Popcorn, Chicago and the Car Business

By Herb Mast

(Published in Dealer Magazine – August 2015)

 

Everyone loves popcorn. It’s tasty and has to be one of the simplest and least expensive snacks to make. You can purchase a bag of microwave popcorn from your local grocer for as little as forty cents each. So, why would anyone stand in line for 30 minutes to buy a similar size bag of popcorn for $10?

If you have ever been to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport you might already know where I am going with this example. And for those of you who don’t let me explain so you have the context for how this all relates to the car business.

I was on the phone with my wife while walking through O’Hare to my next gate after a recent meeting in Detroit. I asked her if I should bring home some popcorn. Popcorn is plentiful at O’Hare as there are five popcorn stands, represented by two brands, amongst the various terminals. On the surface both brands may appear similar, but you quickly notice that one of them always has a line (yes, always!) and the other doesn’t. In fact, on this particular day the line was no less than sixty people long!

 

First Exposure

My first experience with Garrett® popcorn was about five years ago when my wife and I went to Chicago for a 20 Group meeting. A friend (from Canada!) claimed a full Chicago experience involves Garrett® popcorn. We had never heard of Garrett’s, but we were intrigued by her enthusiasm and vowed to try it.

On our way to the Navy Pier Saturday afternoon we made a little detour in pursuit of this ‘famous’ popcorn. As we approached the Garrett® popcorn store in downtown Chicago our first observation was the lineup that flowed out the front doors and part way down the street. After waiting in line for about a half hour we got our first taste. We were not disappointed! This stuff was awesome. In fact, it was hard to stop eating it. So, before leaving Chicago a few days later, we stopped by again and dropped another $40 on a few bags of Garrett’s special mix (caramel popcorn mixed with cheese popcorn) so we could bring some home to share with our kids.

 

No Ordinary Popcorn

What is it about Garrett® popcorn that makes it so popular? Popcorn is pretty much a commodity, isn’t it? Is it in how they pop it? I am pretty sure that plays a role, but I suspect that is just part of it. What about the sugar, salt, cheese, nuts, and caramel? I am sure all of these elements play a role, but they are all just ingredients readily available to anybody. So what makes the difference? I have become convinced that the secret, like with all the great products and brands, is in their recipe!

So I was not surprised to read on the Garrett Popcorn Shops® website (http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/garrett-popcorn-shops/our-story) the following:

At Garrett Popcorn Shops®, we’ve maintained our dedication to fresh, delicious Popcorn since we first opened at 10 West Madison Street in Chicago. We continue to use only the highest quality ingredients from local producers as we handcraft our gourmet Popcorn in old-fashioned copper kettles. We strive to deliver the same Popcorn today that customers first talked about in 1949.

 What makes Garrett Popcorn so special? We hot air pop our signature blend of kernels, which we then mix into our secret family recipes. Every batch is handmade throughout the day and the result is an irresistible snacking sensation, which has generated lines of historic proportions outside of our retail Shops for decades.

 Our highest priority is to satisfy our customers’ cravings for great Popcorn.

As the Garrett® example illustrates success is not in the ingredients themselves but in the way the ingredients are blended into a recipe. So, what is your recipe?

 

A Recipe for Disaster

Whether it is popcorn or the car business everyone generally has access to the same ingredients, right? Then why do some achieve such great results and others don’t?

Why are some of you thriving and enjoying record profits, while others are struggling just to be average. The answer is connected to your recipe.

Every great brand has a special, usually “secret”, way that ingredients are mixed to come up with a recipe that is unique to them. In the absence of a formal recipe your team will be left doing their best with the raw ingredients and the result will be average performance at best. This “wing-it” approach may work during up-markets like we have now, but be forewarned – letting everybody mix the ingredients their own way is ultimately a recipe for disaster, especially during down markets which will inevitably cycle back around.

