Back in 2011, after returning from a business trip to New Orleans, I wrote this very article on the concept of Lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap). As I return from another fantastic trip to this culturally rich area, it strikes me to reprint this article as the inviting concept of lagniappe is deeply ingrained in the business philosophies of so many establishments there. The best way to explain lagniappe to Northerners is that it means you give a little bit extra.
Surely we all have heard of the concept of the Baker’s Dozen. “Well, hush my puppies y’all, that’s not a dozen, is it? It’s actually 13.” The baker gives you an extra roll or donut because it is presumed that, well heck, these days everyone tries to stretch things a bit. (They were stretching things a hundred years ago too, by the way.) They might be inclined to use a little less flour here, or a little less butter there, when they made whatever they were featuring that day and the baker just makes up for it by giving you one more of whatever he’s got. It ensures that we are getting what we have coming to us, and nothing less, and yet most of us take it as “more” than we expect. It is a terrific piece of marketing and goes a really long way to ensure quality control and very high customer satisfaction. Lagniappe is the same kind of thing.
Visitors may complain about the heat and the “skitters” but you never hear them complain about the food or the hospitality and a big reason for this is the ingratiatingly charming practice of lagniappe. It is everywhere. It is just the way it is. Imagine how your customer service would be perceived if you offered a little lagniappe as a regular way of doing your business. How cool would it be to pick your car up at the service station and discover they threw in a free wash, just because? Now, that’s lagniappe and we at Titan Business Development Group wholly endorse it!
As a customer, wouldn’t you come back to the establishment again, tend to recommend them or perhaps even provide some word-of-mouth advertising on their behalf? As a business owner, wouldn’t that translate into a complete win-win?
We’d love to hear about any examples you have implemented in your business.