like compare them to anything. Denigrating but they do a good job of making coffee interesting right because sometimes for me I’m I’m satisfied with the low-key like this coffee tastes like blueberries and cherries, you know, it’s just like it’s straightforward and it’s just coffee but they’ve got really fancy drinks that they make out of coffee. So it’s almost a little more Boutique a little more
Maggie:
Like a Martini
Rich:
In I don’t I don’t think they have any alcoholic things. But but yeah like
Maggie:
Along that realm
Rich:
Yes coffee served in champagne flutes and like really yes pretty drinks. Um Jake is Culinary Institute
Maggie:
Train. What’s the name of this place again?
Rich:
Ja Coffee Culture Jacob Alejandro in Troy, they’ve been open two or three. No, three three years three or four years. I rarely get to go there. I’ve just happened to be going to try for something else. So I I took a little stroll over there and got myself an espresso and a filter coffee. I got the boy his bottle and some hot water from the coffee bar. Thanks. To those guys and that was a good little day. We did we had to go to the right.
Maggie:
I saw the picture restaurant store. Oh, yeah with his bottle in the coffee cup. That
Rich:
Was when the boys get coffee.
Maggie:
I I
Rich:
Laughed myself. I saw that yeah. That’s what I do this cup right here if you check out the video at all on this episode. This is an insulated mirror mug. And so I take this with me out about because I can get hot water pretty much anywhere stewards or or whatever coffee shop and then I just put the bottle in there and it works really well to warm that up
Maggie:
Amazing. Yeah.
Rich:
Then I rinse it out and then I put coffee in it.
Maggie:
Follow Rich for more dad hacks.
Rich:
That’s right. Okay today. We’re talking to you about five star experiences.
Maggie:
Yeah, we put a poll out.
Rich:
Well kind terrible the question.
Maggie:
I did the question. Oh a question. Yeah.
Rich:
We wanted to get people’s thoughts. What?
Maggie:
Yep
Rich:
Is a five star experience to you. What was the last one you had I think was the way you you had framed it. Um,
Maggie:
Where
Rich:
Where I like I like to eat but
Maggie:
I reposted the question because the first time around I only got two responses.
Rich:
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. We weren’t help we weren’t expecting a ton of stuff out there. But just this I’m excited because this is the first time we get to
Maggie:
Yeah, we haven’t gone over this
Rich:
Doing that. Well, yes, yes, but what I mean is this is the first time we get to talk on an episode with engaging with people’s input. Yes, you know thoughts from other people in implemented into our conversation. So just gives us a little bit of extra stuff to Riff on and and think through for as long as my phone’s battery lasts. Okay. Well, you should go first then. I mean, maybe I don’t know.
Maggie:
So we’re talking about five star experiences.
Rich:
Yes. Well, this is why the okay, go ahead. Sorry.
Maggie:
Well, I just want to summarize before. We we go into it. Yeah,
Rich:
Go ahead. You’re probably gonna say the same kind of thing. Yeah,
Maggie:
We your idea but like
Rich:
Yeah, I don’t even know why I thought I was like five star experience. Yeah,
Maggie:
And we want to talk about because we’re business owners and we hope to give five star experiences to our clients and customers and so we wanted to talk about that on our podcast. and Also, you know. What makes a five-star experience because it’s gonna be different.
Rich:
Yes
Maggie:
The board and industries so
Rich:
Yeah, exactly. I mean it’s such an interesting phenomenon. I think that’s like I’m intrigued by reviews. Okay. I’m intrigued by the phenomenon of reviews of businesses. I get them. I don’t leave a lot of them myself, maybe because I’ve seen the other side, you know, the only one star review I’ve ever given. I think is to to the restaurant supply store, which I’m not gonna name it. I’m just telling you the restaurant supply store in our area. It’s the only one my review literally says if there was another option, I wouldn’t go here but there’s no other option and
Maggie:
And they know it and
Rich:
It’s not like every time I go it’s a one-star experience. It’s just that I’ve been going there for five. years and and like as a baseline, it’s a one-star kind of experience there. Wow. Or at least it has been overtime,
Maggie:
Okay. you know, I gave a five-star experience to a business and then I changed my mind and I took my review down.
Rich:
That’s hilarious.
Maggie:
That’s not up there anymore.
Rich:
Do you leave reviews with like data? Do you leave a lot of reviews?
Maggie:
I don’t unless the business. Asks me to
Rich:
Because
Maggie:
I work with a lot of individual sole Proprietors contractors inspectors. Attorneys things like that. So sometimes a person or a small business will send me a link to review and if I had a good experience, of course, I’ll leave a five star review, but I maybe was a little bit too enthusiastic about the review. I left this particular business and ended up working with them somehow again, and I had a terrible experience and I took the
Rich:
Down couldn’t back up with you.
Maggie:
Yes. Mm-hmm.
Rich:
Wow.
Maggie:
I stand by my word if it I’m evolving, so I’m willing to to change a review. Yeah.
Rich:
Well, so on my one star review I have actually edited it but I didn’t I didn’t delete the old one. I just wrote probably like update with the new date on it. It’s kind of mean but I stand by it, you know if they start up in the game out there. Look, I’m not here to judge. I’m just telling you like you’re literally a restaurant business restaurants exist in the hospitality and hospitality industry. It’s not like we don’t want hospitality when we go out but whatever. Yeah. I’m glad we’re starting from this place of how you and I are engaging with reviews because that’s I mean, you know, that’s that’s what makes
Maggie:
Yeah.
Rich:
That’s where I’m coming from is like Okay, that story we have largely had. We’ve largely had a 4.9. on Google for pretty much the entirety of our existence five is almost impossible to have on Google when you get Beyond a certain number of reviews. So I don’t hold out for a five. 4.9. I was like that is very generous. We’re very fortunate to have that. I feel like we just have people who Are very generous in their reviews and I’m
Maggie:
Always like viewed for Story.
