I live next to the Headquarters of one of the largest Grocery chains in the Middle East.
They have a full-size café which is the centre of our community.
I’m not exaggerating in saying I’ve seen relationships made and six and seven figure deals closed amongst members of the community.
The pricing is reasonable but it’s the clientele that make it special.
As a regular, I’ve gotten to know professional horse racing trainers, Olympic gold medallists, leaders in finance, oil and gas. People I never would have crossed paths with otherwise.
Parking is easy. There are direct routes in. Even when the kids from the French school are screaming through like a reenactment of Lord of the Flies, the regulars stay for hours. Many eat two meals a day and leave with a bag of groceries.
To say the café is profitable is an understatement.
So why have they decided to charge for parking if you stay longer than two hours?
There’s no parking shortage. No cars circling. No congestion problem to solve.
So what is it?
Shiny dirhams.
Short term revenue that looks good on a spreadsheet.
But here’s what’s going to happen.
Most of the regulars I’ve spoken to say they’ll stop coming. They’ll find somewhere else to spend their days. Somewhere that doesn’t nickel and dime them for loyalty.
So the company will lose 80% of the customers who showed up five days a week.
It will lose their constant café purchases. Their grocery runs. Their word of mouth.
And in exchange? A few random parking fees from people who weren’t going to stay anyway.
This is what happens when you chase the shiny egg and trample the goose who was going to lay it.
Short term thinking. Easy revenue. Death by a thousand “small” decisions that push your best customers out the door.
Unfortunately, this is an all too common of an occurrence, and a trap we can find ourselves falling into.
Where in your business are you squeezing for pennies while ignoring the dollars? What “quick wins” are quietly eroding the loyalty that actually drives your revenue?
If you’re done making decisions that look smart on paper but hollow out your business from the inside, we’re opening the doors soon to Fall in Love with Your Business Again.
Click here to get early access to the first launch
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P.S. I’m not the “systems,” “finance,” or “fix your processes” guy.
I help you fall in love with your business again—Because it finally gives you the life you want today
While setting you up to exit on your terms tomorrow.
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