Why I Love the Rainforest Cafe
As a Business Model
In this issue:
- 7 BRILLIANT Marketing Lessons – from the least likely of places …
- An unusual way to get them to buy 3 times, instead of 1 …
- Using a conversation piece to get them talking to their friends and family …
- How to lock them in and make them fans for life …
- And much more!
Fellow business builder,
Tomorrow, Wednesday January 9th,
is National Clean Off Your Desk Day
I ask, why give the desk false hope?
I am not, nor will ever be, a clean desk person. I’ve heard of them – even seen a few. And I don’t get it.
I love a busy desk.
It doesn’t mean I don’t get things done – because I do. It doesn’t mean I am always looking for something lost in one of my piles. Those piles are very ‘strategic’ for me. I like to think, and say, that I could find anything, anywhere in one of those piles.
What about you?
Are you a spotless desk person – or a piles person, like me?
Much of it is centered around
my love for disorganization.
Being a Corporate World Flunky (and proud of it), I have grown to love not being told what to do, where to put things, or how to act.
I had an old boss at Hewlett Packard who had an incredibly neat desk. His writing was neat too. And I couldn’t stand the prick. I lasted 3 years working for him, fought with him constantly, and finally gave up in desperation that having a paper-pushing manager in a large company like that was a futile exercise for someone who was a part-time entrepreneur.
He did drive me crazy enough to knock some reality back in my head about pursuing my entrepreneurial dream on a full-time basis.
Thank God for that!
Anyhow, I was going through my ‘piles’ on my desk, and I found a membership application for the Rainforest Café in Phoenix, Arizona, where we spent our Christmas.
Why I love the Rainforest Cafe
as a business model …
“Daaaaaaaaad – let’s go! Let’s go!”
That is the all too familiar sound that would emit from my daughters’ mouths anytime we were remotely close (to them, that means within a 2 hour drive!) to the Rainforest Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona. They absolutely love the Cafe, as do I … even though it costs me a small fortune every time we visit.
First, it IS a kid restaurant – not a quiet spot, nor the place for a serious business meeting. As long as you go there with that understanding, there are ample business lessons to be found within the lush vegetation that adorns its ceilings.
Their positioning (from their website):
Rainforest Café has something for everyone! Our menu includes a variety of specialty items from seafood, beef, and chicken, to pastas and pizza. Younger guests can enjoy items from our exciting new kids menu! Plus, where else can you eat a VOLCANO?! Not an ordinary desert, our very own Sparkling VOLCANO lights up any meal! After your dining safari, pick up that special souvenir gift from your visit to the Rainforest Café. Our Retail Village offers a WILD variety of items for the entire family. Rainforest Café. A Wild Place To Shop and Eat.
Every time I visit I notice some brilliant methods
they use to extract maximum cash
from parents’ pockets.
Brilliant marketing strategy #1: You have to walk through the gift shop to get to the restaurant entrance. There is a side path to avoid the gift shop, but it is conspicuously hidden, to make you think the gift shop route is the correct one.
So, not only do they get you coming in with your kids, but they also get you coming out, after you have eaten and they have thought about what they (also) want you to buy for them. They get you buying gifts twice, plus the restaurant food – I love it! Three times the money with a simple change to the way you visit their business.
The selection is exceptional in the gift shop as well. From simple pencil cases, to clothing, to games, to learning materials to electronic knick-knacks – from $1 items to $300+ take-homes. They have it covered.
Questions for you: Are you making it easier for them to buy? Give them more opportunities to view and buy your products and services. Upsell them at every opportunity.
Brilliant marketing strategy #2: One of my favorite parts of the gift shop … the floor to ceiling cylindrical fish tank. A monstrous thing (I would guess it to be 3,000 gallons) hosts some amazing coral and exquisite fish. Definitely the centerpiece to the entire store, and a major conversation piece.
Why is it that so few retail stores have a conversation piece? It has been proven many times over that a simple unique object or design can bring people in droves. Once you have them there, you can then sell to them. But if they don’t enter the store, you can’t sell them a thing!
Questions for you: What is your most talked about feature in your business? What do your present clients praise you the most on? How can you turn that into a standard attention attractor? What could you, should you be showing off more?
Brilliant marketing strategy #3: Once you have passed through the gift shop, you enter the restaurant. Tropical rainforest is a closer description than restaurant … but they do serve food so, technically, they are right.
You walk in and notice the lush vegetation lining the ceilings, floors and walls. Many of the walls have some form of display in them – a large animatronic elephant display with 4 large robotic elephants that sing Merry Christmas (when we were last there it was Christmastime).
The large exotic birds hanging from the ceiling squawk quite a bit, monkeys swing from the vines above your head.
Even the spotted leopard growls and snarls as you walk underneath him on your way to the bathroom. As an added bonus, the leopard swipes his paw at you as you walk through the tunnel passing below his perch.