Rich:
Please do. Not so fish for it, but like, you know, the more the merrier and so now right now currently to my knowledge, we’re down to 4.8. And I think that’s still good. 4.8 is is very rare to see a 4.8 business on yeah on Google Now on on Yelp.
Maggie:
You know, it doesn’t count
Rich:
We could do a whole episode on Yelp actually, but I’m not here. I don’t my thing with Yelp. I just let it I let it exist. And then I just don’t interact with it. The only thing I try to do is try to keep my hours updated there, but that’s about it. And that’s because That’s because Apple Maps syncs with your Yelp hours.
Maggie:
Oh,
Rich:
So if anyone ever tells me like oh your hours are wrong on Apple Mass. I’m like, that’s because I have pretty much no control over that as far as I know.
Maggie:
That’s a good tip for people out there.
Rich:
Yeah. It is
Maggie:
Apple Maps thinks with Yelp
Rich:
To my knowledge as far as I’ve seen and explored that is That’s the majority of I think I think that’s where the import that data from. I don’t use Apple Maps very much. Either
Maggie:
Me. Neither.
Rich:
Just kind of a Google person. Despite my love for Apple. Okay. Anyway, this isn’t about all this is about. Reviews. Yeah, so you Google’s my go-to. We try to keep things updated there as far as hours and we don’t respond to a lot of reviews. I’m not gonna lie, but we do receive most of our reviews on there on Yelp. I kind of feel like if you’re like a 4.5 you’re actually doing. Okay. So the standard there is less your status on Yelp. The last I checked. I think it is 4.5.
Maggie:
Oh
Rich:
People on Yelp. It’s just like a different flavor of like reviews in my experience in a different flavor of I don’t know. I’m actually you know what honestly if you’re a Yelp user out there. I’m kind of here to call you out because there’s literally a there’s literally a group called Yelp Elites. Wow starts off on the wrong foot with me. All right, and it’s it’s to my it’s from my taste just a little bit of like too much. How can I put it? Bougie, it’s like you’re trying to be something it’s like you’re trying to be a foodie or a food critic. And I mean, let’s talk about Foodies, but Look, I’m not here. I don’t exist for Foodies. Okay, if if we’re out here winning Foodies as a result of what we do and that’s just like a bonus, but I’m not here to play to the Foodies and I’m sorry, that’s probably why we don’t have as much business as we as we should, you know, step it up Jacob all Andrew Foodies. Definitely foodie like haven’t you that’s that’s where that’s where you want to go storied. We got good stuff. And if you’re foodie, I think you’ll appreciate it. But we’re not like dressing it up the way I think
Maggie:
I
Rich:
Think the way sometimes it goes. But anyway Yelp just not not my vibe, dude.
Maggie:
All right.
Rich:
I’m about also the business model. And we’re not here to talk about Yelp and business models right now. But are we though? I don’t know. Are you familiar with Yelp at all?
Maggie:
I don’t use it. No,
Rich:
Okay. So and you can list any kind of I think any business can be listed on Yelp. Here’s something you might not know you can’t get rid of your profile on there. and that’s well and good. I mean, you know, the principal is that consumers should be able to review a place and I don’t think you could. Maybe you can unclaim it. Maybe that’s the way you can do it. And then I think you can do the same thing on Google they’re kind of like The same but
Maggie:
But we’re here to talk about our five-star experiences.
Rich:
Well, I’m telling you about how the the one star review the one star experience. I’m having with the output.
Maggie:
Oh,
Rich:
Okay, and no just kidding. I’m framing it that way or no now for my convenience, but Well Okay, the reason these are things are relevant is because of these are the channels. For reviews awesome, you might also if you’re running a business try to get some reviews on a website, you know, or solicit them via email. I don’t know there’s different ways to get reviews from customers. And I’m interested here your perspective actually because you’re not a restaurant or like yeah a Google. Do you have a business on Google?
Maggie:
I just created a business page on Google like a week ago, but not because of this podcast because just to get more reviews other than Zillow.
Rich:
Yeah.
Maggie:
Yeah, that’s my platform for reviews. So
Rich:
I don’t even know what that looks like for.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
A non-physical.
Maggie:
I had to
Rich:
Create I guess we had an office. Like like a desert do real estate brokerages have Google listings, I would think they would because they have a physical building you’re going to but you don’t have a physical.
Maggie:
I use my broker’s address as my address and I use my cell phone number as my Number
Rich:
Yeah. so Okay, I’ll have to go look at I leave your review. Yeah be honest.
Maggie:
I know right? I mean Zillow reviews for me or where like used to be the thing because You wanted to have five star until which I do, but I just don’t really like I’m not really good at asking people for reviews.
Rich:
Okay. Everybody Gonna Leave mag here. No unless you want to unless you’ve experienced her five star service. And
Maggie:
Totally yeah, don’t commit fraud. If you actually haven’t worked with
Rich:
Definitely don’t do that
Maggie:
Because then I’ll get
Rich:
So Zillow is like a place where Realtors work. tell me more tell me more,
Maggie:
You know, Zillow is
Rich:
I’m look No just talked about my reticence. Right?
Maggie:
I’ve never
Rich:
Love Street by a house or
Maggie:
Totally
Rich:
Or even really looking probably Christine is more familiar.
Maggie:
So the way it works on Zillow is I can have an agent profile so I can have a profile because I my real estate license is tied to a brokerage and I can have an actual profile for Uploading listings and and things like that and my clients can leave me reviews based upon their experience and that way if somebody’s looking to sell their house or looking to buy their house they can search for a realtor. They can search my name Maggie from in Zillow and they can see how many houses I’ve sold where I’ve sold what my reviews are. Yeah what I you know my profile and it’s something that is a service that Zillow has and all the other all the sites have it too really calm has it. I’m sure. I have one on home snap. There’s all these there’s all these sites but it’s just a lot to keep up with and I just don’t I just choose to go with like the bigger players.
Rich:
Yeah, you just trust that your service is a five stars and people are gonna just respond accordingly. Yeah. Um that made me think even Facebook like if you have Facebook page you get reviews there. I really they’ve changed that model a little bit now. It’s like a rating but it used to be you could just do the same sort of five star one to five star kind of thing and and leave commentary about it. Even if you have a Facebook Marketplace account, you have a seller rating.
