You may know us as automotive marketing experts and authors, but there’s another thing about us that you probably don’t know. Something that defines who we are. We are both foodies of the highest order—always on the search for the latest and greatest in the culinary world.

So on a quick trip to Colorado, we were both hoping to score some good food finds. It was a pretty big let down. We ate pretty lousy food all week; that is until we met Dave.

We happened upon this little barbecue restaurant outside of town and decided to pull in. It was called, Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ & Taphouse. It didn’t look like much on the outside, so we were nervous that it would be lousy. We decided to run in and grab a menu to look at before committing. We knew the moment we saw the menu that we were at the right place.

Before we tell you about the menu, consider that for a second. Before we read the menu or saw inside the restaurant, we knew we made a good choice. Just by the way the menu LOOKED.

Imagine if your marketing material was that powerful!

Always remember that all consumers are desperately seeking a buying preference. We’re all looking for some reason to choose one thing over another. And we’re also looking for an experience.

Dave’s menu was printed on newsprint and folded in half. This resulted in a four-page menu that looked like it was a section out of the newspaper. And guess what was on the first page? Copy! That’s right. This guy basically wrote an article for the restaurant right on the front page of the menu. The result? After we read it, we couldn’t wait to get inside. The pre­sell of the meal caused us to get extremely excited. Even better, the pre­sell created a perceived experience before we walked in the door.

The restaurant was good. We might even say very good. But we had gone to another BBQ place a week earlier in Denver, and it was more or less the same as Dave’s from a food perspective. However, Dave’s menu (such a simple thing!) got our blood pumping so hard that Smokin’ Dave’s seemed like it was so much better compared to the other place. We were excited to be there! The other place just seemed like any other restaurant while Smokin’ Dave’s seemed like a rock and roll concert.

We really urge you to consider the impact simple marketing material can have on your customer’s experience. Remember, people want to do business with experts. By leveraging your expertise—building materials like books, special reports or audio recordings—you can impress your customers before you even start doing business. And by doing something more sensational than your competitors, you make yourself look like a star instead of just another “whatever.” You can capture their attention and “wow” them into becoming your next happy customer.

Most restaurants just print some basic menu with pictures of their food. Maybe they slip the paper into a fancy leather menu holder. But, for the most part, it’s all the same. And SAME is LAME®. Old Dave put his menu on a newspaper and looks like a celebrity as a result. Good work, Dave!

Now take a moment to think about how you can be like Dave. Make a plan to reinvent your marketing and develop your customer experience so that they can’t wait to do business with you and tell everyone about how awesome it was.

OK, now go find some really good lunch. We certainly will.