Subscribers Rule!
I've grown my tequila-focused email list to nearly 40,000 strong. Why? Because email marketing delivers consistent, reliable reach without interference from social algorithms.
It's also why I love writing and distributing The Baer Facts to you!
I'm working with Intuit Mailchimp and they have a new popup forms builder and that's super easy to gather new subscribers. I plugged it into my tequila website in 10 minutes.
I made a little video about it, live from Mexico. Check it out!
👀 Solve Customer Problems by Showing, not Just Telling
One of the three unbreakable laws of customer loyalty is CLARITY.
We hate to wait (more than ever).
But what we hate second-most? Lack of clarity.
When customers are uncertain, they are anxious. And anxiety typically keeps people's money in their pockets.
Further, SO MANY customer service issues could be solved by just communicating more and communicating better, right?
One of my favorite exercises is to ask business leaders what confuses their customers most often. And then ask them, "so why are they still confused, if you know that's a problem?"
Some of you have heard me talk onstage about Wade Lombard from Square Cow Moovers and how he transformed his business by communicating MORE.
But sometimes, it's not about communication volume, but about communicating BETTER.
I experienced this first-hand this week, during a quick trip to Guadalajara, for important tequila business (I swear!).
We went to dinner at a fabulous restaurant, Bruna. Truly one of the most memorable meals of my life, and I've been around the globe.
Incredible decor. Stunning mixology. Great food.
But what I will always remember is the novel and powerful way Bruna solves the age-old restaurant dilemma: steak temperature.
My Dad owned a steakhouse for a few years when I was a kid, and invariably there would be a customer each night who had a vastly different notion of what "medium" meant in the pantheon of steak temps.
If someone sends a steak back, it creates drama for front of house, back of house, and possibly management. And that's just a steak!
What if it's a REAL house? I'm doing some work for a custom homebuilder, and misunderstandings about materials and colors are one of their primary customer satisfaction challenges. High STEAKS or high STAKES? You decide.
Bruna is also challenged by the multi-lingual nature of their clientele. Locals from Guadalajara + interlopers like me armed with un pequito understanding of Spanish + tourists who know más cerveza, and nothing else.
Does Bruna train their waiters how to describe a medium steak as rosy pink in the middle? Nope. Lost in translation.
Instead, they arm them with double-sided, multi-lingual photos of steaks. You point to your temp. No problema!
This is so simple.
And so smart.
Here's my challenge to you in this edition of The Baer Facts: Think about where your customers get confused and come up with one way you could add clarity by showing, not just telling.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
The Books Report
I've been a big fan of the travel writer and TV personality Rick Steves for a long time, and his new book is actually his OLDEST book.
On the Hippie Trail is a word-for-word reprint of the journal he kept at EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD when he traveled from Istanbul to India.
It's extremely well-written, and hearing what Pakistan, for example, was like 40 years ago is fascinating. Great photos, too!
Jay's Faves
Looking for a fun spring-time show?
I'm loving the new Running Point on Netflix.
Starring Kate Hudson, it's loosely based on the life of Jeannie Buss, Los Angeles Lakers owner. The show is also executive produced by Ms. Buss.
It's got some adult themes and language, but it's quick, funny, and a great example of a sitcom that works.
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