Customer experience, not price

Quote of the week

In these "difficult times", it's encouraging to see some people who know that the customer experience is critical (and can even save you money). In yesterday's Financial Times, Ron Shaich of Panera Bread argued,

“We continue doing what we do, which is to concentrate on the quality of the experience.

Everyone is degrading their competitive message. They are sacrificing it in the interest of gaining sales tomorrow, simply based on price. And when you compete on price, you simply tell people what you are worth, which is less than what you were selling it for the week before.”

This is from a wildly successful company, which is forecasting 15 to 22% growth this year.

Yes, 22% growth - in these "difficult times".

Sale image by the justified sinner at flickr.