When a good impression takes the biscuit

This is about sales. About selling something that the customer can’t really trial. Like a night in a hotel. Or a meal in a fancy restaurant. Or a wedding, which is really a mix of the two.

Having got engaged myself over Christmas, I came out all guns blazing this January. I was going to nail this wedding in a week or two. After all, it can’t be that different from all the events I’ve organised down the years.

So far it isn’t. So far I’ve been met with attentive, knowledgeable wedding coordinators intent on seducing myself and herself into opting for their chambers over the next one. All seeking to create the allure of a summer wedding on a dank morning in January. All anxious to make a good impression.

Actually, not really. The good ones – having asked for my betrothed’s name before we arrive (that’s a note bene) – make a fuzz over the all-important ring. Now that’s a good start to a sale. After all, it’s not me who will be deciding this. And then there’s the perfunctory tea and biscuits to help settle us down. Here’s the opportunity to differentiate. To wow the impressionable couple with creations freshly made that morning by the esteemed pastry chef. They’ll hear a lot about the culinary credentials of the team in the kitchen. Here’s the chance to show it, to go beyond the words and the pictures in the glossy brochures. None has, not so far. And so, to my mind, a critical customer touch point has gone begging.

We hear all the time how first impressions last, and brands spend plenty in creating a pre-purchase ‘experience’ as a result. In the search for a wedding venue, it’s no different. In most cases there’s probably over €10 grand on the line. Every couple is looking for that something special. Let it start with a not so humble biscuit.