stuff4restaurants

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Obviously there is… and plenty of FREE PUBLICITY opportunities

Please send me pics of your efforts.

It is an idea that is sure to grab attention and work for the fitness center that created it…

But it won’t do a whole lot for your average dollar sales if your clients are exposed to it. However, it is a great example of how you could use high traffic pavements to get your (more sales oriented) message out there at low cost.

For the past two days I have been publishing lists of ideas on: How to increase your number of : NEW CUSTOMERS, AVERAGE DOLLAR SALE, FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE and (still to come) PROFIT MARGINS.

I have been merrily typing away and publishing these lists on both my sites (The other is stuff4business.com ) because I believe they are vitally important to all business owners.

Well, John Cricket of Business Opportunities and Ideas has just emailed me and informed me that, if I publish the same material on more than one site, Google’s search engine thingy, may penalize my search rankings, thinking that I am trying to set up “Spammer Ghost Sites”. “EEEEK!!!”

Thanks for the tip John, I really appreciate you taking the time to warn me.

So, I have now removed the articles from this site and they are now on stuff4business.com

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO EACH:

Part one: Introduction, The Only Four Ways You Can Grow a Business and Make More Profit.

Part two: 15 Proven Ways to Increase the Frequency of Purchase of Your Customers

Part three: 21 Proven Ways to Increase Your Average Dollar Sales to Your Customers

Part four: 46 Proven Ways to Attract New Customers

Part five: 18 Proven Ways to Increase Your PROFIT MARGINS

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Please forgive me Google! I am merely a mortal little human being. (on a good day)

A couple of days ago I raved on about NOT asking restaurant guests if they wanted sweets.

Then I found this great idea on the “I can’t believe it ” site.

It was called a live table contest, and I guess the photo above is fairly self explanatory, but it made me think: “What a great way to for restaurants to present their selection of sweets to guests”

O.K. I know it’s not going to suit the space restraints of every venue, but for those who can, this would drive sales crazy. And for those without the space, a tray would work just as well.

The point is: A character in costume takes the edge off the sales pitch whilst driving it home even stronger.

After all, who could say NO to the seductive powers of Marilyn?

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If you are asking, it is costing you at least 18% of your sales.

In fact, throw your desert menu away all together! Instead, purchase a desert trolley and take a full selection of deserts to each table, to instantly and irresistibly, seduce and upsell your customers. ( If you don’t have enough room for a trolley, load up a tray with deserts and take it to each table.)

The whole point is: If asked, most of us will have an instant attack of the “GUILTS” and refuse, regardless of whether we want a desert or not.

STOP ASKING and PRESENT.

The question each team member should ask is NOT “Would you” it is “Which of these deserts appeals to you most?” I absolutely guarantee this simple display technique and rephrasing of the the question, will increase your Average Dollar Sales by many, many, times.

AVERAGE $ SALE IDEAS

This great new way of serving the humble potato chip has the potential to drive your “Take Away” sales clear through the roof…

All this new concept needs to SUPER CHARGE IT is: A branded serviette that will direct the traffic, already attracted by the uniqueness of the product, directly to your sales counter.

The originators call it appropriately, The Tornado, (U.S. readers may wish to reconsider this name)

This exciting product could be developed far further with flavored dips, spreads and salts

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The original idea comes from Korea, I found it HERE on BoingBoing.com where you will find further links and details.

I love the idea and think it has the potential to satisfy the eternal customer search for new and unique products, thus providing you with an opportunity to achieve maximum prices and profit margins.

I see hundreds of coupon ideas every month, Most are little more than bland, ineffectual, and badly targeted discounts that destroy both your pricing and margins.

But at last I’ve found a coupon system that has a proven track record and most importantly is flexible enough to be tailored to suit the specific sectors of your business that YOU want to grow…

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PLUS… the graphics looks good, and will be exciting for your customers and team…

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PLUS… If used correctly, it will supercharge the “WORD OF MOUTH” growth of your business.

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PLUS… It provides “Instant Gratification” as prizes are discovered instantly at the point of prime decision making.

