Inch Thick Bologna Sandwiches — What?

A few years ago, actually many years ago, I stopped for lunch at a little country store between Liberty and Ramseur, NC — the kind of country place that serves the local lunch crowd with a small “orders-to-go” kitchen on the side.

While I waited for my order of chopped pork (truly delicious) to be prepared, I stepped to the side so that others waiting could be served.  The line grew fast as locals, construction workers and delivery men stopped for lunch.  These were hard working people who wanted a quick, hardy meal at a good price.

Nearly nine out of ten orders were for the bologna sandwiches.  These sandwiches were hand cut 1″ thick and slapped on white bread with condiments of choice.  My recollection of Oscar Meyer bologna slices had always been much thinner so it intrigued me to see so many people lining up for these mega sandwiches.  And for under two bucks they sold, well — like hotcakes!

They Knew What They Wanted

The owners of this little country store knew what their customers wanted. And gave it to them, efficiently and at a good price.  They didn’t have any grand illusions about what their customers ought to want or what was best for them. But by serving the desires of their hungry customers they made a very tidy profit during this lunch-time rush.

Now contrast this with a woman (I’ll call her Mary – not her real name) I met a couple of years later through some friends.  She wanted to live her dream of opening her own restaurant.  The foods she cooked were wonderful.  She had dishes that would have placed her in the top tier of fine dining nearly anywhere in the country.

Instead of the larger Fayetteville market she decided to open in Raeford, NC — a nearby farming town.  Now Fayetteville has nearly the highest percentage of restaurants per capita in the state and a population that loves to eat out.  But Raeford is a small farming town and not normally associated with fine dining.

She Thought a Good Product Was All She Needed

Mary listened to her strongest advisor, her inner self.  Even though her friends advised her that the locals, farmers, turkey plant workers and service workers just were not likely customers for her $10 gourmet sandwiches she heard only what she wanted to hear.  She knew her food was so good, and it really was, that those hungry for more than the standard fast food would beat a path to her door.

She may have planned to start small at first and then “graduate” into bigger markets.  But for Mary this was a failed dream and her investment of time, money and soul was completely wiped out.

What Went Wrong?

Why did she fail?  She did not understand her market, she did not know who she was trying to sell to.  She assumed all she needed was to open her doors and they would flock to her tables — she knew what they wanted better than they did themselves.  Her friends tried to explain that Raeford customers were more like the inch thick bologna crowd than $7 peanut & butter sandwich connoisseurs.  It just did not register with her preconceived notion of the world.

If Mary had picked a location in Fayetteville her random chances would have been much higher but not guaranteed.  If she had sampled the local crowd and catered to what the customer wanted (perhaps not so much gourmet but good food competitively priced) she would have learned what would sell.  Mary was good at preparing excellent meals but she didn’t first discover what her customers wanted.

The Go Ahead Lesson?

Find a need, no, make that a want or burning desire in your market niche.  Develop a product that fills the desire (inch thick bologna sandwiches) and give it to them.  Know who your customer is, test price points to find a balance between sales and profitability and then give it all you got.

The single biggest factor in your success is knowing who you’re selling to.  What drives their desire?  What makes your product any better than another?  Why (what’s in it for me?) should they deal with you?  Answer these questions before you try to sell them and you’re on your way to success.

How do you know the market reach of whatever you’re selling?  How much can you spend to bring in a customer and still make money?  Know these answers?  Without them how can you justify the time and money investment to go after them?

Copyright © 2009 The Marketing Gentleman

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