out into the middle of the Elk. We stopped for about 15 minutes while the driver told us all about Elk and their habits. It was fascinating as the Elk were now just inches from us as we were now IN the field with them. Instead of standing behind the fence, we were parked BESIDE them while we had a learning experience about them. Call it “Elkertainment” if you will.

Finally, think about how many family farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, pony rides, etc. They aren’t just selling fruits and veggies at a roadside

Consider the lowly cup of coffee. It costs $1-2 a pound to harvest coffee beans. A single cup of coffee brewed at home costs about 25 cents. After all, it’s JUST hot water run over ground-up beans—it’s not rocket science. Now, if you go to Denny’s or Tim Horton’s to get a cup, what’s the cost to have coffee in a restaurant? Let’s say it’s $1.50.

Now, take that SAME cup of hot water run over ground-up beans—add a fancy name and serve it somewhere with low-lighting, comfortable chairs, “mood music”, free wi-fi, fancy machines that make neat noises and “hip” people and suddenly, that 25 cent cup of coffee is $2-3! What’s the difference? It’s STILL just hot water run over ground-up beans. It’s the EXPERIENCE of Starbucks! You COULD buy a pound of coffee at Starbucks and take it home to brew it yourself for much, much less, but people all over the world are paying BIG MONEY for hot water run over ground beans because it’s STARBUCKS! Customers are no longer spectators in your business, they want to be active participants!

In some way, customers who buy coffee in Starbucks find it more satisfying than customers who brew coffee at home. It’s most likely a social experience they seek. They may not stay in Starbucks to drink their coffee, but if they are walking around with a Starbucks cup, it puts them in the “in crowd” and says, “I buy my coffee where YOU buy yours”. I have a friend who reuses Starbucks cups just for that reason. She’s too cheap to buy coffee there most of the time, so she rinses out the cups (ewwww), fills them at home and takes them with her. She finally broke down and bought a Starbucks travel mug so she can stop rinsing the paper cups.

Last winter, we went to an Elk Feeding Station in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. It was fun to stand behind the fence and see the thousands of Elk milling around just yards from us. They feed the Elk in the lowlands in the winter time so they don’t destroy property trying to find food.

Well, then someone said, “Hey! The truck is leaving!” We ran over and got on the truck and it drove us out into the middle of the Elk. We stopped for about 15 minutes while the driver told us all about Elk and their habits. It was fascinating as the Elk were now just inches from us as we were now IN the field with them. Instead of standing behind the fence, we were parked BESIDE them while we had a learning experience about them. Call it “Elkertainment” if you will.

Finally, think about how many family farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, pony rides, etc. They aren’t just selling fruits and veggies at a roadside s

chines that make neat noises and “hip” people and suddenly, that 25 cent cup of coffee is $2-3! What’s the difference? It’s STILL just hot water run over ground-up beans. It’s the EXPERIENCE of Starbucks! You COULD buy a pound of coffee at Starbucks and take it home to brew it yourself for much, much less, but people all over the world are paying BIG MONEY for hot water run over ground beans because it’s STARBUCKS! Customers are no longer spectators in your business, they want to be active participants!

In some way, customers who buy coffee in Starbucks find it more satisfying than customers who brew coffee at home. It’s most likely a social experience they seek. They may not stay in Starbucks to drink their coffee, but if they are walking around with a Starbucks cup, it puts them in the “in crowd” and says, “I buy my coffee where YOU buy yours”. I have a friend who reuses Starbucks cups just for that reason. She’s too cheap to buy coffee there most of the time, so she rinses out the cups (ewwww), fills them at home and takes them with her. She finally broke down and bought a Starbucks travel mug so she can stop rinsing the paper cups.

Last winter, we went to an Elk Feeding Station in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. It was fun to stand behind the fence and see the thousands of Elk milling around just yards from us. They feed the Elk in the lowlands in the winter time so they don’t destroy property trying to find food.

