Brian Tracy's FocalPoint Business Coaching en Francais

McDonald’s aims to be the king of beverages as well as burgers, according to USA Today (May 17^th, 2010).

We’ve seen them try pizza and wraps (the sadly named McWrap) and now we get to watch as McDonald’s attacks a new product line. Now, starting in Detroit, Michigan, McDonald’s has entered the frappe and smoothie product market.

Brian Tracy suggests that the most important element of marketing is the product:

“Is your product or service, as you are offering it today, ideally suited for your current market and customers?”

McDonald’s revisits its products continuously, asking the same question. When a business coach is asked to help with marketing strategy it very likely means sales are down.

The first thing we do in this scenario is start with that basic FocalPoint Coaching technique: Clarity. Ask your client:

• What do you sell?
• Why are you selling it?
• Are people buying it?

In Brian’s words, “A serious problem with many companies is that they fall in love with their product, and with their history. They “get married” to the process of producing and distributing their product and services. They dismiss challenges to their products, thinking that customer loyalty is strong enough to withstand superior competitive offerings. As a result, they fail to respond fast enough to their competitors when they come out with something that customers prefer more.”

McDonald’s is always aware of where their customers are going. And they are always ready to make the moves that will bring them back. As the population turned to healthier eating, they brought in salads and marketed freshness; and when their customer base started turning away from milkshakes and looking for a seriously good cup of coffee, McDonald’s introduced their Premium Roast Coffee.

Now for some more FocalPoint style business coaching. Give your client the hard questions:

• What does the product do for my customers?
• Why would they want to buy it over the competitor’s product?
• Is it still the product that people want?

McDonald’s franchise owner, Gary Grander says, “We’ve always sold what our customers want. Anything we come up with is going to fit a profile: variety, taste, value and quantity. McDonald’s is sticking to its basics – producing and making products that consumer’s want.”

Those should be the basics to every business, shouldn’t they?

Thanks for visiting! Let me know what you think about the McDonald’s story. Do have a similar story to share? Leave me a line in the Comments Section, it would be great to know what you’re thinking.