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Kentucky - What Is It - Chicken

Written by: Jim Meisenheimer

Article Overview: This article is about two well known brand names who tweaked their products and dramatically change their selling results and business model for the better.

Kentucky - What Is It - Chicken

Kentucky fried chicken began in 1952. Col. Sanders awarded Pete Harman the first KFC franchise. They sealed the deal with a handshake.

In 1960 there were 190 KFC stores and 400 franchised units.

Fast forward to 1979 and KFC had 6000 restaurants worldwide.

In 2006 more than 1 billion chicken dinners were served in more than 80 countries around the world.

I've had KFC fried chicken. I happen to be a diabetic and the grease covered chicken plays havoc with my blood sugars - which of course I have to monitor.

Enough about that.

Please do me a favor. Stand up and walk over to the closest wall. Stand right next to it with your nose on the wall.

Now imagine the wall is your business. It's the world you live and work in. When you're standing this close to the wall (Your business) it's easy to lose your perspective.

Okay where am I going with this?

You don't have to read the daily newspaper or watch the network evening news to know the business landscape is very challenging today.

It's challenging for salespeople. It's challenging for companies. It's extremely challenging for senior executives of these companies.

This is no time to put your head down and whine about the economy.

These are the best of times - if you imagine them to be.

In fact, 20 years from now, these will become the "good old days."

There are opportunities everywhere - but you have to be looking and receptive to them.

Take the Pyrex measuring cup for example. You have one, your parents have one, and if your grandparents are alive they'll have one. And there's a good chance you have more than one.

I just looked in my kitchen cabinet and we have six Pyrex measuring cups.

During the 1980s, both ends of the handles were attached to the cup.

Sales were dismal because everybody and their aunt Bertha had more measuring cups than they needed.

So what were they going to do?

As Henry Ford once said, "don't complain, don't explain, deal with it."

And that's what Pyrex did when they invented the stackable measuring cup.

And what do you think happened to sales - sales took off because they changed the handle and had something new to talk about.

KFC has been around for 57 years selling fried chicken.

Someone got the brilliant idea that KFC should sell grilled chicken.

And here's what a KFC recently said.

"Clearly, we're bringing in a lot of new customers, We're exciting a lot of people about the brand who haven't been excited about the brand before. And that's really helping the business grow."

Before you write off your business possibilities consider what Pyrex and KFC did.

Nothing more than a product tweek.

What can you tweek to jumpstart your sales?

Step back from the wall. Get people from the outside to step inside your business.

In my opinion there's no one better positioned in a company to come up with revolutionary new product ideas.

It's you - the road warrior called sales representative.

It's time to get excited about your business again.

It's not too hard to believe that in 2029 - these will be considered "the good old days."

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Article Tags: 1 billion, aunt bertha, blood sugars, business landscape, chicken dinners, countries around the world, good chance, grandparents, grease, handshake, harman, havoc, kentucky fried chicken, kfc franchise, kitchen cabinet, measuring cup, network evening, pyrex measuring cups, salespeople, senior executives



