I recently heard a story about a Paradise Bakery & Café general manager who earned the nickname “Cowbell Sandy” from her adoring staff.

It seems that a couple of years ago she started an incentive program to increase add-on sales of bottled water, cookies, and other high margin items. She worked with vendors to sponsor the prizes, ranging from iTunes gift cards to iPods.

It has been my believe that what customers really want is EASY. Make it easy for them to do business with you and you will have a customer for life. Even in tough economic times most people still value convenience over price.

Ever been frustrated when you ask someone who works in a place of business about a product and they really can’t answer your questions? Trained associates can help. As detailed in The Gourmet Retailer,  The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA), Madison, Wis., has partnered with LearnSomething, Inc. (LS), Tallahassee, Fla., prominent cheese manufacturers DCI Cheese Company, Président and Land O’Lakes, and several major retailers to produce “Cheese: Product Knowledge for Retail Staff.” This is an online training program that teaches cheese and deli department associates how to engage customers and deliver cheese solutions to meet shopper needs.

My father-in-law is a restaurateur here in Denver. Several years ago, he took out a full-page ad in the local newspaper that read, “Take this ad to your favorite restaurant and receive $10 off dinner for two.” The ad did not specify the name of a restaurant or any contact information.

Jason Baer authored a thought-provoking blog post over at MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog. It puts forward the question of whether customers who are using social media are getting preferential treatment. Jason is a really smart guy, and he asks it this way:

An example of “Drive-By” Communication is when you swing by someone’s desk to ask or tell them something. You say what you wanted to say, then you go on your merry way without a clue what kind of impact your conversation just had on the other person. You have no idea if they understood you clearly or if they’re capable of doing what you requested.