Maggie:
I know
Rich:
You know. Well, you know because you’re probably fine. Thank you. Yeah, but I do look you know, these are these things matter because like they inform people’s decisions about whether they’re gonna work or purchase from you, you know work with you or purchase from you for better or worse. And so A story we’re really proud of the high rating. We have we read the reviews. And when a five star review comes in and this happens a lot more commonly than I like when a review comes in and it’s like five stars. I love that. But if there’s no commentary on it, they haven’t said anything. then I’m also a little bit like Man, well, I’m happy about that. Sorry, there wasn’t anything too no worthy or like who knows where they’re coming from when they don’t say something about it, but it also makes this wonders like wow what what happened in that experience to make it so good. And so we’re almost left wondering sometimes like what are we doing? Right, you know when we get those High reviews and then other times when people do leave helpful commentary. I always appreciate that because it helps us. Like check.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
Make sure we’re checking the right boxes. And then I’m not saying I hate low reviews. It’s hard to maintain such a high mark on reviews and so one Stars kill us. Two stars. Have you not stars are we’ve got it. There’s a couple there sure. you know sometime here’s there’s another interesting thing in review world where sometimes it’s hard to tell if a review is real and I’m not saying we’ve got a lot of that but there’s definitely been some over the years where it’s like this feels fake or they named a name of someone who’s not even our business one time. We got a review check this out. Somebody was like there was hair in my coffee and then they said that the Barista was they literally use the word that was like content like a synonym of contentious. It was like they Almost had an altercate. I think these the word altercation and I was like What are you talking about? And then we’re like I couldn’t read their name tag, but I think it started with c and I was like dude, we don’t even there’s no name tags that story. So then I was like is this a real review? Actually, then I was a two star so shoutouts we’ve maintaining some level of
Maggie:
Yeah
Rich:
Something against was that even a real review? I don’t know. Just stuff like that goes on but by and large. we’re just very fortunate to have yeah, the kind of reviews we have in the generous like customers and community that that surround story but it makes me Think because you know that you can’t take that for granted and that’s I think maybe something that makes this whole thing interesting to me like what are people looking? For in an experience that’s going to lead to them leaving and coming back. Well, yes, but I mean leaving a five-star review
Maggie:
Got it.
Rich:
What about an experience is going to one leaving the feeling that good but and two motivate them to take a step toward to like go out of the way to write something or even just have those five
Maggie:
Stars. I almost value and this could be controversial but I almost value repeat business more than I value reviews. Because to me if somebody wants to work with me again. That shows that they had a good experience
Rich:
First time around. Yeah. That’s
Maggie:
That’s the biggest complement that somebody can give me.
Rich:
That’s a great point. I mean if you have poor service like there’s a only a short. window of of recovery. Yeah, you know, so. Yeah, people will repeat business. That’s that’s great indication that you’re doing something, right? The point of like good reviews is so that you’ll get new business
Maggie:
Right
Rich:
More than I think anything else. And then the new business, you know, if they know you have a favorable reputation that can lead to a repeat business. So
Maggie:
Yeah, you want to create it all kinds itself. Yeah,
Rich:
But repeat business definitely something to be desired and a good indication of personal Improvement, but I don’t know there’s something about like when someone has such a good experience, they’re like compelled. Yeah leave to tell others about it.
Maggie:
There’s a book called The Power of moments. Have you heard of it?
Rich:
I don’t think so.
Maggie:
I’m not gonna go this isn’t going to be like a book review, but it’s basically is
Rich:
Destroyed book
Maggie:
Club about maybe we could do it under book club, but it’s about creating. Memories and creating moments for people that will like stick in their mind when they have an experience with you. So he talks about these That’s So businesses that their whole business revolves around making memories. And so when somebody comes to their there’s this the story right in the beginning of the book that there’s this hotel and at this hotel has what’s called the popsicle hotline and it’s not like a fancy hotel. It’s like kind of like a Podunk hotel, but their thing is when you ring the bell somebody comes in a suit and a silver tray with a popsicle
Rich:
Joking
Maggie:
By the pool and that is the service and so people flock to this hotel because they want to experience the popsicle hotline and so they get all these amazing reviews because People are making such amazing memories. And so the whole point of having a business. With your business is creating memorable experiences for people so that they never forget you.
Rich:
That’s crazy.
Maggie:
Yep.
Rich:
That sounds like a book that and I need to read but also you think I have actually already read that
Maggie:
The power of moments I think is what the book is called
Rich:
Institute. Okay. Do you know what stories mission statement is? Well,
Maggie:
Every shop tells a story.
Rich:
No, that’s our that’s our quote unquote tagline. All right, and actually The tagline is always evolving.
Maggie:
That was a trick question.
Rich:
That was the original tagline. Well, that’s what’s on so true. It’s yes. You have a OG cup it’s still true. However, Over time I changed
Maggie:
Poured memory served or something like that.
