I Have Something to Confess…

I have a bit of a dark secret to confess…
I, am a fast food junkie!

There, I said it. It doesn’t make me feel better, it just gets my mind thinking about the different flavors, textures, and colors all the very tasty foods have.

I think about how good a well cooked hamburger tastes when it comes fresh off the grill. Or, how a hot dog snaps when you bite into it and you taste the tangy mustard and relish, specially at a baseball game.
I imagine that fresh baked smell of a New York style pizza pie as it comes out of the oven.

I don’t know what it is about fast food or street food that I like so much. I mean, it might have something to do with experiencing different flavors, food styles, and new ways of combining old ingredients. Or maybe it could be how quickly I can order a meal, have it on the table, and be out and about in less than 30 minutes. I’ve even thought that it could be all the incredibly tasty sauces each fast food joint has.

You see, I love sauces. I like ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce. I enjoy a good sweet and spicy marinade. I absolutely savor a flavorful dressing on a fresh and delicious salad. And man, do I really like sweet and sour sauce on a spring roll!

Having said that, my favorite sauce above all sauces, the king of my delicious sauce realm is mayonnaise. Mayo is for me the great equalizer. It makes everything, and I do mean everything taste better. I’ll spread it on anything. From pasta to fries, on rice, pizza, and even potato chips! My friends think I’m crazy. One of my closest buddy is truly grossed out by my undying love for the creamy, soft and somewhat sweet taste of mayo.
I love to combine different sauces with mayo and come up with new and different flavors for meats and sandwiches. I even try to copy my favorite restaurants’ secret sauces using mayonnaise.

One of those secret sauces is the famous Chick-fil-A sauce. It goes with everything!
I haven’t yet discovered the secret ingredients that make the Chick-fil-A sauce so incredibly tasty, but I keep trying.

One day, as I was trying to deconstruct the Chick-fil-A sauce, a thought came to my mind. Just like their secret formula for the sauce, what is Chick-fil-A‘s “secret sauce” For success?
I started researching both online and visiting Chick-fil-A restaurants in different parts of the country, and I discovered that the common element, besides great quality food ingredients, is amazing customer care.
I have found the same level of service consistently and in everyone of the franchises I have visited.
Their crew members make me feel that they care, that I matter, that I am not just another number, or a car in line waiting for them to serve like a school lunch line (nothing against the fine folks who serve school lunches), You know what I mean. These people put a lot of effort in creating a tremendous customer experience for me. Now, I know it’s not just for me, but it sure feels like it.

Chick-fil-A’s founder, the late Truett Cathy is quoted as saying: “We’re not just in the chicken business, we are in the people business.“
The more I learn about business, the more I deal with my clients’ needs, the more I understand that there really isn’t a difference between business to consumer and business to business. It’s all a people business.
I read a quote in a book that said: “business, is benefiting from helping others benefit.” That has stuck with me for years now.

It doesn’t matter what business you’re in, or what type of service or product you aspire to provide. If you’re not in the people business I find it very difficult to believe that you’ll build a truly successful enterprise.

People have a lot of the same needs no matter where they live in the world. Customers come to us with needs which must be met, problems which they need solutions to, and questions they need answered.
I remember a quote from the movie robots: “See a need, meet a need.” That’s what business is in a nutshell.
You see, customers want to be heard. They need to know that they matter to us, that we truly care about their issues. Our clients are people just like you and me. With aspirations, fears, questions, and needs.
If we aspire to grow our businesses, our organizations, or careers, we have to learn to listen to our customers and not just partially hear them. we have to get to the bottom of their needs by asking the right questions and really paying attention to their answers.

Consistent, excellent customer care can be to you like mayo is for me. The foundation to make the secret sauce for your business.

Remember, no matter what product or service you and I provide, we are first and foremost in the people business.