Mmmmmmmm, Coldstone Ice Cream……

When is a bowl of ice cream more than just a bowl of ice cream? When it’s mixed and made right in front of you!

I stopped by Coldstone Creamery today (Mmmmm, Coldstone….) and got my favorite: “For coffee lovers only.” This is a brilliant combination of coffee ice cream, caramel, nuts, and Heath bar. Soooo Gooood.

If you haven’t been to a Coldstone, their specialness comes from the fact that they mix the ice cream right in front of you. They have a chilled slab of rock (hence the name, “Coldstone”) that they plop the ice cream on, then they mix in the other ingredients.

As I watched the guy chop up the Heath bar with his mighty ice cream scoop/mallets of death (or so I call them) I realized that I really enjoy watching them doing this. I have had tasty mixed ice cream blends before, but in those cases the ice cream was pre mixed or it was done with a machine or at some back counter, out of sight. At Coldstone it really is part of the experience.

Waiting and watching was not only enjoyable, but I found myself anticipating the flavor of the ice cream more. By the time I walked out of there I was very excited for my ice cream – which was a shame, because I got it “to go” to enjoy after dinner. Woe is me! I almost got myself a second smaller ice cream to eat right then, but the forces of strength and discipline won out…for now…

This process is not something Coldstone happens to do. They have made ordering a Coldstone ice cream an experience. In addition to getting to eat a delicious dessert, you also get a little show.

There’s a lesson here:

What can you turn into an experience?

Too often we only consider the end result. The sale. Getting the job. Putting on a great show. Selling a dish of ice cream. But there are opportunities to engage and draw in the customer at every step of the way. Can you make multiple (or every) points of contact enjoyable for your customers?

If you aren’t in a position to sell, then think about all the activities you engage in. A vacation starts when you leave your house, not when you get to the beach, so make the car ride or airplane experience as enjoyable as possible. Bring a book or iPod with you so you have something fun to do while waiting in a line or waiting room. And then there’s no reason your conversation before dinner, when you have to wait because they lost your reservation, can’t be as fun and engaging as when you are sitting at the table.

Remember, music is the space between the notes, it’s the journey, not the destination, and at Coldstone, the ice cream itself is only half the story…