Rich:
Tales told come by job. Okay. Wow. Still just the tagline though. Literally, here’s what I say. Here’s what I say stories like why we exist We Exist, too. provide for memorable experiences through specialty coffee milk tea and more That is that’s your mission State. That’s the phrase. Well, I don’t know if that’s actually a mission statement. There’s a lot to be said about mission statements how to frame them what their purpose is what they accomplish and what truly makes emissions statement. I think there’s probably a range of opinions on that. But I but yes. I have said it as a mission statement, but even more to the point I call it sometimes I sometimes I use as a synonym this idea but an existence statement for what that’s just so and when you frame things that way it can just be interesting way to think about things. But what I say is We Exist too story it exists to provide for memorable experiences through especially coffee milkies and more. And so the idea there and this is why I love that. This book exists. You said the mall, what’d you
Maggie:
Say power of moments
Rich:
Our moments? Okay. Yeah, so agree with that. That’s what a story does all about the whole idea of storied. Shout out to Chris who is probably gonna hear this on Audible which by the way, apparently you can hear podcasts on Audible. So she came into the shop the other day. She’s like I was listening in your podcast and I’m waiting for the story behind the name story. So let’s talk about story those the whole time. We’re still going to talk about faster reviews. But this one’s for Chris the idea of the name story comes from that kidney notion every cup tells a story but more so it’s rooted in the the concept of it’s kind of conceptual this idea that we want. We want experiences and when we go to a coffee shop, or we go to like the same place in our lives on repeat or we have a routines. It’s because There’s a meaningful thing happening there or there’s the potential for a meaningful moment. And that’s something that I think. Coffee shops encapsulate maybe more than anything for people and that’s been true for me. And I think that’s that’s what I was lashing on to when I was like I want to open a coffee shop. but what we want to do is celebrate the moments that people are the moments that people are are having and then the people who are having those moments they’re trying to infuse those moments with coffee. So for instance, you’re about to hit the road for a road trip. You’re gonna stop at a coffee shop. Your coffee shop and grab a cold brew or a latte or a donut or whatever. You know what I mean, if you’re on the way to work so many people same place every day or every few days because that’s like They’ve got this routine. They’ve got this story of their life, but they’re they’re infusing it with this this experience that the coffee shop. I think that happens so often and so for me, I bought that down to every cup. Is telling this? This of this experience every cup is telling of this experience and so story is like we don’t want to take those that for granted. We want to recognize that people are coming in here to have a moment. People are coming in here to share a moment with themselves or with a friend or with a barista. You know or with a cup of coffee, whatever it is. That’s where the the concept of story the name story came from was capturing that whole thing that you just said this book is about and so I’m actually stoked that that’s resonant idea that yeah, I think out there and I think that that is the kind of thing when we tap into it when we’re like Firing on all cylinders at at the shop or on a work day when people are coming in when I’m doing my best work. It’s when I’m engaging people. in their moment that they’re in and trying to like step in their shoes or just empathize and be in that moment with them instead of just taking it for for granted which I think is with so many business experiences are like it’s just getting taken for granted
Maggie:
For sure.
Rich:
Okay, that’s a lot but
Maggie:
I was that was beautiful rich. it was
Rich:
So, okay. All right. Well, here’s what I think goes into my sense of a five-star experience. It’s when it’s when people Don’t take me for granted as a consumer. They they appreciate so I usually like the appreciation we love when they appreciation is there we love when the product is quality and thoughtfully prepared consistent. If it’s the same place, I’m going to the law usually. The overall experience for me if it’s five stars. It comes down to just like I’m getting the I’m getting a thoughtful. experience from top to bottom Thoughtful meaning like they thought about my experience from the time. I entered the door maybe even the time I enter the parking lot. I don’t know. They thought about my experience and they tried to make it good for me. Knowing expecting me to be there. Whomever I am, you know, but like expecting a person to be there. They thought about it from top to bottom and they thought about everything it would take
Maggie:
To
Rich:
Make that whole experience. I used to work experience. Memorable
Maggie:
Because let me ask you this real talk. Do you think that storied
Rich:
No, sorry. Go ahead.
Maggie:
Do you think that story is a five-star experience
Rich:
Dude? I honestly I mean no. Look we’re Our Own Worst critics, right
Maggie:
Of course
Rich:
Biggest critics. And so sometimes sometimes I mean
Maggie:
And put you on the spot.
Rich:
I just such a good question. And this is why I
Maggie:
Think about this kind of effect from other businesses.
Rich:
Not what I expect actually I expect much less because I don’t expect people to be so thoughtful.
Maggie:
Okay, but but something that makes a five-star experience for you. Do you ever think about what makes a five-star experience for you offering that to your customers?
Rich:
We try to within our limitations and that’s why I hesitate. That’s why I struggle it’s hard for a place to offer a five-star experience when people are run ragged when you can’t afford nicer things when your chairs are. Breaking or like, you know, whatever whatever it is. Like for me. We’ve always worked with extremely limitations financially and not to go into all that right now, but that those things have we’ve been owner operators since day one. We still are in fact, we took our staff and made one of them and owner just because like that’s gonna afford them as staff, you know,
Maggie:
Shout out to
Rich:
Shout out to Abby. Yeah,
Maggie:
I didn’t know. Yeah
Rich:
Abby. So we’ll talk about stories ownership and structure in the future, but yes, so one of the things that I’ve like one of my biggest regrets has been Swings, we we built this thing. Our vision originally was very much to Three values right Quality Craft and we should say customer connection. Now, we don’t say customer anymore. We don’t use that word. We say guest but Quality Craft connection. Okay, it’s got a Leisure. It’s got alliteration. That’s cool. But the but actually I know connection is at the end because it sounds the best at the end, but it’s actually value number one. Connection with people because I think I’m really convinced that people who go anywhere with any business experience anything transactional. I mean unless you’re shopping online maybe but like you go somewhere physically you want more than a cup of coffee you want. You want more than what you’re paying for? You want connection you want a human experience with someone and you want your money to get you the physical thing you need but also like the human connection you actually need that’s what I think people are looking for and when I go places and I don’t get that and I get a crappy cup of coffee. It’s just like They not made.
Maggie:
Yeah, it’s
Rich:
It’s so dissatisfying and just satisfy.
