Confusion, Trust and Sales — with Fine Dining!

In today’s Des Moines Register, Miss Manners’ (Judith Martin) etiquette tip focused on restaurant dress codes.   A reader was confused about the codes used to describe various restaurants dress guidelines that summarized with the following words:  Elegant, Dressy, Coat Preferred, Coat Suggested, Casual Elegance, Dressy Casual, Smart Casual and Casual.  This is an excellent concept with the attempt to manage the customer experience, expectations and comfort.  To summarize, Miss Manners agreed these terms were confusing and proper etiquette is to dress up and enjoy a night out and not dress down to poorly defined expectations.

This brought back memories of dining at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in San Diego a few years ago.  What we considered elegant fine dining with excellent food did not translate with other diners who dressed casual (shorts, ball caps and flip-flops) and made us wonder why they dine at Ruth’s Chris and dress for fast food.   Evidently, the menu prices do not translate or define appropriate dress etiquette.

Whenever a customer is confused, trust is low, stress is high and sales do not happen. 

We may make other choices in the future for fine dining based on our experience described.  The guideline approach has the best of intentions, but it may be creating lost sales instead.  People will default more often to the known and may feel the descriptive word used creates a risky situation.  Everyone needs to have the same understanding; especially the differences between men and woman when these code words may have different meanings.

Does your business create confusion?  Do you view your materials, message or signage from the point of a customer? 

Too often, I hear comments from business owners to the effect that the customer should understand the reasons to do business with them (the business).  This comment can be as misleading as the restaurants attempt to give guidance.  The customer’s understanding is the key… not the intent and belief of the business.

Here are a few tips to consider and use to minimize customer confusion:

1. Seek customer input and feedback.  We do not advocate formal “focus groups,” wasted time or increased cost, but simply ask those that will give you honest feedback.  Use this feedback appropriately and adapt accordingly.
2. Sleep on it.  Give your idea some time and space.  Great ideas in the morning sometimes look different later in the day.
3. Define the word in a way your customer will understand.  Single word descriptions leave open the door for confusion based on the customer’s knowledge, experience and viewpoint.  Add an example (words or graphics) that clarifies the word… in the terms your audience understands.

We need to focus on the customer in these situation and this point is equally important for your business team. 

If you experience “miscommunication” in the business, you should evaluate how well you define key guidelines with the team.  Clarify, define and use examples to make sure everyone is on the same page and confusion is minimized.

Being brief and to the point is fine, but it is understanding that provides greater trust and eliminates confusion for your continued success. 

Strat Exe executes business strategies for your sales growth.  We bring effective, practical and affordable value driven solutions focused on your business needs from experience.  Contact us to discover innovative and integrated marketing methods guaranteed to improve your business opportunity for today and sustainable growth in the future.  

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