019 The Invisible Touch – The Fallacy of Assuming That Strategy is Execution
Fallacies of Marketing
Execution of a Well-Thought Strategy – that's one of my favorite topics (and with the energy expressed by Harry Beckwith in this section, one of his too!).
McDonald's Restaurants – the example in this section and the example used by Michael E. Gerber in is legendary E-Myth Revisited (more on that as I write).
Mr. Beckwith mentioned McDonald's classic formula: cleanliness, speed, consistency. If you go into a McDonald's anywhere in the world, you expect (and should get) each of these.
But it's not always the case.
The Strategy Is Sound
There's nothing wrong with the strategy as listed… but executing to the level set my Ray Kroc ( the Golden Arches founder) is not always achieved.
Go into a well-run restaurant (whether you like the food or not) and you see a well-oiled machine. You order, the order is fulfilled in the back, and up slides your tray with your food on it. Clean, quick, and just the same as in all the other McDonald's restaurants you've ever been in.
I know that when I travel and need to get back into my car quickly and keep driving, I often will stop at a McDonald's near where I get gas. I order three cheese burgers and a medium Coke. Quick, easy, I'm back on the road.
They're easy to eat in the car, no lettuce falling out (as would happen with some other sandwiches), and they're tasty. (Special note: I don't know what they put on the cheese burger that is supposed to be onions: I'm allergic to onions (cooked, steamed, fried, raw) but these never bother me. And they add a little bit of flavor too.)
When the strategy is carried out properly, everything is great.
Execution Isn't Always Top Notch
However, the execution isn't always the best. I've been in some of their restaurants where the restrooms were NOT clean, the floor was NOT clean, the tables were broken and NOT clean.
This is a smudge on McDonald's image… but since I know what the place SHOULD look like, I just let it slide in my own mind thinking, "THIS restaurant isn't clean… but that's not like McDonald's." I don't think that McDonald's itself has fallen short… but I can't say how others feel.
But to think merely that BECAUSE you have a good strategy that it will be carried out correctly is wrong.
Details… it's all in the details. Carrying out the plan, the thought, the strategy MAKES the system work.
E-Myth Holds McDonald's High
Michael E. Gerber holds the SYSTEMS of McDonald's very high in his book. He points out that without great SYSTEMS, the whole thing would collapse.
An owner can't afford to run a McDonald's on the HIGHEST common denominator of employee…. an owner must have terrific SYSTEMS in place that can be run by ANYONE. (That's hardly all that Mr. Gerber says… but for the purposes of THIS section, it's an important point.)
Systems derived from Strategies and Goals drive a business forward, NOT just the Strategies and Goals themselves.
Conclusion
"Before you look at your marketing, look at your execution," writes Mr. Beckwith.
Marketing is what brought people INTO the restaurant (or into YOUR business)… and good execution will get them to come back. So be sure your execution is top notch or your marketing dollars will be wasted when people don't find the level of service promised in your marketing.
Best,
Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting
The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.
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Fallacies of Marketing
019 The Invisible Touch – The Fallacy of Assuming That Strategy is Execution
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