Maggie:
Yeah
Rich:
Word unsatisfied. so knowing that Trying to work through that a story. It has been a really interesting experience because we don’t when you’re an owner operator. I mean shout out to the small business owners who know that you wear every hat when you can’t afford to let other people wear the hats and when that happens things just fall through the cracks and eventually you run out of the energy. that inspired your vision and allows you to carry out your vision, you know, and so from the early days. We just were busier than we could handle. And it became a lot to manage really quick. And so you know investing in in those connections became something that that kind of fell to the Wayside more than I love to admit and definitely more than I wanted to see and I think that it’s been a struggle to keep up with that or or reverse that course. and so I’ve even wondered like I’ve even wondered. You know because we used to see certain people and then we would and this happens in the life cycle of every business. I’m sure but like you you see some regulars and then you just suddenly you don’t see those regulars. and maybe you have new regulars, but for whatever reason stored was a was a season for somebody and I always wonder if for some folks like our failure to connect and really be who we said we were Is the reason why they dropped off? No,
Maggie:
I think you’re being way too hard on yourself,
Rich:
Right? I actually feel I mean
Maggie:
No
Rich:
Feel free to talk about the ledge but I feel pretty strongly. I mean, I don’t I’m not even done. Well, like I think we’ve done maybe the best we could so I’m not trying to say it was unavoidable I just I just wonder but I’m interested in your perspective, but I just I wonder if For some folks if we had connected better with those people. I mean, you know
Maggie:
You know who they are you’re faces in mind, but I might be like a five-star experience if my coffee shop owner who I used to regularly go to. Sent me a DM or sent me a text or sent me an email or snail mail, whatever it is and just a postcard. I was like hey, I haven’t seen you in a while. Hope you’re doing well. Here’s a free cup of coffee.
Rich:
Wow, you know what? I literally have actually thought of something like that.
Maggie:
Well, I know it’s so honest, but do it.
Rich:
It’s so on transactional.
Maggie:
I know zero expectation
Rich:
Presuming that you don’t do it. As a show and like this is actually not. No I haven’t seen but no being the kind of person I am that’s just that’s just the kind of unorthodox way of doing business that I actually would
Maggie:
Yeah.
Rich:
Want to do that? I don’t know what’s coming from doing it maybe. Wearing all the other hats too. Sure, but well, of course, that’s an interesting. That’s a fun idea. I’m sure there’s probably a handful of people reminds me of it that reminds me of a whole business approach that I heard someone talk to but talk about doing that. dmming people in this day and age though. I mean that that gets a little dicey and not to talk not to get us off way off. Yeah track your butt. You know, I’m still a dude and you can’t just everybody out here.
Maggie:
That’s what you say and create in canva postcards and you can send it to someone and say free coffee on us. Haven’t seen you in a while. Yeah,
Rich:
I’d have to print the postcard and take a photo of it and then deem it dmit because it was a dress that I have. But okay, that’s an interesting idea. That’s interesting idea, but it gets to the point of well, first of all, I’m answering your question, which was A story living up to this this expectation of ourselves or this vision. And I mean what business is living up to its own expectation. I don’t know. If you are out there like running a business and you’re crushing it more in your own mind. Yeah, please um, Shot yourself out and that’s a message because I Love You Yeah Yeah, we actually would be interested in that perspective, you know. if if you are running a business or whatever creative procedure doing I’ve started using the language of was a creative Ventures.
Maggie:
Yeah, if
Rich:
You got to create a venture going on and you are getting good feedback and and have a sense of what is going into your five star service. We actually love to hear more about that because there’s probably this could be an ongoing conversation.
Maggie:
We need to have Becca on this podcast.
Rich:
You’re so right.
Maggie:
Anyway,
Rich:
Shout out to heard you business Rebecca Loomis branding.
Maggie:
Yeah, right. Yeah, Rebecca Loomis branding.
Rich:
Okay.
Maggie:
She’s the bomb.
Rich:
She hooks us up with our our photos for this.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
I know we shouted our Herald before but that was more like her. Photography photography and this is like her branding.
Maggie:
Yeah
Rich:
Photography slash branding business. Yep. Um, all right, so did I answer your question?
Maggie:
Yes,
Rich:
Are we getting up to our expectations of ourselves?
Maggie:
You gave me the short not really and the long version but
Rich:
Listen. 2023 dude 24 we’re coming for you. All right this new year new story except we’re halfway into this year almost
Maggie:
Doesn’t matter.
Rich:
It’s still We came into this year. Well, we came into this second quarter ready for action. Yeah, so
Maggie:
You did have a kid earlier this year.
Rich:
That’s what I mean. But having the kids
Maggie:
Shout out to Oliver.
Rich:
Yes having the kid allowed me to step away. In a in a way of never been able to do in five years. I was like forced to not go to work. In the physical business where you can’t think and like you can’t be creative and think and run the register and make espresso at the same time necessarily it’s it’s hard to do or like do taxes. It’s hard to do all that stuff one. You’re actually also physically present in the shop and so many people know that reality and I see you I feel that for you and with you and so I had a couple months to just step back and like really look at first of all the financial reality of our business and that helped us make some
Maggie:
Strategic
Rich:
Strategic and hard and like real decisions, but it also gave me a little bit of like a breath of fresh air of you know, what storied is a concept. I love people seem to Vibe with it. And even though we live in the smallest town in the world with a few people possible that’s such an exaggeration but Even though we struggle with like low volume. we think this thing is bigger than us and if we can just Nurture it for a long enough. I think it’s really gonna like we believe in it in such a way that like five years in we’re still actually more psyched than ever about what storied could be. And what it could become and so we’re just trying to hold on to that Abby’s Abby coming in as an owner is a big part of new possibilities. She’s only been with us since August and that capacity and
Maggie:
The less than a year.
Rich:
Yeah. Listen here. This is May right now. So Just yeah. Yeah, but she’s like she’s with me, you know, she’s and that’s why she’s an owner. She’s she’s storied potential and and so we’re actually really excited about all the possibilities. In the future the financial reality isn’t quite there right now, but that’s better look out for that five star service coming at you. All right if it wasn’t there before. She’s coming for you
Maggie:
Can only go up from
Rich:
Not gonna say when it’s coming for you but it’s it’s coming for you because that’s the way we’re starting to think. That’s why we’re having this conversations. Yeah, I’ve been thinking about was a five-star experience, you know, and how do we how do we own that and like push ourselves to that every time how to make every experience that kind of memorable. Five Star level experience. Okay, that’s enough for me you say anymore on that that you got or else we can pull up some thoughts because some people
Maggie:
No, let’s pause feedback. Let’s pull up our feedback
Rich:
Cool. Which is not to say we’re gonna go to our pages and read our reviews.
