QUALITIES OF THE #1 CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

A new customer called me (upon receiving her first batch of Bart’s cookies) to moan, “Bart, these are soooo good! They’re orgasmic!” Unfortunately, she offered a few cookies to her coworkers and they all disappeared, (which usually ensures repeat business). To be assured that customers receive what they order, I make it a practice to add a few extras to share with others. Bart Smith, of BartsCookies.com, "Maker Of The World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!"

The general reaction to biting into Bart’s cookies is overall amazement! Are they dangerously addictive; thumbs up on that, according to families, friends, and co-workers who know from experience. Customers have been known to eat an order of cookies in one sitting. While I don’t recommend this behavior, I’m thrilled that my customers tell me that they clearly are the world’s best chocolate chip cookie.

I have been baking the world’s best chocolate chip cookie for more than 30 years. My mom, the cookie baker in our home, gave up baking cookies a long time ago when she proudly handed the cookie sheets to me. She’s still my best customer and critic. Fortunately, she also concedes that, “They just get better and better, if that’s possible!”

Customers, friends and acquaintances, who I visit in person, usually greet me with statements like, “Did you bring me cookies?” I also get told that their friends are always asking for more too. “Is that cookie guy coming back? I heard about them, but I’ve never had them. Will he bring some in next time? Can you tell him? I want to try them.” It’s a typical reaction wherever I go, so I rarely show up for an appointment without cookies.

Now, you know what it’s like to take a bite of a cookie right out of the oven, right? It might be too hot to savor, and yet you want to feel its warmth and experience that tasty hot chocolate melting in your mouth. Well, when you receive a package of Bart’s cookies, a customer described that the virtual experience of opening the box was almost as good as opening the oven for the aroma, the freshness, and the flavor that permeates our brand of the world’s best chocolate chip cookie. I’ve even had professional bakers tell me, “Bart, I can’t even get my dough to smell that good.”

Bart’s cookies are no secret. As much as you might like to horde them and keep them all for yourself, people always find out that you have them. What better testimonial to know that people treasure them or will gobble them up only to want more! That’s why I faithfully toss in a couple of extra cookies per dozen ordered. I want the person who placed the order to enjoy them, too. I can just imagine what customers say when others look at them with those hungry eyes, and say, “You’re going to share, right?” So, that’s why I toss the two extra cookies (per dozen) with their order, so they can say, “Here are yours. Now, go away! These are mine!”

So what makes Bart’s cookies so special? Sure, I’ve even tried other brands of chocolate chip cookies and many are pretty good. I like to think, however, that the success of my chocolate chip cookie is about maintaining a perfect balance between the quality of ingredients and my honed recipe over the years, and the baker (me) who has a passion for what I do. Particularly, I want my chocolate chip cookie to taste a certain way, and, if you like what I like, then you’ll love my chocolate chip cookies. If customer satisfaction is also in the eye of the customer, then I want my customers to thoroughly enjoy the same experience I do with every bite.

Research tells us that there’s some psychology behind how and why people eat cookies, which are valued as a comfort food. When you begin to eat cookies (for example), your eyes, hands and mouth start the chain of command. Then the brain kicks in and links emotion, memory, and sensory stimuli. Just as sugar and starch spur serotonin, a neurotransmitter engages a sense of well-being. The short version here is: If comfort food makes us feel good, you need to try Bart’s cookies for extreme gratification – bliss! Because, that’s exactly the level of personal enjoyment I seek to inject into the creation of every one of my cookies. If eating my cookies sends you into another world, then, I’ve accomplished what I set out to with every cookie I bake.

Now, let’s do the math. How many of Bart’s cookies can you consume before you eat too many? Well, the average person could potentially eat a dozen (12) or more of Bart’s cookies in a single day. They're that addictive! When you multiply the weekly number of cookies (84) by twelve months, it equals consumption of more than 1,000 cookies annually. Is that too many? Well, maybe for the waistline! ;-)

Quantity eaten plays a factor in being able to label a cookie the world’s best chocolate chip cookie. Of course, I want you to eat lots of Bart’s cookies, but I don’t want you to balloon into a larger than life version of your former self. So I came up with a solution where you can eat any number of cookies and not be overly concerned about the calories.

Bart’s cookies are bite-size, unless otherwise requested (e.g., my B-Mo’s, which stand for ‘Big Monster’ of a cookie; a quarter pounder of a cookie, in essence). B-Bites are small, yet pack a dense count of chocolate chips in every bite. They’re portable. They can be consumed quietly, unless you are swooning. You get the satisfaction of eating a whole cookie with every B-Bite, in addition to enjoying a few more without the guilt. Customers tell me that making these bite-size cookies (e.g., B-Bites) was “genius”! I couldn’t agree more!

Let’s face it. Today’s consumers are skeptical. Can you blame them? With all the marketing hype and sales pitches people receive daily, we are all a bit jaded. However, to make any cookie sale, I make every effort to overcome natural skepticism and create a relationship of trust, performance, follow-through and providing more value in every purchase. One of the most powerful tools in our marketing arsenal is a customer testimonial. I recognize that my customers have put their names and reputation on the line by publicly endorsing my cookies and I value that they stand behind each and every endorsement.

When you read through my testimonials, I trust you will discover the very unique and meaningful experiences they’ve enjoyed eating my cookies, upon which I hope you get excited about trying Bart’s cookies for yourself. If you are concerned about overuse and the legitimacy of testimonials, each customer testimonials has some kind of personal link or interaction with me during my lifetime baking cookies. Each testimonial is real, and specifically tell prospective customers what they can expect when they order chocolate chip cookies online from me. In my mind, and in my heart, I take on customers for life!

People expect you to sing praises about your own products or services. In my case, I believe that my cookies truly are the world’s best! So, until you’ve sampled them, think of them as the “gift” you give yourself or the “friend” that never disappoints. Then, when you’ve tried some of my decadent cookie delights, tell me what you think.