Question for you: Is there any method you are using to get your clients and prospects interacting more with your business, with your staff or your environment? Surveys, contests, strange and unusual celebrations you host? Find ways to give them something to talk about!
Brilliant marketing strategy #4: The Safari Membership club. Yes! I love membership clubs – and personally think that every business in existence can find a way to incorporate membership programs into their offerings.
The Rainforest Safari Club is designed to get you back with your credit card in hand.
You get 10% off food, off merchandise, you get special birthday and anniversary coupons, you get special seating privileges (best seat in the house!), members-only newsletters and products – along with the collection of points for every purchase you make.
Combined … this is the formula for a winning membership program in a restaurant type of service business. EVERY business can find a way to use a membership model. From spas, to food delivery, to publishers, to realtors, to new parents, etc …. there is no excuse to not try this in your business.
Question for you: Have you ever researched what others are doing in your industry for membership programs? It’s simple: go to Google and type in <your business> membership – see what search results are found. It is a very easy tool to implement, and, based on the millions of membership programs out there, it will make a big difference to your customer loyalty. Try it – I promise you will like it.
Brilliant marketing strategy #5: Volcano Ice Creams with dried ice and sparklers. When the servers walk by with one of these works of art – every kid in the place starts salivating. They have steam coming from the top, chocolate dripping down the sides, and sparklers lighting up the top with some super surprises inside the mouth of the Volcano. Masterful.
Question for you: What one thing are you offering your clients that they will NOT find anywhere else? If you don’t have an exclusive offer yet – what could it be? Can you bundle a number of products or services into one highly unique one? Could you repackage them? Should you design a new product from scratch? (There is a spa that just opened up in Calgary for men only. They are the Renovation Spa and they bundle things unlike any other place I have seen. They have the Handyman Special, the Complete Overhaul, the Weekend Fixer-Upper – all perfectly targeted at the male buyers. Great idea!)
Brilliant marketing strategy #6: Constant change. Each time we have been there, some amazing new additions were always front and center. It seems that they constantly change the large displays … even the number, size and colors of the parrots flying through the rooftop vegetation. We live in a very busy world – and you need to constantly be giving your clients reason to come back over and over again. Constant change needs to become a motto and mantra of your business.
Question for you: When was the last time you offered something new? Or mixed in a teleseminar? Or sent them a postcard? Maybe a mailing piece with some form of grabber? Make 2008 the year you overwhelm them with exciting, new things … and see how they respond. People say they hate change – but they love change when it comes to buying!
Brilliant marketing strategy #7: Great staff. Young, spunky and great with kids. They must have an exceptional training program as these kids seem to defy the usual customer “service” I have found with other service people that are under 30 (the sad state of customer service is something we will discuss more later). Their staff knows how to talk to kids – and to get them to laugh. They know how to give fast service (key when you are feeding kids – get them the food quickly!) And they have an exceptional service for getting you in, fed, and back to the gift shop. Well done.
Question for you: Have you ever mystery shopped your business, especially when acting as one of your typical clients would? You may be very surprised with what you find. If you are selling to baby boomers, does your staff serve them with 45 different things pierced through their face and a couple neck tattoos as decoration? Not good if they do – Boomers feel that is disrespectful and will not buy from you again. Is your staff delivering a quality experience? If you are selling to teens – is your staff close in age? Teens want to deal with people who “get them”, not someone older than their parents. You must match your staff to your clients – and then train and incent them so they provide the service levels you want.
Overall, Rainforest Café has perfected
many excellent systems for their market.
I hope you see the value in what they have done, and how you can use these kinds of ideas in your business.
By the way, if you did not pick up your FREE gift from the Christmas edition, please go here to pick up your copy of the 2008 Marketing and Promotional Calendar (no optins required to get your gift).
Please let me know your thoughts, and if you have any further topics on this you would like to see discussed.
To your success,
Troy White
Editor, Small Business Mastery
Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE™
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A Final Note:
If you have specific subjects you would like addressed, or have any comments on what you have seen here, please submit a comment below and I will see how I can help.
"Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
–Napoleon Hill
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4 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
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Comment by Glen R Kohlenberg — January 8, 2008 @ 11:43 am
Troy this one is best! Bang! you opened the flood gates for me I can use alot of this in our business. Thanks
Comment by adams — January 8, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
Troy, you do a great job. You sound like a good dad, with a \’third ear and third eye\’ looking out for marketing wherever it might be. Thanks for sharing. Oh, I got your product by the way; just as fine as I\’d hoped. Thanks.
Comment by Troy White — January 9, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Thanks everyone for the kind words! It is nice to know these tips are helping out - I know they have helped me.
If there is anything I can ever do - please let me know.
And Happy New Year!
Comment by Susannah — January 14, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
What is the best way to sell books on the internet?