Maggie:
No, no, we’re gonna We what we’re doing now is we put out a question on Instagram and we had several people answer the question on the sticker that we had and so We’re not going to say every single one of their responses because it’d be like so overwhelming just kidding.
Rich:
We don’t actually
Maggie:
Have many responses, but but We can we always
Rich:
40 minutes deep. So
Maggie:
All right. All right, so
Rich:
Well the listen people love us now. All right, we’re six this League episode 7. Okay. So I mean look, yeah cut out if they got it or you know, two part it for yourself, whatever totally whatever it is
Maggie:
Totally not
Rich:
That. We’re gonna go that much
Maggie:
Longer,
Rich:
But we are gonna get into some of these thoughts from other people.
Maggie:
So I posted a question. Well, you post where do you want to start?
Rich:
My question was I think we both posted the same.
Maggie:
Yeah
Rich:
Idea just maybe in different words and I posted to the storied page and then you I think we shared it.
Maggie:
Different
Rich:
Places and you posted to your page. In other words, we posted to our business pages and asked kind of same question two different ways. I asked what Makes of what
Maggie:
Five star experience you said it could be any industry. What makes something a five-star experience? Yeah.
Rich:
What makes something a five-star experience for you any industry? Just just get people not thinking like oh this coffee shop is asking me about that. It’s more like when you have five star service, what is going into that
Maggie:
Which I think was a little bit too broad of a question, but it’s okay. We got some responses. Well, unless you got a ton.
Rich:
No. No, I just don’t know if that was too broad. Like I wanted the broaden. I wanted to open internet to lead people.
Maggie:
So the response is that I got were how you are treated. So somebody’s Will somebody’s impression of a five-star experience? in any industry is how they are treated
Rich:
How they are treated.
Maggie:
Yep.
Rich:
Okay,
Maggie:
And another person responded and said attention to details.
Rich:
Okay. Attention to details, which that’s kind of like the same thought I was saying. Before you know thoughtful from top to bottom. Okay, anything else?
Maggie:
I reposted the question and made it a little bit more specific and I said where have you had a five-star experience? And these are some of the responses I got storied. That wasn’t me. Oh, it was an actual response.
Rich:
Thanks
Maggie:
Arthur’s
Rich:
Nice I have.
Maggie:
Yeah, they’re amazing. Someone replied and said fellow the coffee pour over kettle. They had an issue with their Kettle and fellow had great customer service and made it right
Rich:
Cool.
Maggie:
And then I got some responses from people who had five star experiences at Resorts and hotels. So someone said Aruba, I’m assuming it was like a resort somewhere in Aruba and Bald Head Island was another one where people
Rich:
Five star experience. When you posted it. You did have a photo it was you were super imposing over a photo of like a beach resort right now.
Maggie:
I know it was
Rich:
But it’s not like you got all responses about people
Maggie:
Totally Nations. I got it. That’s never enough.
Rich:
Photo but yeah, I thought of that. That’s such an interesting note about fellow is that someone you’ve talked to about fellow like did they already
Maggie:
Have that it was a friend of mine
Rich:
And they just randomly responded with oh this company.
Maggie:
Yeah.
Rich:
Wow, shout out to fellow. Yeah fellow is a not a sponsor of this podcast. But hey, if you want to know just kidding. They are like a specialty
Maggie:
Kettle
Rich:
Drinkware. And Equipment brewing equipment company. So in other words, they definitely had a booth at the specialty coffee Expo and they do every year and it’s a five-star Booth dude. It looks good. They are engaging they have they do a little like ring toss game. So they set up a bunch of their like teacups and then they give you these things and you have to toss it and try to get it in the cup and if you do you win one and we didn’t do it this year. The line was so long, but Christine actually one. I don’t know if I want it or if she want it, but we won one of the cups from the last two years ago did so yeah, just just that’s the degree to which like a good company is is gonna take things. It’s like hey, we’re we’re out here doing this like one-off experience for people but we’re gonna make it engaging we’re gonna make it memorable and that’s that’s what we’re talking about. Shut up.
Maggie:
What responses did you have?
Rich:
Okay, also. attention to detail I wonder if that’s the same person for you. Maybe folks going the extra mile consistency care good product. That’s all from one person. So attention detail going extra mile consistency character products. Yeah,
Maggie:
That’s hard
Rich:
Then another one said personalization. Carefully listening to and genuinely responding to an individual’s needs. Becca actually said consists the as well and a standalone response. Another thought was under promise over deliver, which I mean I try to be the king of that. Yeah. That is pretty much my Mo. I don’t want to sell you too big of an idea. But then I I want to just crush it when I’m gonna interacting with you. Somebody else just literally said customer service. Someone else said great customer service and I actually responded to both those people and tried to get their thoughts on what how do you define customer service? So somebody said If I frequent a place. I said what are some features of customer service? How would you begin to Define it and what extra features might make the service great. That was the follow-up question to someone who said customer service and they wrote If I frequent a place I like when they remember my name or engage in small talk or give me a compliment. Just even a greeting as I enter. Smiling helps if they’re not going to talk. And then giving me a minute to look at the menu if I need to not rushing me. Which love all that? So we’re just gonna take all these kinds like ideas.
Maggie:
That’s great feedback.
Rich:
Yeah,
Maggie:
That’s gold.
Rich:
I know it’s actually pretty insightful for me as a business.
Maggie:
That should be like
Rich:
And y’all out there.
Maggie:
Printed and put on like You know onboarding here for
Rich:
You, maybe not wrong. Yeah, this you know kind of like
Maggie:
That’s gold.
