How Restaurants Uses Mints To Make More Money
Summary
- If you give a gift, people often feel the need to give something back. This is based on reciprocity, a powerful psychological principle.
- Personalization makes gifts more impactful. In a restaurant study, personalized actions resulted in a higher increase in tips.
- An unexpected gift can be even more appreciated. For instance, giving a second mint unexpectedly led to a 23% increase in tips.
- Implement these tactics by incorporating giving, personalization, and the element of surprise into your business to improve customer interactions and outcomes.
Video
How To Take Action
I would suggest implementing the principle of reciprocity by giving small, thoughtful gifts to your customers. This doesn't need to cost much. Something as simple as a handwritten thank-you note or an extra little bonus on their purchase can make them feel valued and lead to positive outcomes for your business.
Another way of doing this is by personalizing your interactions. Remembering a customer's name or personal preferences can really make them feel special. Imagine how impactful it would be if a barista remembered a customer's favorite drink or if an online store suggested products based on previous purchases. This makes customers feel seen and appreciated.
Try adding an element of surprise, just like the restaurant did with the mints. It can be a big win for low cost. Offer a surprise discount, an unannounced freebie, or unexpected perks during a customer's purchase or visit. This unexpected element leaves a lasting impression and encourages customers to return.
Think about ways to integrate these strategies naturally into your daily operations. Make it part of your customer's experience so it doesn't feel forced. By giving intentionally, personalizing interactions, and surprising your customers, not only will you create a better relationship with them, but you'll also see better business results.
Full Transcript
here's how a restaurant uses mints to make more money and how you can use the same psychology in your business to make more so what they did is they took the bowl of mints instead of leaving it by the door they gave it to the waitresses to hand out the first thing they did was just give people one mint and when they gave people one mint they got an average of 3% increase in tips when they gave people two mints they got a 14% increase in tips but in the third style where they gave a mint to one person then walked away and then came back and then gave them a second they got a 23% increase in tips and so there's three things that make is so powerful number one you give a gift to somebody people want to give you something back second is that it was most powerful in the third scenario because it was personalized they're like wait a second I'm actually going to give you a second one and the third it was unexpected and if you can weave those three things into the gifts that you give you'll get far more compliance from the request that you make afterwards