Dominos Pizza: How to Suck and Succeed

Hats off to Dominos Pizza! It is rare that you will run across an organization that is in the process of reinventing themselves by admitting that they suck but that they might be on to something. For the record, I have to admit that I stopped eating Dominos Pizza several years ago because they were right…their pizza really did suck. Although it may have taken them 50 years to figure out what many customers already knew, the fact that they are choosing to act on it now is a sign that the company is on the right track.

In the case of Domino’s, obviously their profits will increase …simply because they are choosing to put their dough where their mouth is, no pun intended.

Let’s take a look at what they are doing right:

1. They have created a top-down strategy looking inward and long-term. Dave Brandon, CEO, set the direction for the company and communicated the vision on where they are and where they want to be in the future

2. They analyzed the data- Domino’s realized that there was a significant number of people who ordered from them once and never again. For many customers, 10-20 years had passed since they ordered a pizza. They analyzed the high marks including delivery and speed but noticed that inferior taste painted a bad overall picture.

3. They listened to consumers-You will never get an answer if you don’t ask the question. With data in-hand, Domino’s looked at where they scored the lowest, read comments posted online by former customers and held focus groups to gather feedback.

4. They capitalized on strengths and are addressing weaknesses-they are looking inward to see what works well and where opportunities for improvement exist. This is the first step to improvement.

5. They are changing the perception-They recognize that perception of some is the realty for most. Setting out to change people’s perception one person at a time is key to rebuilding trust and gaining loyalty.

At the end of the day, business is business whether your product is a pizza, education, offering a service, etc…and if you are not looking constantly for opportunities to reinvent your organization you are simply leaving dough on the table.