My mate runs a crêpe stall at one of the most famous weekend markets in the world.
She’s French, and whips piping hot and tender skins off the skillet, oozing chocolate, lemon curd, ham, eggs and cheese while maintaining perfect hair.
The other day, she asked me to take over for three months while she took off around Australia.
Sure thing, I said. Looks easy enough.
Bless my ignorance.
Making crepes sent me back to kindergarten and spanked my derriere. Hard.
Who knew these simple street snacks were so tricky?
Before trying it myself, I never appreciated the skill required to ladle batter onto an edgeless surface hotter than the face of the sun, whirl that batter into a wafer-thin circle using a quaint wooden paddle (without tears, breaks or lumps, mind you) then perform pancake puppetry with a metal spatula to manoeuvre and fill the damn thing with runny condiments, and plate it up for a hungry punter - all in under 60 seconds.
My first 103 practise crepes were homages to Hannibal. After that, things started to click.
You’ll be pleased to know that by midday of my first Saturday market, I was able to smile at the customers and exchange weak banter while preparing their treats. One small girl even said “PHWOOOAR! You must’ve been doing that for years!” in response to my wrist action. Thanks, my little cabbage. I haven’t.
A few good things came of my uncomfortable ascension to crepe-making mediocrity.
One, I ate a lot of free crepes. Ditto my dog. Ditto my man.
Two, I dropped a grenade in my comfort zone, experiencing a spectrum of humbling emotions from utter incompetence to frustration, appreciation for the skills of others, to finally, pride in my own perseverance.
Lastly, I was reminded of a valuable marketing lesson.
When you’ve been running a business for a while, it’s easy to take your product or service for granted. To be blinded by your own expertise, and stop thinking what you do is extraordinary.
As a result, many businesspeople hesitate to share their process, because to them it’s second nature. Old hat. Boring.
But you must - must! - make a fuss of what you do.
With fresh eyes (and flummoxed hands), I saw the magic in my friend’s deceptively simple service - and decided to share it.
I told every customer, “Mon Dieu! This is so much harder than it looks!”, describing how the batter is prepared according to French tradition, how my friend went to elite-level crepe college to hone her craft, and all the tiny, authentic touches that make these morsels a true Parisian treat.
The crepes were received and eaten with relish.
This ‘inside info’ about your product or service is what gets people excited.
These tidbits can be used to differentiate your business - online and in person.
These facts may feel mundane to you as practitioner, but to your customers, are nothing short of miraculous.
Perhaps you go to great lengths to source top quality ingredients; maybe you studied under a master practitioner with a crazy teaching method; it could be that you spend countless hours preparing for each client, personalising their treatment or session.
Share it.
Weave that delicious detail into your social media posts, use it as blog fodder, pitch it as a story to magazines and do interviews - sharing your process not with pomposity, but with true enthusiasm.
And soon, you’ll be all le rage.