Idea 24: Cream

Lose the powdered cream!  Only people who drink their coffee black think that powdered cream is a reasonable offering.  This is the age of designer coffee after all.  The days of the 25 cent cup of coffee are over.  Get with it.  Put out some cream at your coffee bar.

Idea 23: Lighting

My favorite place has great lighting.  It is natural.  It is warm.  They make their environment warm, comfortable, friendly.  If you see yourself in a mirror you look good.
Compare to almost EVERY place you go where they don't even think about it or know what I'm talking about.  Hideous, ugly, old-fashioned, cool-blue fluorescents.  Makes everyone look anemic.  Feels cold.  Feels uncomfortable.
Boo.  Hiss.  To bad, unnatural lighting.

Idea 22: Recommend

Things other people bought that are similar to what I'm looking at, or similar to what I've looked at before, help me complete my purchase and also add to the overall ticket.  Can't help it, recommendations work.

Idea 21: Ability to Respond

So great when whichever "associate" or "clerk" or "rep" or whatever you call your employees can help me front to back.  What I mean is that I don't have to be handed off to a manager, or told to go to another counter for "customer service", or given a blank stare that I know means they don't know the answer to my question.
It is a relief when all employees are responsible because they have been trained and provided the tools and are expected to use their abilities to respond to me, the customer!

Idea 20: Organize

Messy displays and messy work spaces are a huge turn off.  Clean it up and make it easy for me to find what I need.  Don't make me wonder how you get your job done as you shuffle through your papers and boxes.  Messiness: big turn off.

Idea 19: Refer

If you don't have what I want I will probably ask you if you know who does or where else I can try.  Give me a referral.  It's definitely a plus when you can help me in my search.  And I will remember you fondly the next time I'm looking for what I know you have.

Idea 18: Kids Are People Too

Make eye contact with my kids.
Treat them like humans.
Don't just attend to the one spending the money.
My kids are the apples of my eye, and if you notice them and acknowledge them, you have won me too.

Idea 17: Brag a Little

Show me around, literally.
Brag about your facility, your people, your tools, your features, your location, whatever.
Let me see that you are proud of who you are and what you do.

Idea 16: A Good Assumption

Assume I've been here before.
"Welcome back" is a wonderful phrase to hear.

Idea 15: Recognize Me

The sweetest sound to my ear is my own name.  Use it a couple of times when I'm here.
The cherry on top is using it next time I am in because you recognize me!

Idea 14: Make it a "Best Company to Work For"

Everybody is familiar with Fortune 500's annual list of the Best Companies to Work For.  There is fanfare and news stories about who is in the top 100 and top 10 this year.  We hear about the lavish perks and huge paychecks for the employees.
Stop for a moment and consider two things before you become resigned to the fact that you can't compete with Google and Starbuck's.
First of all, those top companies to work for are also top stock picks.  They are profitable.  They are successful.
Second, those creative and lavish perks weren't assigned by a government agency, or invented by a pencil-pushing accountant-type manager.  They are the brainchild of company managers who want to create a great place to work.  They get that if the employees are happy, then their customers are happy, and when their customers are happy, they are spending money and making the company more money.
Start with these ideas and then figure out how to creatively make your company a place that people want to work.
You will find that yes, perks are required, but if you don't have the mindset ahead of that that your customers and your employees' enthusiasm for your company are critical, no perk will keep them around.
It is all about how you value what really is essentially valuable.

Idea 13: Search for Ways

Hearing from a person in a management position is a huge turn on to a customer.
When I have received a phone call or an email from a manager of my favorite company asking for my opinion, or asking how my recent experience was, I love it.  I feel important.  I feel like that company really cares about doing their best.
I feel like what they do is not an accident or it isn't because they somehow hired a star employee.
It is because they try.  They work at it.
And they work at it by starting at the most important place: the customer's perspective.