Built to be Loved

My favorite restaurant in Dallas is Al Biernat’s. There’s something special about that place. Linda our server, always makes sure we are taken care of and have the best table, and we think of her as family.  Al, the owner, always brings the same care, as well as a smile and welcoming handshake. The food and presentation — fantastic!

Al Biernat’s, like many restaurants, competes with many others for a share of the Dallas market. They could do many things to gain more attention. They could advertise more. They could use social media and beg people for attention. They could use public relations and get someone like Jerry Jones or Angie Harmon (I’ve seen both dine there a time or two) to do a shout out.

Or they could do it the way they chose, which is hard but the most successful. They could earn it, by focusing on creating something that people value.

When I think of Al Biernat’s and other successful brands, they were built to be loved. Bernadette Jiwa says, “We need to give people one reason to care about us, not just a hundred different reasons to buy from us.”¹

Following are some thoughts to consider:

1. Build what you’re building for engagement, not just attention.
2. “Attention in isolation is overrated, and not what makes ideas that matter.”¹
3. You might be able to buy attention but that does not guarantee that you are able to change minds.
4. You can beg people for attention but most people become tired of dealing with interruptions they don’t want.
5. If you could be ‘the most’ to people, what ‘most’ would you be? You get to choose — being the most _____________.

Resources and References

Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others – Riverhead, 2012

¹Bernadette Jiwa, Make Your Ideas Matter – The Story of Telling Press, 2012

Richard Abraham, Mr. Shmooze – The Richard Abraham Company, LLC, 2002

Danny Meyer, Setting the Table – HarperCollins Publishers, October 13, 2009