SmallBusinessNewz

Yesterday I wrote briefly about the idea that your store might look too nice for some potential customers who might feel intimidated and just assume that what you are selling is out of their price range.

Can looking too nice dissuade people and actually lose you sales?

Now today, I have come across this article at Seeds of Growth (via thejenn at Small Business Brief) that looks at a Texas BBQ joint and asks if being too good can be bad for business?

The BBQ at this place has been touted as the best in Texas, and as a result has attracted so much business (local and out-of-towners) that it cannot live up to the demand).

Now this is a business with owners who express no interest in growth and expansion (a separate issue altogether), but without growth, how can they possibly supply the demand for this BBQ that is typically sold out by nine in the morning? Nine in the morning. That's going to leave a lot of unsatisfied customers, and a lot of unsatisfied customers are going to provide a lot of negative word-of-mouth.

So how long until all of this newfound business dies off and they are just left with the original core local crowd?

The most obvious solution would be to expand the business, but as previously stated, the owners have no interest in this, and would probably be just fine with that core customer-base.

I guess there are a couple of lessons to take away here.

One - consider the positives of your business and the possible negative effects that can stem from them, and take the necessary precautions to prevent those effects.

Two - Evaluate your goals for your business, and take the necessary steps (in most cases expansion) when the time comes for reaching them to be within your grasp. Otherwise, you may do more harm than good.

When some other place takes the crown for best BBQ in Texas, will this place still have enough positive word of mouth to counter the reputation it has for always being sold out?

That remains to be seen, but apparently right now, they are enjoying doing the business that they are doing.