Rich:
This is so I mean, maybe this is helpful for people and it’s always work that’s always our goal is to be helpful for people on What we’re hearing is that people look for. Okay. Well, here’s the last thought whatever the opposite of complacency is. Also creativity and originality go a long way. Hmm. So I’m here and things like personalization. Tailor it to the person at hand. Which I was saying before don’t take people for granted every person who comes here to your three door is is different. They’re expecting a different thing from you kind of but then also they’re expecting. the same thing from you so sure so okay. I’m highlighting that personalization feature of like great service is like The way on the way, I like to frame it just for myself. Don’t take people for granted. Don’t take that. You have customers for granted. Don’t take that you have good products for granted. You know, which I never do. My motto is good coffee is Not an Accident but really good anything is not an accident. Going the extra mile. I don’t pull that quote for the Instagram. Please do folks going the extra mile.
Maggie:
Good anything is Not an Accident.
Rich:
You heard it here first. That can look a lot of different ways. No.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
And that kind of like based on you know, what’s what’s happening for someone in your shop, you know, go there tomorrow like someone could spill or drink and you’re like, oh, please don’t worry about it. We’ll get it, you know get the paper towels going or just do what you can go the extra mile on like recommending drinks. Talking through things. I like to keep things. What am I just like personality things that I bring to any service experiences like I love to keep things conversational and I love to keep people. engaged in that way because it’s want to keep things interesting when you’re doing the same thing every day for five years or just like most days, you know, you got to keep interesting for yourself. So even if I see the same person every day or every week I try to not have the same conversation every time. if I know their name then another name if I don’t know their name, I try to conversationally ask them their name again. Like could you please remind me your name or what’s your name again? And just whatever the tone. However, I can take the tone and like ask the question and try not to be too scripted about it. Even though we do ask every customer’s name. we try to pretty much every time so we either know their name or we don’t know their name and we try to remember it. We try to learn it, but I continue to ask.
Maggie:
That’s a gift. To remember people’s names. Yeah, so many people coming and going
Rich:
I definitely don’t sleep. Well enough to be as good as bad as I used to be. But I would definitely enjoy the challenge of her memory people’s name, but side note you have to ask first before you can know their name. And in my experience in too many places I’ve gone. I’ve been a frequent or frequent enough visitor. We’re talking years going on the same place. Nobody’s ever asked nobody knows or maybe they know my name from I don’t know Instagram stalking or some other way mutual friend, who knows but like Yeah, if I go somewhere and I think I’m pretty sure you don’t know my name after so many years. I’m like that’s that’s the kind of service experience. That’s disappointing to me. That’s not your best work. Okay.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
So there’s a little freebie for you. Now that’s restaurant service coffee shop counter, you know my philosophy on that. That’s not you’re a waiter or yeah, you know, that’s not your waitress
Maggie:
Idea Falls names
Rich:
Be asking everybody’s names, you know at the table like that just I mean Okay, if you’re gonna get creative with that, that’s one thing but that’s not what I’m saying.
Maggie:
I have this trick that. I because I deal with so many people’s names and faces and different Industries across the board I I will put like a little note underneath like Their name or their address or like but like in in their actual like first name last name and you know, there’s a spot where you can write like a company. Sometimes I’ll write their address or like how I know them or So when? Because that you can search in your phone so or if like they call like one time I had someone call me and I had no idea who they were but I had a note underneath like the company and it was their address and I was like, oh and I just I was able to answer the phone like
Rich:
With that when it rings. Yes, super smart. Yeah. I was wondering if you’re like on the like put him on speaker like in cognito. Oh like
Maggie:
When in the background looking up there? No, if you have somebody’s number saved in your phone if you write a note in the company section, so if I have Rich sarnaki, I could write like storied underneath. It shows that it will show up as like storied in when that calls you so sometimes I’ll put people’s address and that spot. And then when they call me or they’re profession or
Rich:
Whatever it might be. Yeah,
Maggie:
You know, you could put Emojis next to people’s names too.
Rich:
I think I know that. Yeah, that’s probably also good idea.
Maggie:
Super helpful If you have multiple people in your phone at the same name,
Rich:
Yeah. Well, yes. So, okay. All right. What are you hearing people say they want from their five-star experiences.
Maggie:
Well, I quite honestly, I’m still digesting all the information. that you just said that was a lot. What
Rich:
Are the I
Maggie:
Think our listeners probably are too
Rich:
Okay. All right, but
Maggie:
Are you are you asking me about like? My opinion of a five-star.
Rich:
Well, I am interested in that but I’m also just asking like what based on the responses we did get what are what do people seem to be saying? And I was summer
Maggie:
Oh
Rich:
A little bit from my point of view. Just like how would we summarize the overall? Here’s our here’s our here’s the house. I know I’ll be definition of a five star experience based on hours slash users.
Maggie:
I got it. It’s not about us. It’s about you your customer your business is not about you.
Rich:
Oh my gosh, dude. It’s not about us. It’s about
Maggie:
Sounded more dramatic or came out and then too but but really when it boils down to it though, like You know your business is not about you. It’s about your customers.
Rich:
See, you know, what dude that’s actually so. hard to accept but the best marketing people are gonna are gonna School you that they’re gonna tell you that’s actually the reality if you are telling people all about yourself in your marketing and this is why marketing is so hard for me. If you’re telling people all about yourself and like how great your stuff is and your product and whatever. I mean, that’s one way. Okay, that’s one way to Market. Maybe it’s not right or wrong. That’s a way to to Market is focus on you. And try to sell yourself to people. But a different way to frame it and this is a this is a concept. I’ve I’m learning I’ve learned it’s a framework that I’m I’ll just shout out Donald Miller and the whole story brand framework. He takes things and reframes it from the perspective the point of view of your customer your stuff is great. That’s true, but Focus you’re trying to sell somebody else, you know, you want them to see themselves
Maggie:
Right
Rich:
As the hero and I was even talking to you about this stuff when we were talking about how to frame this podcast, right? I was like I was like, how can we Center the our listeners and not you know us us even though like and and this is the challenge for business owner You’re motivated to start your project because of your interests and And like your impacts you can make on the world and all that is so true, but then you have to somehow. Internalize all of that and then reframe the whole thing. Is why? Hey marketing. Yeah, so challenging then you have to reframe the whole thing. So that somebody else is actually the focus of everything that you are excited about. That’s that’s mind-bending. So he uses this and I hope I’m not like ripping this off or I mean, it’s probably this is public. He wrote a book. I think this is out there. I’m not saying this is my stuff or even telling the whole thing. Okay, he frames things. It’s a this
Maggie:
Education.
