Tag Archives: business thinking

June 3, 2016 · 12:03 pm

Pimento Cheese (Again)

Our Foodie Friday topic this week is pimento cheese. Unless you live below the Mason-Dixon line in the US or are a regular attendee of the Masters Tournament, you might be unfamiliar with the stuff. My late father in law was from South Carolina and it was in his home that I received my introduction to it. Having grown up in New York, I had no clue that pimento cheese was, and is, a staple in most southern homes.

Jessica will have the recipe up shortly

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At its core, pimento cheese is just cheddar cheese, pimentos, and mayonnaise. That said, very few people I know who make the stuff make it that way. I’m partial to Craig Claiborne‘s recipe which incorporates two kinds of cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, scallions, garlic, and hot sauce along with the basics. Other folks will argue for hours about which kind of mayo is best, Duke’s being the regional favorite. Bell peppers, sugar, cream cheese and other ingredients might make appearances as well.

It’s great to keep a tub of pimento cheese in your fridge for a quick snack.  You can also make sandwiches, slather the stuff on burgers, or use it as a dip.  It actually has an interesting history that dates back to the early 20th century.  As with barbecue, there are regional variations.  There are also dozens of pre-made brands sold in the supermarkets although I’m fairly certain one can whip up a batch in less time than it takes to go shopping for the inferior, premade product.  What’s the business point?

As with pimento cheese, there is no single right way to accomplish most business goals.  Very often, the route we choose is based on the resources we have, just as the final cheese product can depend on what’s lying around the pantry.  We need to keep open minds about proposed solutions and keep them as simple as possible.  One needn’t go to the trouble of making mayo or using fancy cheese in order to get a great result.  The best recipe is the one that gives you an outcome that pleases you the most, both in the kitchen and in business.

I wrote about pimento cheese a few years ago.  I ended that post by reminding us that our job as managers is to get everyone on the same page no matter which recipe we settle upon.  Good advice then as well as now, I hope.  Enjoy the weekend!

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June 2, 2016 · 10:10 am

Provocateurs

Every business needs a provocateur. It could be someone external such as a client or a vendor but it’s way more preferable if it’s someone internal to the organization. If you’re not familiar with the word, it’s defined as a person who deliberately behaves controversially in order to provoke argument or other strong reactions. An agitator, a shit-disturber. Let me explain.

The biggest enemy of any organization is complacency. It’s easy when things are going well enough to be lulled to sleep by the lullaby of good numbers. Complacency is also the result of what I believe to be a fairly common mentality: don’t make waves. How often did you or someone you know report on some crisis that was occurring in a business and their response was to keep their heads down and wait for the crisis to pass?

Provocateurs force us to be better. They challenge assumptions and force us to look at alternative views of the future. Even though the word has negative connotations, I think one can play this role in a positive manner. In fact, it’s almost an imperative for any manager who is worth their salt.

Let me add a word of caution.  I’ve known (and worked for) managers whose m.o. as provocateurs was to pit their staff against one another.  They’d foster internecine warfare and see who came out on top.  This is NOT the sort of thing I have in mind because all that sort of provocation accomplishes is to burn down some of the foundation upon which a business is built.

Ask questions.  Challenge assumptions.  Provoke discussions.  Make some waves.  Is it risky?  Sure, but just as with any risk the rewards should the risk pay off are tremendous.  You in?

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May 27, 2016 · 8:50 am

It’s Not Just The Burger

This Foodie Friday, the topic is Fast Food. Specifically, we’re going to see what we can learn from the rankings of fast food chains in the latest Temkin Ratings Report. What the heck are the Temkin Ratings?

English: McDonalds' sign in Harlem.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Temkin Experience Ratings are based on consumer feedback of their recent interactions with companies. We asked consumers to rate three components of the experience, Success, Effort, and Emotion, on a 7-point scale. For each component, we take the percentage of consumers that gave a rating of 6 or 7 and subtract the percentage that gave a rating of 1, 2, or 3. This results in a “net goodness” rating for each of the three components. The overall Temkin Experience Rating is an average of the three “net goodness” percentages.

In other words, they’re measuring if customers could do what they wanted to do, how easy it was to complete the interaction and their overall feelings about the interaction. In this case, it might be if the chain had the food item you wanted or prepared it the way you asked, was there a long wait or other impediment to you getting you food, and how pleasant the experience was.

Here is the business paradox and perhaps a learning. McDonald’s and Burger King didn’t do very well. In fact, as one site reported:

McDonald’s ranked dead-last among fast-food restaurants in the report, but there must be a masochistic streak among American consumers. Though the restaurant remains one of “the most commonly disliked fast-food establishments” in the U.S., last month Nation’s Restaurant News reported that McDonald’s is also the most-visited chain in the country.

So here is the question.  McDonald’s has placed a lot of emphasis on improving the menu – healthier items, more organic ingredients – and they now offer their popular breakfast items all day.  Sales are much better, and revenue and profits are two critical boxes on the scorecard in business.  I get that.  However, maybe they should have been spending more time improving the customer experience.  I can’t imagine that there is any sense of loyalty here.  The ratings seem to indicate that consumers go to McDonald’s either because it’s cheap or convenient and not out of any sense of enjoyment.  I don’t see that as a formula for long-term customer retention.

The thing for us to remember is that customers aren’t looking at your balance sheet.  They look at the product or service as well as the totality of their interaction with you.  If you’re not measuring and taking those things into account as you compile the financials, you’re probably missing a critical part as you analyze the health or your business.  Make sense?

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