Last week, my wife and her family went to a seafood buffet.
(it’s a family tradition for the end/start of each year)
As I stepped into the restaurant, I scanned:
~ Sashimis: defrosted
~ Shrimps: squishy
~ Beef soup: appetizing… and smelling so good
~ Smoked salmon: glistening and inviting
~ Roast beef: well done… (not a compliment)
~ Fried shrimp: what the hell is that ginormous batter
~ Desserts: meh…
~ Haagen-Dazs: …*shrug* it’s Haagen-Dazs
Okay. I’ll give it a 4 out of 10.
But –
The buffet was PACKED. Not a single empty seat. The line wrapped around the building. People arrived 30-60 minutes early, waiting in the 12°C wind.
Why?
Because of a concept, I call Quality Anchor.
The restaurant has been running a series of advertisements highlighting some of its seasonal ingredients, such as all-you-can-eat crabs.
Conscious: “Wow, there are some expensive foods.”
Subconscious: “What if… all the rest of the buffet is just as good.”
Even when we KNOW it’s impossible… because that’s not how buffets work… it’s hard to shake off that subconscious.
That’s why –
Buffets don’t advertise. “We have 235 dishes.” They advertise:
“Seasonal deal—all you can eat lobster”
This brings me to what I want to share today:
You don’t have to be the best in every category.
People don’t visit the House of Prime Rib for their seafood.
People don’t shop at McDonald’s for their burgers.
People don’t eat at Chipotle for the chips.
INSTEAD
People buy because of ONE leading feature/product.
(and they will justify others with a quality anchor)
Same for your products. You don’t have to be the best in everything. You just need to be the best in ONE thing.
Talk soon, – WYH