Putting value in real terms.

Whenever I get a chance, I love reading trade magazines. One of them — Chain Store Age — has a blog that I check fairly regularly. Partly because the retail business has always fascinated me, but also because it’s generally informative and well-written.

There’s a post up there today by author Connie Gentry, who uses her experience with a local ice cream parlor to talk about “destination retailing.” Take a minute to check it out.

While the post is ostensibly about what store owners need to do to stay competitive in a tough market, the issues she brings up are much bigger. And, with a little tweaking, relevant to more than just store owners.

Anybody with a service or thing on offer — consulting work, dog walking, landscaping, whatever — is seeking “go to” status. And yet there’s something inherently abstract about that, something easy to lose in the shuffle of chasing leads and making things happen.

So here’s an exercise worth trying. First, think of your own destinations. The restaurant you’ll drive a little farther for, the boutique at which you’ll happily pay a little more — whatever it may be.

Now, think about the things you’re trying to do and try to identify if they’re worth driving a little farther for. Not in some abstract sense, but in real terms: would I drive across town for this? There is almost always somebody “closer” than you. You want to be worth the extra gas.

The particular reason I think the retail comparison works is because retailing isn’t just about what’s on sale. People don’t go to stores just to buy things, they go for the experience. They go for something intangible that makes them feel good. In this case it’s a mix of service, value, quality, selection, and related factors that all combine to make a place worth going to. These factors change depending on what you’re doing, but there’s always something.

Stores that maximize that can be in the middle of nowhere and it won’t matter. Stores that don’t won’t be relevant no matter where they’re located. Same goes for me and you.