Create a Memorable Guest Experience with Essential Oils
So many of my clients are entrepreneurs – either sole proprietors, part of start-ups or even small family businesses. For many of them, service is key. As it should be. However, as competition increases and people become drawn away from technology and into experiences, essential oils begin to take a front seat as a “tool” that can be used to draw in our clients or guests and leave a lasting or favorable impression.
Without getting too clinical, smells are processed by the olfactory bulb, which has a direct connection to the brain in the areas responsible for memory and emotion. That is exactly why a smell can take us right back to childhood, to places, or people that are stored in our memory.
It’s also the reason I am passionate about creating packages using essential oils for my clients who MUST create a memorable experience for their clients and/or guests.
Think about this scenario. You rely on repeat business. You are a business consultant and your clients come to your office every quarter to strategize. It’s extremely important that they look forward to those meetings and that when they leave, they recall a positive or pleasant experience.
For many offices, this means comfortable furniture, nice art on the walls, fresh flowers, and even snacks or beverages. And those are all wonderful ways to create an experience. They are certainly all steps that I encourage when visiting an office space. Yet, none of the senses impacted by these things (other than perhaps the small of coffee or flowers) are directly connected to the memory. The only one of our senses that is – is our sense of smell.
To me, it just makes perfect sense for you to add essential oil blends to your office environment. Depending on the goals of your business you may want to consider a citrus blend (upbeat, uplifting), a lavender blend (soothing relaxing), or even a vanilla blend – which has been shown to sooth and inspire.
I usually ask a few questions regarding your business goals, your space, your clients, and recommend a blend (or blends) that will help to enhance the goals you have for those with whom you interact.
For example, in a bed and breakfast environment, I tend to work with the overall aesthetics in the space. What is your entry way like? How do you want guests to feel when they first walk in? What about your common areas? Is that a different goal than in the bedrooms and bathroom?
We can then choose to create an experience based on the blends- that even differs room to room. So consider this. You select a cheery citrus blend for your entryway, and the guest is greeted by the subtle smell of citrus, and a nice bouquet of yellow flowers. You select a lavender blend for one or more of the bedrooms. Then you enhance the experience with perhaps a few lavender throw pillows, a fresh bouquet of flowers that includes shades of purple. You get the idea. When your guest checks out, you can offer them to purchase, or build into their package – the blends that they experienced throughout their stay.
How does this create repeat visits?
Back to the olfactory bulb. Every time your guest uses the blend(s) (which is why I suggest building it right into their package) they are reminded of the time they spent with you. Studies suggest that the more often a place is in our memory, the more apt we are to revisit there. Assuming that it was a positive experience.
I use the example of a bed and breakfast, because most of us can imagine that scene playing out in our heads; but really this works for any business that creates an experience and relies on repeat business.
If you are a consultant, why not offer your clients to take the essential oil blend that you use with them at the end of your meeting? If you want them to visit again, it seems like a pretty basic idea. And the beauty of it is that it’s a very inexpensive tool overall – for a large potential ROI.
Drop me an email if you’d like to chat about creating an experiential package for your business.