Related Forum Posts
Now KFC is rebranding... - I love Kentucky Fried Chicken - those 11 herbs and spices. Yum yum. Of course with the interference of the government and trans fat the chicken no longer tastes the same.... but I still like it... But all that's beside the point of this post, which is that in 1991, apparently, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC, and now, 15 years later, they're changing it back, because last year was a down year for them. I'm confused about this, because only yesterday my brother pointed out that the reason they'd changed the name in the first place was because the state of Kentucky was going to charge them a royalty fee for the use of the word Kentucky. I've been unable to verify that... but if its true... perhaps they worked out some kind of deal... I didnt' realize that the state of New York charges non-residents taxes, if they do a portion of their work in that state. For example, when a baseball, football or basketball team comes in to New York to play a team there - the visiting team's players have to pay taxes on the income they earn from that game - to New York. As far as I'm concerned, that's outrageous!!!
How To Make Up for Mistakes? - This topic has more to do with restaurants, I would think, than any other type of business, but I just thought I'd throw it out there. Earlier today I went to my local Kentucky Fried Chicken, where it quickly became clear that probalby 2/3rds of the staff were brand new... As I came in someone was complaining that they'd been given the wrong order, and 30 minutes later when I left, it was just after a man came into complain that he'd been given the wrong order. (Obviously through drivethru.) Why was I there for 30 minutes? I came in and ordered an 8 piece original meal. 5 minutes later I was told it was going to be another ten minutes, as the chicken had just gone down. 10 minutes later, I was told that *that* chicken had been the Extra Crispy, and they had run out of original and so it would be another 15 minutes for that. 15 minutes later...the manager told me that the original recipe had *just* gone down, the person he'd told to do it 15 minutes ago hadn't done it. Now, to make up for my 30 minute wait, the manager did give me 4 extra pieces of chicken, free. And then I got home to discover that instead of being given a side order of coleslaw, I'd been given green beans. Even if the green bean/cole slaw mixup hadn't happened... I seriously, seriously doubt if I'll ever go back to that KFC. Granted it was obvious that they were training in new people, but there's a point where sheer ineptitude begins to be apparent - they should be training people such that no one is on the floor who doesnt' know their job! And even though the manager gave me those 4 extra pieces of chicken as an apology, and although I appreciated it - and felt I deserved it - I will not be going back to that KFC any time soon. So.... from a restauranteur's standpoint, was it a waste of good chicken to give me those extra pieces when chances are I would never return?
Fast food workers - [quote:jxsovz2s] so why do franchises treat their employees like "worker bees" (i.e. work them till they quit or die or at least wish for their own deaths)? [/quote:jxsovz2s] I think that if "worker bees" approach their job with the right attitude, they can accomplish much. There are plenty of other people at the restaurant, so one is able to meet and interact with lots of people, see their personalities, etc. which is good for evaluating employees when you're in a position to hire them yourself. I think the main fault with fast-food restaurants is that they have such a hard time getting employees that they'll take anyone they can get, and then they only give them a couple of hours training before they put them out on the floor. Worse, they put them on the floor during the rush hour, and pretty soon they're in the deep end and not having fun because they don't really know what they're doing, and their managers are snapping at them and the customers are snapping at them and they get so frustrated that they quit. I suppose there are people who can pick up things very quickly and those are the ones that stick around...but there is certainly a high turnover rate. I talked a bit about this a month or so ago, when I related my experiences at a Kentucky Fried Chicken, where it was a comedy of errors, with me having to wait 20 minutes for my food, and then [i:jxsovz2s]still [/i:jxsovz2s]getting the wrong order. (And not the first time I'd had problems at this restaurant.) I have nothing but respect for fast food workers, and if they do screw up, I feel that 90% of the time it's the fault of the managers who didn't train them properly. But I doubt if the managers screw up because they don't care - [i:jxsovz2s]they [/i:jxsovz2s]probably haven't been trained properly in how to train their workers!
Book: The 1-Minute Millionaire: The Enlightened Way to Wealt - Book:The One Minute Millionaire: The Enlightened Way to Wealth Robert G. Allen (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul) 2002 Jacket: Is it possible to make a million dollars in only one minute? The answer just might surprise you. [This book] is an entirely new approach, a life changing "millionaire system" that will teach you how to: 1. Create wealth even when you have little or nothing to start with 2. Use the power of leverage to build wealth rapidly 3. Overcome fears so you can take reasonable risks Use "one minute" habits to build wealth over the long term ...Here are two books in one, fiction and non-fiction, designed to address two kinds of learning so you can fully integrate these life-changing lessons. On the right-hand side pages you will find the fictional story of a woman who has to make a million dollars in ninety days or lose her two children forever. The left-hand pages give the practical, step-by-step non-fiction strategies and techniques that actually work in the real world.
No guru is an island - In life we always look toward some men to solve our problems for us. We always put men on higher pedestals than ourselves. If only we know that there are no gurus out there. If only we know that whatever any of the gurus achieve we can achieve it and do better then we would look inwards to get things done ourselves. If you will be able to pay the price they pay, you will get there. Have you not seen the protégé that surpass his/her mentor? They are important to help us achieve our goals, but we should never make them our tin gods. They can make mistakes. If we rate them higher than necessary we will never believe we can be better than them. I have learnt that the so called gurus got to where they are today through hard work and learning. If you can pay the same price they pay. You will get there as soon as possible. How many times the guru had been wrong? If J.K. Rowlings listened to the advise of the expert we will not have Harry Potter’s series today. The Chicken Soup for the Souls first edition was rejected 33 times. Bill Gates said “The Internet? We are not interested in it” in 1993. This shows that the gurus can be wrong. So no guru is an Island. You can achieve anything in life if you put your heart to it. There is no guru that is better than you. You have also what it takes to be another guru yourself. You have all it takes to succeed just like them. You are solely responsible for your life. Don’t blame anybody. Don’t blame the gurus. Don’t say they are not available to help you out. Don’t say they reject your offer to do JV with you. You are to take them from the pedestal you place them and take your life and destiny into your hand. Stop the blame game. Don’t blame anybody but yourself for your misfortune. Your life and destiny is in your own hand. No guru is an island. No guru has a monopoly of ideas and hindsight. The good thing about the age we live in is we have access to the information they use to make exploit. The gurus are even good and generous enough to teach people their secret. If you can duplicate what they do you will get to where they are. You will even do better, because you will not make the mistakes they had made in the past. It is now time for you to begin to believe in your own judgment. I have been advised by my mentor in the past and I knew inwardly that it will not work. I listen to the mentor against my judgment and I lost a lot of money. Now I know better than to trust my instincts when making decisions. This is what you should be doing. It is your life and the decision you make will only affect you not your mentor.


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