Valentine’s Day at an Italian restaurant in Bologna is something to behold with a valuable lesson to be learned for our businesses.
Karen and I walked through the cobbled-street roads to Franco Rossi Ristorante where an excellent glass of champagne greeted us.
The five-course dinner was, as you would expect, fantastic and the wine flowed freely. The wine was in included with each course, but the waiter just kept filling our glasses over and over again.
What was even more magical than the food, was the owner of the restaurant. Dressed immaculately, the 75-year-old gentleman, clearly loved his life and his wine.
At one point, he broke off rose petals from a bouquet and gently tossed them in the air over the guitar player and songstress, who entertained with beautiful Italian love songs.
He danced, sang along, spoke to everyone at every table. He spoke no English, so we didn’t know what he was saying, but there was no doubt he liked my beautiful wife. 🙂
Aside from the charm, he was smart and delivered more than we expected. Here is a picture of him showing me a huge bottle of rum right before pouring me a taste before we left his restaurant.
This “bonus” was an unexpected touch that made the evening even more special and memorable than it already was.
Every entrepreneur should follow his lead and deliver “wow” experiences to their customers. It can be something simple such as including an unexpected, unadvertised bonus. You can send a gift package after someone becomes your client. What extra thing can you do that your customer doesn’t expect?
Okay, it’s time for Karen and me to walk the porticos of Bologna.
Salve.
Dave “I Love Italy” Dee
P.S. If you’re interested in escaping the chains of 9 to 5 and reaching your income goals while living a life of total freedom, tune into the live webcast I’m doing on Sunday, February 18th at noon ET.