There is a story from one of the most respected grocery stores in the business not that many years ago that I got to thinking about today in relationship to keeping our eyes on what's important.
The owner was grooming his son to take over the business. As a result some salesmen had come in and were telling him all about the newest technology and what impact it could have on the store. Of course the son went and raved about it all to his dad on how this would improve the business.
While his dad was walking with him throughout one of the stores, he would occasionally pick up a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable and take a taste to see how it was. He eventually got to the sweet corn section and picked up an ear and bit a piece out of it to see how it was. He didn't like the taste.
He told his son that the corn didn't taste good; it wasn't sweet. The son simply continued on with his monologue on how great the new technology would be for the store. His dad took another piece of corn and tried it and came to the same conclusion that it wasn't good quality. The son kept on talking about the technology.
The point isn't that there is anything wrong with technology, it's that it will never be the thing that separates you in the minds of your customers from other businesses. What consumer says: Wow! I do business here because of the technology they use?
That's what the owner was trying to teach his son. The reason why they were so highly thought of was because it mattered whether the corn tasted good or not.
The lesson is that we must know why we exist and what makes us special in the eyes of our customers. Whatever your corn it, that's the reason why people stay with you; because it tastes good!
By the way, this specific company has gone downhill since the dad left the business. Evidently the son didn't believe that good-tasting corn mattered.
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