 

A Simple Self-Evaluation

A recipe in the car business (think in terms of a formula or intentional process if you prefer) goes beyond just selling and servicing cars. Or selling the cheapest tires or doing the quickest oil changes. A recipe goes beyond the décor of your waiting area or whether you have a cool kid’s play area. A recipe even goes beyond whether you serve espresso or offer thirty varieties of cold beverages. While these are all good elements, they are just ingredients. How you consistently mix all of the ingredients together into a brand that is differentiable from others and connects better with customers is what makes for a winning recipe.

Here are a few questions that will help you assess whether you have a recipe:

• Can you readily write down those [non-ingredient] elements that truly set your dealership apart from others?
• Would your leadership team come up with the same list? How about your front-line staff?
• Does your team consistently execute your recipe?
• What attracts people to your store? Is it your ‘deal’ advertising or your reputation and the referrals from previous customers?
• Are your customers coming back in higher than average numbers? (Industry average is around 50% while Top 10% dealers enjoy up to 90% loyalty.)
• Is your team happy, engaged, and functioning at or near their potential?
• Is your culture attracting the right kinds of staff and repelling the wrong ones or is the culture “you have allowed” attracting the wrong people and repelling the good ones?

 

The Power of a Recipe

Don’t be discouraged if you are coming to realize that you don’t actually have a recipe or that you have not properly articulated one. The future is yours to shape and a recipe will play a significant role in the success that you enjoy.

Here are some simple steps to help you benefit from the power of a recipe and improve dealership performance immediately:

• Capture your recipe in writing. Try to articulate your recipe in a few sentences or paragraphs. The key is to write it down. It is amazing how much clearer and repeatable things are when they are written down. In the process of writing it down you will be forced to think about the elements in greater detail. And, it will give you a chance to review it with others and make tweaks to ensure it is consistently understood and executable.

• Clearly communicate your recipe. Our minds are like sieves. We have a hard time retaining information and we are constantly bombarded with new and different ideas. So it is critical that you keep your recipe in the forefront and constantly remind your team of the importance of what sets you apart. True recipes become part of an organization’s culture. The essence of your recipe must be communicated and reinforced at every opportunity, both in WHAT you do and HOW you do it.

• Test the end result to see if it matches your expectations. Garrett Popcorn Shops® continuously tests their popcorn to ensure that every batch is as good as the first. In the car business we survey everyone, but seem more interested in the ‘score’ than in getting and using true feedback to improve or stay true to our recipe.

If you really want to see how well your recipe is being followed and connecting with customers stop coaching customers on how to fill out your surveys. In fact, don’t talk about the survey at all. Rather gear your efforts around trying to get back as many surveys as possible, so you have a clearer reflection of what your customers are actually experiencing, and make changes that align your process to your recipe.

• Pinpoint the breakdown and take corrective action. Don’t shotgun. Results are the culmination of many inputs and it is rare that the entire system fails all at the same time. Hence, try to pinpoint where the recipe was not followed. Just like the coach of a sports team who analyzes stats and watches game tape, don’t just look at the final score. Identify the breakdown and structure “practice” around the areas that failed – in some cases this involves the entire team, in other cases just a subset of the team, and in yet other cases individual players.

Certainly there is more to formulating and consistently executing a recipe, but these four steps will get you started towards better results.

Final thought. The results you are getting today are a direct result of the recipe you are following. So if you want different results something needs to change – either your ingredients, recipe, cooks…

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Herb Mast is President of COHESION, inc. and is passionate about inspiring Car Dealers to achieve greater growth and business sustainability.  Everything he does as an Executive Coach, Consultant, Author,  Keynote Speaker, and Workshop Presenter is focused on “filling gaps and connecting dots” of automotive leaders and managers to increase their effectiveness in the areas of leadership, teamwork, employee and customer care, and organizational health. Additional insights and practical solutions are available on Herb’s blog at www.HealthyDEALER.com. © Herb Mast 2015