I would like to share with you a very interesting discovery. I am currently with my family, visiting relatives in Vancouver. A friend invited me and my brother-in-laws out one night. He asked us what we would like to see. He offered to bring us out for ice cream. We were all amused at the thought. 4 grown men going out for ice cream, but he promised to show us something we would never see anywhere else.

We then headed to downtown Vancouver. As we were driving, we noticed that the area starting to become more depressed causing us to wonder where we were really going for ice cream. Then we saw it, on a street corner, a beacon of lights in a dark neighborhood, surrounded by a lot of customers, with signs in multiple languages. There was a very simple slogan that caught everybody’s attention. It said, “218 flavors of ice cream”. 218 flavors, WOW.

The place was full, there really were 218 flavors. The best part was that you were allowed to taste all 218, with the staff happy to serve up sample spoons. The place was very clean , the signs were well placed. The customer experience was amazing, with people lining up to try different flavors. There were exotic flavors like wasabi and curry. There were all fruit flavors that you could think of , as well as very interesting combinations. I found out that they actually have 508 flavors with 218 on site at any given time.

I believe La Casa Gelato located in 1033 Venables street is a super brand. I got a lot of reaction on last week’s column on super brands, most of the reaction centered on the question, is it possible to build your own super brand? Brands take time to build, a super brand takes more time, but it is possible. There are no short cuts towards doing it. Let me share some simple steps on how to start.

P – romise, A brand must promise to deliver “WOW” to the customer and then more importantly, deliver it. In order for your brand to attract attention, you must go for the spectacular. Whether it is in the service, product, pricing, advertising, always go for the “WOW”

E – xceed Expectations. One of the secrets for exceeding expectations is to set expectations low and then exceed them. Can you imagine the simple joy when we are told that something that will take 5 day gets done in three?

R –easons for people to come back. Constantly find reasons for customers to come back. Try to project a can do attitude from all your staff. Or better, have staff that always shows the attitude to serve happily.

F – irst Impressions. It is important that the first impressions the customers get is good. So if your running a store, simple things like keeping the store clean, everything well stocked can go a long way to establishing first impressions.

O – Opportunity to demonstrate. Always look for opportunities to demonstrate your service or product. It establishes a connection immediately with the customer. Turn complaints into an opportunity to show that you listen and care, then provide a solution.

R – emind, call them. If a new customer has bought a product, find time to call them and ask how they like it. Or better, keep a database of their birthdays and find them to call and greet them.

M – Make them your friend. The best way of showing appreciation is to recognize your customers and greet them by name. It shows that you find them important and makes them feel good about you.

If you add all these steps together, it spells out “PERFORM”. The most important step is to perform. Show that you can do it. And then, we are all on our way to building our own super brand story.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/ .