When it comes to success stories in the world of marketing one of the most remarkable would be that of Col. Harlan Sanders the Colonel behind Kentucky Friend Chicken (KFC). Now, in today’s day and age you will see a multitude of Kentucky Friend Chicken shops on street corners around the world. Most would assume that this means that the founder of the restaurant chain simply came up with a very good tasting recipe, went into business and made a fortune. Hey, the product was a great chicken recipe and the world responded positively. What??™s more to know? Well, there is a lot more to know because it provides a lesson as to why one should never, EVER give up when faced with adversity. You see, no one really wanted anything to do with Col Sanders’ recipe when he first debuted it in the late 1960’s.
Col. Sanders was a fellow who really loved to share his fried chicken recipe. He had a lot of positive influence from those who tasted the chicken. Now, the Colonel was retired and up in age and when most people who believed in the sanctimony of retirement the Colonel opted to sell the world on his cool new chicken recipe. With little in terms of means at his disposal Colonel Sanders traveled door to door to restaurants all over his local area. He wanted to partner with someone to help promote his chicken recipe. Needless to say, he was met with little enthusiasm. In fact, most assumed he was little more than a crank! While most would have given up under such circumstances the Colonel did not let it get him down. He persevered until he would hear that magic yes that would skyrocket his business. Of course, as history has shown he found someone who had faith in his recipe and Kentucky Friend Chicken was born.
Most people would have probably gotten extremely discouraged at the first instance of rejection. This would be a common reaction among the average person. Thankfully, the colonel was far from an average person or achiever and he continued on in the face of rejection. This should prove as a wonderful tale to anyone who is contemplating quitting when things are tough because it clearly shows that great things can happen if one persists with one’s dreams and never loses confidence.
That is a success story for us all??¦even if it is ultimately about fried chicken!