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This concept is simple, stylish and powerful. It is an ABSOLUTE MUST DO for any owner who wants to quickly, efficiently and (I’m assured) cost effectively, grow their customer base and get existing customers to come back more frequently.

Here’s the link for more information

Where you will find some very powerful proof of what other owners have achieved with this thoroughly comprehensive “instant win” coupon process

And NO, I’m not getting a commission or any form of payment for making this strong recommendation!!!!! I genuinely believe they have got the best coupon process I have seen.

O.K. O.K. I know you make the best cup of coffee in the entire universe… right?
The problem is: Every other Barista in the universe also believes (or says) they also make the supreme cup of brown nectar. So, it’s almost impossible to use quality and expertise alone as your point of differentiation, (the reason someone will choose to buy their “frequent fix” from you).

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In marketing jargon coffee is called a “commodity” and commodities quickly become extremely price competitive, because they simply become “stuff” that competes with other “similar stuff”, and consumers don’t place a high value on “similar stuff”.

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So, let’s imagine we could take the humble cup of coffee to a whole new level, imagine if we could shift a cup of coffee from being a mere commodity into the realms of a “Work of Art”…
Imagine if we could do something so special to our humble cup of coffee, that our customers would be delighted, so delighted, they would tell their friends about it, and their friends (and their friends, friends) would then want to see and experience this “marvel” for them selves.

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Suddenly, price would no longer be an issue, suddenly, the humble cup of coffee will have become a UNIQUE EXPERIENCE, and one of the most sought after human pursuits is: NEW, DELIGHTFUL EXPERIENCES.

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Latte Art is not particularly new, however, it is often dismissed as the cute, time consuming, self indulgence of an egocentric barista, ITS NOT, it is a VERY POWERFUL promotional opportunity just waiting to be exploited by you.

As shown in the photos above, Latte art has now progressed from simple hearts and patterns into some very exciting and unique designs.

To learn more about this powerful promotional tool visit this article by Katherine Lynch the publisher of Dine Magazine where you will find links to many excellent photos and “How To” articles…

I have just added an update to this posting with some great new links here

My “Take Home” question to you is:
If you can do this to a humble cup of coffee, What other items on your menu can you turn into “Events” that stimulate powerful Word of Mouth Advertising?

Why is this SOOOOO! important?

Because, one of the most powerful points of financial leverage in any business is its ability to increase the average dollar sale of each and every transaction.

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Just think for a moment, if your business makes an average of 1,000 transactions per day, and you can increase each of those transactions by just $1.00, How much more per year will that add to your income?

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At a recent seminar I challenged several of the participants to join me on stage, and use the telephone system we had previously wired into the rooms sound system, to place a call to their restaurant, just to learn exactly what their customers experience when they make that vital, first contact that set the scene for their dining experience.

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If you are cringing right now, grateful that you were not exposed to this potentially embarrassing little test, you have got picture already…

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One or two of the responses were O.K. not great but O.K. the rest were downright embarrassing for their owners to have exposed in front of their piers and opposition.

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To be fair, I offered the remaining participants in the audience, who were by now so obviously enjoying the “outing” of their opposition, the opportunity to put their business to the same test, this time I was not surprised to discover a whole new air of solemnity sweep across the audience.

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And before you blame the teams and trot out the “you just can’t get good…” clichés.
You as the owner, MUST take total responsibility for how your business is presented. If your team is not delivering the level of service you wish, only YOU can change it.

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If your team are not delivering the service you wish, it because they don’t know: why it’s important, how a customer perceives it, and exactly what it is they should be saying…
If you have this or a similar service problem, you must move quickly to establish scripts and performance systems that clearly spell out each word that must be spoken and each task that must be performed during this vital first encounter.

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The bookshops are full of “customer service” books that have sample scripts and systems that will ensure your customers experience a high level of service at each phase of their dinning experience.

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I would strongly suggest that the $30.00 investment in a book like this, will prove to be the highest performing investment you ever make.

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