WOWEDFactor Differentiators: Shell Station and the Helium Balloon"Mom, let's go to McDonald's and let's go to the Shell station!"

While doing an Experience the Difference - You Make the Difference workshop in Michigan, a dealer approached me and explained how he was selling more full-service gasoline than anybody in town and that he was charging a higher price. I was intrigued and inquired how this was happening. He answered with an explanation of an occurrence that happened with regularity every Saturday: A car pulls into full service with kid in the back seat; attendant taps on the back window; kid brings the window down and is presented with a helium balloon, replete with the station’s name. (WOWEDFactor alert!) Needless to say, a happy kid begets a happy parent, which begets a fill up, drinks and repeat business.

Further, the dealer told me that the following parent-child conversations happen with regularity on Saturday mornings in that Michigan town: kids get in the family car and state their requests for the day: “Mom, let’s go to the park; let’s go to McDonalds; and, let’s go to the Shell Station!” This service station owner redefined who his customer was and differentiated his product by giving his “customers” a WOWEDFactor experience. He transformed the customer mindset from “we’ve got to go to the service station” to “we get to go”! Did that dealer’s gas work any better than anybody else’s? Hardly.

Interested in a WOWEDFactor Opportunity Audit?  Contact me.  We'll determine where your "helium balloons" opportunities are.

Firestone
firestone@wowedamerica.com
314-863-4000