A better sandwhich shoppe?

Brand Autopsy: Making the Common Uncommon:

"For example, Starbucks took the common cup of coffee and made it uncommon by focusing on higher-quality beans and a higher-quality experience. Whole Foods Market took the common grocery shopping experience and made it uncommon by focusing supremely on natural and organic groceries that not only taste good, but also makes one feel good. And, Mini has made the common compact car uncommon by adding a dash of style and performance.
And now Which Wich is making the common sandwich uncommon � and uncommonly good at that."

Read the rest. BA does a nice job diagnosing how these key dimensions are at play:

Remarkable Aspect #1: Customer Engagement
Which Wich reduces labor costs and increases customer involvement by having customers be their own order-taker. To order a Which Wich sandwich, customers choose a brown paper bag from one of 10 categories (turkey, ham, beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, saladwich, classics, and breakfast).

The customer then chooses their bread, cheese, spread(s), and spices by marking their choices directly on the bag. Customers complete the order by writing their name on the bag.

Remarkable Aspect #2: Low-Tech | High-Touch
Ain’t nothing fancy about how a customer’s order is communicated to Which Wich sandwich makers. The cashier takes the brown paper bag, attaches it to a zip line, and zooms it along the sandwich assembly line. No computer printouts, no computer monitors … just ink on a brown paper bag. Once the sandwich is prepared, a Which Wich expeditor calls out the order to be picked up, “Turkey on Wheat for Wynter.”

Remarkable Aspect #3: Simplified Pricing
All Which Wich sandwiches cost $4.00. Extras like avocado, bacon, more meat, and jalapenos cost $0.75 cents each.

Remarkable Aspect #4: Personalization
Because your order has your name on it, Which Wich workers can more easily establish a rapport with customers. Not to mention, calling out your name for pick-up helps to solve for any sandwich stealing shenanigans that may occur during busy hours.

Indeed. A great example of how the a simple business can be positioned to seem fresh and compelling. Execution, of course, is key, too.

TrainingBible.com

TrainingBible.com provides another (very nice) example how to leverage web-based automation to deliver semi-custom transformation offerings. See also.

FlyLady: An online transformation offering to ...

FlyLady carves an interesting niche in the transformation space. Have trouble keeping your household in order? FlyLady offers to be "Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home." An interesting look. It makes one wonder ... what greater value could FlyLady offer?

Exercise: Transform this Rental Business

Ok, let's have some fun. Imagine yourself the proprietor of a kayak rental business in Down East Maine. How might you re-envision your value offering to create a higher value transformation value offering?

Delivering a TVO to a global audience: Carmichael Training Systems

Carmichael Training Systems provides an excellent example of how to leverage info tech to deliver a TVO to a globally disbursed clientele. Bicycling Magazine also offers an on-line training product. The big difference is that Bicycling's TVO relies on canned solutions.

Geolocation: A promising tool

Some transformation services require a geographically proximate clientele. Geolocation technology looks like a promising way for transformers to connect with their local markets.

More on Weight Loss for Kids

Another article about tackling weight loss as a transformation process (no registration required). Note that the importance of parental participation is mentioned, but the obvious approach of including parents in the transformation process is not mentioned. I predict limited longterm effectiveness for programs that don't include the relevant social network.

Fitness Camp for Kids (and their Parents)

Pritikin, Duke Diet & Fitness Center, and others recognize that effective and enduring transformation requires engaging the target individual's social network and transforming them, too. For a nice summery, see WSJ.com - Parents Join Kids at Fitness Camp (link requires WSJ subscription).

A transformational view on healthcare delivery

Health care in the US is a vast wastland: too many resources are comitted to fixing the sick. My mind boggles over the impact that transformational thinking could have in terms of increased public health and reduced cost of health delivery. The folks at the Center For Health Transformation get it.

Peak Experiences

Exemplary transformations are built on the foundation of exemplary experience delivery. You might find interesting Pine & Gilmore's list of their peak experiences in 2003.

Welcome to Transforming Value Offerings

This blog is dedicated to observations about transformational value offerings.  What's a transformational value offering, you ask?  Basically, transformational value offerings describe value creation contexts in which the client is the product. Individuals (clients) seek transformational value offerings because they aspire to change who they are in some way.  Your role, as transformation enabler, is to guide individuals along the path toward their aspired transformational goal.  WeightWatchers(tm) exemplifies a transformational value offering.  Higher (and lower) education is another variety of transformational value offering. 

 

Why transformational value offerings?  Pine and Gilmore's (1999) value progression map affords a concise rationale.  Because transformations are customized for each client, they deliver exactly the value the client seeks.  As is typical for differentiated value offerings, clients will pay a premium to be transformed.  In short, transformation value offerings can be very profitable.

    Another reason to understand transformation value offerings is this: transformational value offerings can make competitors of businesses or industries that you don't currently monitor consider relevant to your competitive space.  You may find your value offering suddenly rendered a commodity, with the resulting profit-deflating downward pricing pressures.

 

Getting the picture? 

 

The question you must be asking is: "How can I morph my current value offering of goods, services, or experiences, into a transformation value offering?"  This blog will explore examples of companies that are doing just that. I will also explore pathways for developing and delivering transformation value offerings.

 

Hang on, it should be a fun ride!

 

--REK