I tucked into some sardines last night.

Absolutely delicious.

They’re not my standard snack, but I’m in Spain, and over here, they’re something of a delicacy.

And as I munched through them with a bottle of Estrella for company, it felt like I’d reached the top of the culinary mountain.

But here’s the thing: I could have had exactly the same meal in Solihull, and it wouldn’t have tasted half as good.

Why?

I was benefitting from what I call “the fish and chip effect”.

I remember being on the Devon coast a few years back, getting some fish and chips on the beach, and one of our party saying what we were all thinking:

“It’s just so much better by the sea, isn’t it?”

Now, I’m not quibbling with the sentiment, but the fact of the matter is that – for the most part – the notion that fish and chips are better by the coast is entirely placebic.

The assumption is that it tastes better by the sea because it’s fresher.

But most of the cod that comes into Devon comes from Lincolnshire, so if you want fresh fish, you’re better off grabbing a bite in Brum than you are in Barnstaple.

And yet, hundreds of thousands of people look forward to their seaside fish and chips, and genuinely enjoy it far more than they would on a Friday night at home in the city.

It highlights a critical point that’s beneficial for all businesses to understand:

How something is staged will affect our perceptions of how good or bad something is, and at every stage in your customer journey, you can affect that staging, positively or negatively.

The well-worn example is the car salesperson – imagine being ushered into the salesperson’s office and being greeted by walls filled with “salesperson of the year” awards.

Chances are that’d make you feel worse about the transaction (and more sceptical about purchasing) than pictures of happy customers and a “customer service excellence” awards.

So much of the buying process is predicated on how well products and services are staged, and if you’re not putting significant effort into this part of your sales process, chances are there are some improvements to be made, and additional sales to be achieved as a result.