I always become concerned when a client uses the word INTENT or INTENTION. As a result of my experience, those words now trip a red alert.
Intent is a word that refers to one’s state of mind or purpose. However, many folks incorporate that word in a sentence without really understanding what it means. Allow me to explain.
Before we begin, I want to let you know that the client to whom I refer in this post, has given me permission and free reign to talk about their case. Seeing as how they KNOW who I am, and that I spare all the BS, I would be remiss if I did not congratulate them on their cooperation and courage.
OKAY…
I was working with a restaurant whose unique selling proposition was, “The Ultimate Hamburger Experience.” Their uniqueness, so they claimed, was that everything about their gourmet hamburgers, and for that matter – their restaurant, was healthier and better than anything that world had ever tasted (i.e. the meat was organic grass-fed and the french fries – from organic potatoes, were cooked in non-trans fat oil). Additionally, everything in the restaurant was supposedly “eco-friendly.”
In talking about their food and their concept, both co-owners of the business used the word INTENTION repeatedly – to the point where I wanted to put duct tape over their mouths. They also used the word PASSION, again – to the point of exhaustion.
The co-owners (female) had been working with another marketing company, but wanted a second set of eyes to take a look – just in case the marketing company missed anything. No problem. Sooo…to begin the relationship, I asked them to prepare me a typical meal.
Their gourmet hamburger and fries arrived at the table in a cool looking box made of 100% recycled cardboard. The burger was covered with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a kosher pickle (off to the side). So far, so good.
Now here’s where things started going downhill. The burger rested nicely inside a bun, but the bun did not appear to be anything special. At my table was a bottle of ketchup (a popular brand), a bright yellow bottle of mustard (another popular brand), and regular old salt and pepper. The beverages were served in fountain cups imprinted with a very famous soda brand’s logo. FYI: I only drank water.
Before we delve into the feedback I provided to the co-owners, let me tell you a little about the restaurant’s decor. In short, it was sterile – too sterile. You would think that a place that put so much emphasis on “organic” and “eco-friendly,” would make the place look, well, more eco-friendly. For example, one restaurant I worked with had counters and tables that were manufactured from recycled glass. Pretty cool.
The real kicker here was that their INTENT and their PASSION, were left out of the restaurant. If you are going to say, “Everything about our restaurant is world-class” (which is what they actually said to me), then why the heck would you have high-fructose ketchup at the table? For goodness sake, make your own ketchup, or at the very least, put out organic ketchup.
Why would you have normal, everyday mustard? Why wouldn’t you have sea salt instead of just plain old table salt? Why wouldn’t you have a little pepper grinder at the table instead of a plain old pepper shaker?
Getting back to the hamburger bun…if it looks like it’s the kind of generic white flour bun you’d find at your local grocery store, then guess what – that’s what it is. If your bun is organic, then it should look organic (i.e. whole grain). It shouldn’t look like some enriched white blob of flour and water.
Why the heck are you serving regular old soda that’s filled with sugar and crap? I would have preferred to seen some of the more natural and healthier brands like Hansen.
Even the napkins were as white as Liquid Paper. Wouldn’t you think brown recycled napkins would have been more appropriate?
Cut to the chase: They hated my evaluation. I’m mean – man, were they pissed! Nevertheless, what I said to them I will say to you: Intentions don’t mean anything if they aren’t backed up with action. You can talk about INTENT, PASSION, and LOVE all day and all night, but that doesn’t mean squat if what you say doesn’t match what I see.
You can’t blame anyone other than yourself for someone’s misinterpretation. These ladies were pissed at me BIG TIME, because I (the customer) did not “get” their concept. Well, EXCUSE ME! If they’re going to be pissed at anyone, it should be their primary marketing company. Those are the folks who should have come in and said, “What I’m hearing and what I see…JUST DON’T MATCH!”
About three days after I presented my analysis, I received a very long, very nice letter. The ladies realized that I had hit the nail on the head, and were simply frustrated at not realizing what was obviously going to be a major congruence and consistency issue. I don’t know what happened with their primary marketing company, but I know what I would have done with them (lol).
Next week, we’ll talk about INTENT and PASSION on more of an individual level. We’ll even explore the concept of being PRINCIPLED – and what that really means. It’s a blog post that is sure to make more than just a handful of folks…VERY MAD. I love it!
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc