The French Butcher Who Refused to Sell
Founder and Head of Growth, White Label Comedy
Having standards, even ones that cost you a sale today, builds the kind of loyalty that pays off for years. A French butcher once refused to sell a customer the cut he asked for, insisting it would be wasted on what he had planned, and pointed him to a cheaper one instead. That customer has bought his meat there ever since.
The butcher who would not take the money
One of our writers, Tom, lives in France. He went to his local butcher to buy some beef, and the butcher, rather than simply taking his money, started asking questions. What was it for? How was he going to cook it? When?
When Tom admitted he planned to roast it, the butcher refused. Not that cut, he said, it would be a total waste. He recommended a different, cheaper cut that would actually suit the job. He turned down the easy sale because letting good meat go to waste offended his standards.
Why standards build loyalty
That butcher was not interested in a quick euro. Through his actions he showed he cared about his craft, and about the result on the customer's plate, as much as the customer did, maybe more.
That is magnetic. Tom has been back many times and now buys almost all his meat from that one butcher. The refused sale bought years of loyalty, because standards signal that you can be trusted to look after people even when it costs you.
What this means for your content
The same rule applies to what you post. If you would not be proud of it, do not put it out. Never treat content as a box to tick, filling the feed with something bland just to have posted.
Your audience is on social to be entertained. They are looking forward to it. So if you are going to show up, show up properly. Hold the line on quality, and people will trust the rest of what you do.
Meet Brian
Holding a high bar on every post is easier when you are not staring at a blank page. Brian is our AI-powered comedy marketing machine, built to help you create content that is actually good enough to be proud of, every time.
Take Brian for a spin and stop settling for content you would rather not post.
Adam Hunt
Founder and Head of Growth at White Label Comedy. He spends his days convincing serious brands that funny is the most profitable thing they're not doing.
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