Well, then someone said, “Hey! The truck is leaving!” We ran over and got on the truck and it drove us out into the middle of the Elk. We stopped for about 15 minutes while the driver told us all about Elk and their habits. It was fascinating as the Elk were now just inches from us as we were now IN the field with them. Instead of standing behind the fence, we were parked BESIDE them while we had a learning experience about them. Call it “Elkertainment” if you will.

Finally, think about how many family farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, pony rides, etc. They aren’t just selling fruits and veggies at a roadside

omers who buy coffee in Starbucks find it more satisfying than customers who brew coffee at home. It’s most likely a social experience they seek. They may not stay in Starbucks to drink their coffee, but if they are walking around with a Starbucks cup, it puts them in the “in crowd” and says, “I buy my coffee where YOU buy yours”. I have a friend who reuses Starbucks cups just for that reason. She’s too cheap to buy coffee there most of the time, so she rinses out the cups (ewwww), fills them at home and takes them with her. She finally broke down and bought a Starbucks travel mug so she can stop rinsing the paper cups.

Last winter, we went to an Elk Feeding Station in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. It was fun to stand behind the fence and see the thousands of Elk milling around just yards from us. They feed the Elk in the lowlands in the winter time so they don’t destroy property trying to find food.

Well, then someone said, “Hey! The truck is leaving!” We ran over and got on the truck and it drove us out into the middle of the Elk. We stopped for about 15 minutes while the driver told us all about Elk and their habits. It was fascinating as the Elk were now just inches from us as we were now IN the field with them. Instead of standing behind the fence, we were parked BESIDE them while we had a learning experience about them. Call it “Elkertainment” if you will.

Finally, think about how many family farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, pony rides, etc. They aren’t just selling fruits and veggies at a roadside

with her. She finally broke down and bought a Starbucks travel mug so she can stop rinsing the paper cups.

Last winter, we went to an Elk Feeding Station in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. It was fun to stand behind the fence and see the thousands of Elk milling around just yards from us. They feed the Elk in the lowlands in the winter time so they don’t destroy property trying to find food.

Well, then someone said, “Hey! The truck is leaving!” We ran over and got on the truck and it drove us out into the middle of the Elk. We stopped for about 15 minutes while the driver told us all about Elk and their habits. It was fascinating as the Elk were now just inches from us as we were now IN the field with them. Instead of standing behind the fence, we were parked BESIDE them while we had a learning experience about them. Call it “Elkertainment” if you will.

Finally, think about how many family farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, pony rides, etc. They aren’t just selling fruits and veggies at a roadside

out into the middle of the Elk. We stopped for about 15 minutes while the driver told us all about Elk and their habits. It was fascinating as the Elk were now just inches from us as we were now IN the field with them. Instead of standing behind the fence, we were parked BESIDE them while we had a learning experience about them. Call it “Elkertainment” if you will.

Finally, think about how many family farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, pony rides, etc. They aren’t just selling fruits and veggies at a roadside stand anymore—they sell a complete experience! It’s been called “Agritainment”. Let’s label ours “Scrappertainment”.

So, how do we translate this to OUR businesses? How do you become a “Scrappertainer”? You are selling that which can be found many different places. The key is to sell the same products in a new, different and fun way. You’ve got to give your customers MORE than just products. Here are just a few ideas:

• Wrap a custom scrapbook album with a big ribbon to enhance presentation
• Provide visually pleasing displays at your workshops or crops that give customers a sense that you care about their shopping experience
• Offer video classes that demonstrate techniques at your site. Make the classes FUN and put some personality into them.
• Don’t demonstrate—allow customers to participate. That’s why make and takes have lines at shows—people want to get their hands on products. Once they do—blow them away with your knowledge and expertise—THRILL THEM!
• Don’t just hold a crop, hold a PARTY. Pick a theme and go with it for all it’s worth. What if a birthday party didn’t have a theme? The kids wouldn’t be as excited about it. Adults are just bigger kids. As the song goes, “Girls just want to have fun!”

There are lots of ways that you can take your scrapbook business from just another shopping outlet to a total shopping experience! It will set you apart from the many others out there selling the same products. They might be selling the same things, but not in the same way. Provide Scrappertainment for your customers and they will reward you for your efforts.