Eating His Way to the Top: The Success Factors of Duncan Hines
Eating His Way to the Top: The Success Factors of Duncan Hines
Trust: "I never order baked potato without inquiring when it was baked, because a warmed-over baked potato is about as edible as a gum eraser," said Hines. By insisting on the highest quality of both cooking and cleanliness in a restaurant, and refusing to be bribed in any way, Hines established a solid reputation with the American people. He was honest and reliable, and they looked to him to tell them where to eat.
Simplicity: Christmas cards. Hines used something as simple as Christmas cards to begin spreading word of mouth for his product. He brought his friends on board, who then brought their friends on board, and before he knew it, Hines had a hugely popular self-published book on his hands. He started small and close to home in spreading his marketing message, saving his money for the thing that mattered the most: the product.
Reputation: As soon as Hines started becoming a household name in America, businessmen from across the country were calling on him to endorse their product, or partner up with them on a new venture. Hines, however, was not about to tarnish the reputation he had worked so hard to build up. It was not until he felt it was the right time for his company, and that he had developed solid relationships with his potential business partners, that Hines decided the time was right to take that step.
Opportunities: Hines could have limited himself to just producing new updated versions of his guidebooks over the years, receiving an income any American would have been happy with at that time. But Hines wanted to think bigger. By jumping on the opportunity to rent Duncan Hines signs to restaurants he had recommended, Hines had capitalized on a huge windfall.
Fun: Any entrepreneur who calls himself the "Head Rooster" has to be having a little bit of fun in his business. Because he started late in life, Hines might not have been your typical entrepreneur. But what he lacked in youthful stamina, he made up for with pure entertainment and fun.
The salesman turned food critic Duncan Hines had become an authority on quality food and dining establishments in America by the end of his career. While his first product to hit the shelves in 1950 was Duncan Hines Vanilla Ice Cream, today consumers can find a range of food products that bear his name, including cake, brownie, muffin and cookie mixes and ready to serve frostings. The company's current logo, which features a cartoon character of the man himself, demonstrates the lasting impact of Hines' reputation and the trust that the public had in him.
Eating His Way to the Top The Success Factors of Duncan Hines
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Duncan Hines was a modest man who found his passion late in life, but made it count more than most. From his first published restaurant directory to the Duncan Hines cake mixes that populate kitchens around America today, Hines left a lasting legacy on the industry. How did he do it?
Trust: "I never order baked potato without inquiring when it was baked, because a warmed-over baked potato is about as edible as a gum eraser," said Hines. By insisting on the highest quality of both cooking and cleanliness in a restaurant, and refusing to be bribed in any way, Hines established a solid reputation with the American people. He was honest and reliable, and they looked to him to tell them where to eat.
Simplicity: Christmas cards. Hines used something as simple as Christmas cards to begin spreading word of mouth for his product. He brought his friends on board, who then brought their friends on board, and before he knew it, Hines had a hugely popular self-published book on his hands. He started small and close to home in spreading his marketing message, saving his money for the thing that mattered the most: the product.
Reputation: As soon as Hines started becoming a household name in America, businessmen from across the country were calling on him to endorse their product, or partner up with them on a new venture. Hines, however, was not about to tarnish the reputation he had worked so hard to build up. It was not until he felt it was the right time for his company, and that he had developed solid relationships with his potential business partners, that Hines decided the time was right to take that step.
Opportunities: Hines could have limited himself to just producing new updated versions of his guidebooks over the years, receiving an income any American would have been happy with at that time. But Hines wanted to think bigger. By jumping on the opportunity to rent Duncan Hines signs to restaurants he had recommended, Hines had capitalized on a huge windfall.
Fun: Any entrepreneur who calls himself the "Head Rooster" has to be having a little bit of fun in his business. Because he started late in life, Hines might not have been your typical entrepreneur. But what he lacked in youthful stamina, he made up for with pure entertainment and fun.
The salesman turned food critic Duncan Hines had become an authority on quality food and dining establishments in America by the end of his career. While his first product to hit the shelves in 1950 was Duncan Hines Vanilla Ice Cream, today consumers can find a range of food products that bear his name, including cake, brownie, muffin and cookie mixes and ready to serve frostings. The company's current logo, which features a cartoon character of the man himself, demonstrates the lasting impact of Hines' reputation and the trust that the public had in him.
Eating His Way to the Top The Success Factors of Duncan Hines
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals. Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nations Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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