Corky's BBQ

I've been cooking, competing and judging BBQ for nearly 30 years and I've spent a good part of my career selling it. From competing at BBQ contests to standing in front of the cameras at QVC, I've learned a few things about what makes people buy and, more importantly, what makes them come back.

Selling food on live television is an interesting business. Think about it. You're asking someone sitting at home to spend their hard-earned money on something they can't smell, taste or touch. You've got a few minutes to tell your story, show them what makes the product special and hopefully convince them to give it a try.

That's a pretty tall order when you're selling BBQ!

But I've learned that the same things that make a great BBQ restaurant successful also apply to television, e-commerce and just about any other business.

People Buy from People They Trust

One thing live television has taught me is that you can't fake knowing your product.

When I'm talking about our ribs, I can tell you how we smoke them, why we do things a certain way and what makes them different. I've spent enough time around a smoker to know the difference between good BBQ and great BBQ.

I don't need a script to tell that story and I think customers appreciate that.

Technology has changed how we reach customers. We have better data, more targeted marketing and more ways to get our products in front of people than ever before. But none of that replaces being genuine.

Customers can tell when you believe in what you're selling. And if you're asking them to trust you with their money, you'd better believe in it yourself.

Sometimes It's More than Just Dinner

At Corky's, we have a saying that I really believe in: Create Stories, Not Transactions.

Not long ago, we got a reminder of exactly what that means.

One of our longtime customers, who I'll call Mary, has become a real friend of the brand. Her friend, who I'll call Susan, had missed one of our holiday meal specials on television and was disappointed she hadn't gotten an order in.

Mary suggested she reach out to us and ask if we'd still honor the special pricing.

We decided to go a step further. We sent Susan the holiday meal and didn't charge her anything. We didn't know her situation or have any idea what was going on in her life. We just thought it would be a nice thing to do.

“The first sale may get you a customer, but how you take care of them is what earns you the next one.”

A few days later, we heard back from Mary.

Susan had called her in tears after receiving the meal. Her husband was preparing to enter hospice care and she'd recently lost her best friend. With everything going on, she was worried she wouldn't be able to put together a Thanksgiving dinner.

What we thought was a small gesture turned out to mean a whole lot more. She now had one less thing to worry about and the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with her husband, without having to worry about preparing it herself.

I'll tell you, that one hit home.

We thought we were sending somebody a holiday meal. What we were really doing was giving them an opportunity to make one more happy memory.

And the thing is, we had no idea any of that was happening when we made the decision to send it.

The Experience Doesn't End with the Sale

I love a big sales day on QVC. There's nothing quite like watching the numbers climb during a live presentation. But I've always believed the real measure of success isn't just how many people buy today. It's how many want to come back.

We can have a great presentation, sell thousands of pounds of BBQ and everybody can be excited about the results. But if the product doesn't arrive at the customer's home in great condition, we haven't really done our job.

That's why I spend as much time thinking about what happens after the sale as I do about making the sale.

From product quality and packaging to fulfillment and shipping, every detail matters. Customers don't care which department was responsible if something goes wrong. They just want somebody to care enough to make it right.

Marketing can make the promise, but the entire company has to deliver on it.

And when you do that consistently, you build the kind of trust that made Mary comfortable telling her friend to reach out to us in the first place.

Earning the Next Sale

I'm all for using technology to make us smarter and better at what we do. We have more ways to reach customers, understand what they want and communicate with them than ever before.

But technology can only take you so far. You still have to give customers a reason to trust you and that trust is earned through the experience you deliver.

The holiday meal we sent Susan wasn't about making a sale. In fact, we didn't make a dime on it. But it reminded me of something I've believed for a long time. Taking care of people is not just the right thing to do. It's also how you build a business that lasts.

After nearly 30 years around BBQ pits, restaurants and television cameras, I still believe the best marketing strategy starts with doing what you say you're going to do and treating people right.

Because the first sale may get you a customer, but how you take care of them is what earns you the next one.