I’m all about the power of persuasive words and music.
So, you might be wondering how I could say there’s a way to “send customers away with persuasive music”. Well, there IS a slight catch, but I know it’s possible…from personal experience. Read on…
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My wife and I enjoy the food at a particular “fast food” Mexican restaurant. They’re a chain, but for the most part they’ve been consistent in quality, price, and service. When we lived in Lakewood, Colorado, we had one spot we enjoyed more than the rest. It was close to our house, the staff almost always smiled, and we almost always left with a good feeling. However…
…we began to notice changes. First, some of the smiling staff disappeared. Then, we saw regular visits from some of the restaurant’s corporate management. The food stayed consistent, but one thing really started to stand out…their odd music choices.
Admittedly, I may be more tuned-in to that than the average John or Jane Q. Public. But my wife noticed it, too. They started playing hip-hop, pop, and “alternative” music through their sound system. On their own, these genres of music are simply a matter of subjective taste. But when you’re attaching music to your restaurant, it needs to be an extension of what you’re selling. The aural representation of your overall look and feel. This is a Mexican food restaurant I’m talking about. And guess what? There are tons of fun Mexican, Hispanic, Salsa, Tejano, and other varieties of songs to help provide the right ambience and experience to the customers.
But they didn’t us persuasive music from the genre that best matched the restaurant…
…they most likely put a “channel” on that the employees enjoyed. And that, combined with fewer smiles and good attitudes, persuaded my wife and me to look for other places to eat.
I’m all for providing employees an enjoyable working environment. But ultimately it’s not really about them. It’s about tables and chairs being filled with people who get the full sensory experience of your restaurant. The look…the feel…the smiles…the scents…and yes…the music. The more details you fine tune (pun intended) the more people will tell others about your business. But…
…if your goal is to send customers somewhere else, then, by all means, totally disregard what I’m telling you. What do you think? Could something as seemingly insignificant as music persuade customers to go elsewhere? Or do you think it matters? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Stay tuned…