Rich:
Yeah, right. He frames things so that you want to Center your customers as the hero of a story and you are the guide your business your product your experience. You’re the guide and you’re going to be helping someone go from Zero to Hero through their journeying with you or with your product. And so you want to be able to frame things so that they are So that they see themselves as like life kind of how it sucks without you and your stuff and then you want to show the path to how things are gonna be better by working with you and then you want to create a vision for them of the better life. They’re going to have after they’ve worked with you. So that’s a whole like story brand framework that I’m trying to just just think out and and try to like measure story in our things against a little bit. and and starting this brand House Coffee cut from scratch gives me an opportunity gives me us an opportunity to Do that account from the ground up or just at least try to put that into practice a little bit. So there again different ways to talk. Think about how you’re going to present your product yourself your stuff to other people, but that is something that It’s just riffing off your point. It’s not about you. Your business is not about you. It’s hard to accept that and it’s hard to Market from that point of view. But like the more that that other people feel like your business is about them. I think the more successful.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
You’ll be other people talk about You know, you’re selling you’re ultimately selling people a feeling. You’re not something a product. You’re selling them. The feeling your product is gonna give them.
Maggie:
A hundred percent
Rich:
All of that or your experience is gonna give this
Maggie:
Is given me a lot of think about for my own business. Yeah.
Rich:
So all of this is like stuff to tap into and then when you ask me like how a story doing with all this, I’m like dude. Yeah. I got a Lot of theory for you.
Maggie:
Yeah,
Rich:
You know putting it into practice. That’s the whole difference
Maggie:
Execution is tough
Rich:
Whole different thing.
Maggie:
That’s all we have time for today.
Rich:
It could be this some heavy stuff right the end for you, but I
Maggie:
Had a whole story planned to tell
Rich:
Oh, dude, but we don’t have time. Rip
Maggie:
Next time
Rich:
It’s not a part two is it?
Maggie:
I don’t know maybe.
Rich:
Something I think can happen with our podcast. I’m actually like I like this idea a lot. I don’t think I’ve said this out loud. To you. I don’t know if I’ve said this out loud. I said it on the podcast. This is just my like personal interest with with podcasting is like I said, I have said, you know, I want to be processing through things and like talking about our experiences engaging with people’s ideas. And and then I kind of see us like having like Leap Frog conversations, you know, like yeah, like one episode we talk about this but then the next episode we could revisit that other thing. It’s like it’s just like a bunch of different conversations that were kind of always having and just like we can revisit something and bring it out
Maggie:
Again. I mean that’s kind of like real life of how we became friends. It’s just like our real life. We’re just recording it
Rich:
All the
Maggie:
Microphone. So yeah, that’s a great idea and
Rich:
It doesn’t have to be like, okay part one today and part two next week. It’s like it’s like hey remember when we talked about the other thing. Well, let’s talk about that again.
Maggie:
Yeah
Rich:
With this new information or whatever. That’s that’s one way that’s podcast working out over time
Maggie:
Audience. What do you think? It’s all about them
Rich:
So true
Maggie:
And I don’t I’m not
Rich:
Facetious, you know what you’re so right. This could be the worst idea I ever had and if anyone says that I’ll just be like totally yeah, definitely
Maggie:
Because we want
Rich:
Forget everything I said
Maggie:
We want those five stars. Okay. So shout out to people who have left us
Rich:
Have five star reviews as we appreciate that and if you are enjoying it definitely
Maggie:
And this is our Shameless plug to give us five stars. If you are enjoying this podcast
Rich:
Subscribe Reagan review
Maggie:
Exactly.
Rich:
I don’t know how that works on all the different various platforms were on wherever you were all the platforms are on.
Maggie:
I guess we’re on Audible.
Rich:
I guess you can listen to podcasts on Audible
Maggie:
Spotify. And those are the things that I know for certain.
Rich:
Yeah. Yeah, cool. All right. Well, we don’t what we’re talking about next week. So Who knows what’s gonna happen to know and then by
Maggie:
It’ll be good.
Rich:
It’ll be so good. I have to give a shout out to somebody. I forgot to give a shout out to on the specialty coffee episode. Okay?
Maggie:
Okay,
Rich:
I was supposed to Shout out my new friend Mike. Mike Molino, I believe his last name. And he was sitting in the seat in front of me on the plane. We were in the back row. I had my cat and Cloud hat on it was facing forward. He turns around. He’s like, oh catcloud now. Meanwhile, this is the plane to like Chicago slash to Portland for the specialty coffee. So I was like, oh dude. Are you going to the conference? He’s like no, I just like catcloud. I listened to the podcast.
Maggie:
Oh fun.
Rich:
So I was like Wow shout out to cat and Cloud who’s mission is to just create. Is to inspire connection sure, you know, and I’m like Wow way to live it out guys that’s amazing. So inadvertently like making it happen just by me wearing this hat, but but the fact that they do all they do LED to this person resonating with them and and then having creating the kind of moment out there in the wild where somebody could just say we ended up having a cool conversation about business and you know, he his desire to be an entrepreneur and different ways and and then God’s number and Who knows dude? Who knows where that’s gonna go? All right, but either way
Maggie:
She’s not connection
Rich:
Who I said I was gonna shot him out so that I forgot. Two episodes later.
Maggie:
Yeah. Hey,
Rich:
That’s my life time of two episodes.
Maggie:
So true.
Rich:
All right. Well, we got to go. I gotta go give the kid a bath and you know, okay next time.
Maggie:
Thanks for listening. If you made it this far to the end of the episode and truly from the bottom of our hearts. We really appreciate our listeners and our supporters.
Rich:
Yeah. This is the longest one. Yeah. I’m pretty sure yeah, but we covered a lot of ground. So, all right.
Maggie:
Thank you. Later. it