Step-by-step instructions begining with planning and structuring your marketing, choosing the most profitable campaigns, and building a database of locoal customers for high-profit marketing.

The Fast Start Marketing Manual Focuses On The Following Areas:

1.  Marketing to Current Customers

2.  Marketing to Potential Customers

3.  Focus on New Restaurant Openings

4.  Market New Menu Items

5.  Guest Satisfaction Surveys

6.  Vendor/Supplier Co-Marketing Programs

7.  Newsletters as Sales-Builders

8.  Focus on Under-Performing Restaurants

9.  Special Promotions and Events

10. Guest-Focused Selling With Suggestion Programs                                                                                            

Marketing will only be effective if you give your customers good food and service.  Service is your most powerful marketing tool!  Use this manual to train your staff to deliver the best service you can, every time.  Learn to exceed customer expectations to generate fantastic "Word-of-Mouth" advertising.

The following ideas will give you some thoughts on the things that you need to do to establish your own method of operations for your restaurant.  It consists of three procedures to follow:

1. Decide what type of service that you want to give to your guests, then create a vision of what you need to do to make it “perfect” for each guest each time they dine at your restaurant and write it down.  You must become the very best restaurant in your market area.

2.  Once you thoroughly understand how you would like to accomplish your guest service goals, confirm it with your guest’s vision of what type of service they would like to have and then alter your service procedures, if need be.  Remember, you want to be the very best restaurant of your type in your market area.  But that doesn’t mean that you will be all things to all people.  At this time, it means that you will compare your goals with the customer desires and then you will make the appropriate decision based upon how well you can best give the finest service possible to your guests.  You must really listen to your guests to determine service possibilities and work to exceed the expectations of every guest.

3.  When your vision is clear on your “Perfect Service” ask yourself and ask your employees what you can do to make it 10% better.  As you come up with the answers and implement them into your restaurant, remember to be consistent and when you are accomplishing your goals 100% of the time, this will become your Restaurant’s “Signature Service” which will distinguish your restaurant as superior to your competition.  This manual will give you some suggestions to help you define your ideas for your Perfect Vision of Service.

A wealth of ideas to create "Wow" Exceptional Service moments in your restaurant.  Train your staff to look for opportunities to "Wow" several of their guests on every shift.

”WOW” means “to overwhelm with delight or amazement, an unqualified success”.  You cannot have an unqualified success without “Exceptional Service”.  “Exceptional Service” is to be expected 100% of the time and must actually be built into the Guest Dining Cycle.  “WOW” is selected at random and is usually unexpected and a complete surprise to the Guest.  “WOW” is exciting, challenging and fun.  “WOW” should be delivered as often as possible and preferably to every Guest.

Outstanding service and professional, well prepared food creates a wonderful “WOW, Exceptional Service!” feeling in the minds and hearts of the Guests.

Everyone benefits when a server skillfully and professionally does her job to enhance the Guest’s meal experience.  The Guest enjoys the meal more and tips the server more.  The server benefits financially and has a deep inner feeling of self-satisfaction; the feeling that only comes when you do an outstanding job.  The restaurant benefits because the Guest will dine out more often and bring their friends.  They will tell a lot of people about their wonderful experience and I’m sure many of them will also dine at your restaurant.  Guest Satisfaction is a win/win situation.  Everyone benefits.  People like to talk about the good things that happen to them and they will tell their family and friends about it.  They will become a Word of Mouth Ambassador for your restaurant.

Follow this guideline step-by-step to create a dynamic marketing program that will energize your managers and your staff.

To have a very effective marketing program it is absolutely essential that the entire management team has a thorough understanding of the marketing goals.  The managers are the cheer leaders for the employees.  The Management Marketing Meeting Outline must include all the initial marketing goals.  They must assume total responsibility for the following programs:

• VIP Club Sign-ups 
• Formula for Success 
• Focus on First-Time Customers
• VIP Mailings
• Employee Challenge Program
• Make Our Restaurant “The Party Place”

Successful Marketing Programs are more successful when you Market to your internal Customers first (your Employees).  You need to “sell” your Marketing Programs to your Employees with the same enthusiasm, zeal and detail that you would to your external Customers.   Involve  your employees with your marketing. 

Invite  all of your employees to attend a “Marketing Meeting” in the beginning of each campaign, If marketing is not understood by the employees, the marketing campaigns will not be a success.

This Employee Marketing Meeting Outline will allow management to involve employees and ensure that all marketing programs are a success.

The focus will be to strengthen the relationship with the Current Customers of your Restaurant; to recruit New Customers and to eventually setup programs to recruit even the Customers who are patronizing a selected number of these “Neighborhood” noncompetitive businesses.

The major area of concentration will be the owner/managers of the business and their Employees.  The “Business Bonanza” program is designed to “WOW” these individuals and to encourage as many visitations to your Restaurant as possible, as soon as possible.  You need to be “The Restaurant of Choice” within your Market area.  Whenever anyone thinks about eating out, the only logical choice must be your Restaurant.  A “feel-good” relationship and outstanding food and service will help you to accomplish this goal.

Companies that can attract and retain the best employees will enjoy significant competitive advantages over those who do not.  You should thoroughly think through your approach to hiring, orientating and training to ensure your company retains your SuperStar Employees.  In fact, as the best companies hire the SuperStar Employees, the weaker managed companies will be forced to take a disproportionate number of misplaced Employees who will come to them with all their profit and - Customer satisfaction related shortcomings.If you do not focus on ensuring that your Employees are satisfied, you will find that the competition for the SuperStar Employees will be great and you might not like what you will be left with.  The good news is that there will be adequate numbers of applicants available to fill all of your job openings, but you may need to make certain adjustments to ensure that your Employees will have high job satisfaction.  The problem is not a hiring problem, it is a retention problem.

For those of you with years of experience in the foodservice industry, you know that keeping your Employees happy, loyal, steady, functional, and on time is a major achievement.  It is for this reason that we present you with a myriad of Employee Incentives and Recognition Ideas.  These ideas are designed to motivate positive performance, achieve punctuality and loyalty, create an environment free of negative competitiveness, and reward excellence.  Additionally, most of the ideas endeavor not only to reward you with a pleasant, trouble-free working environment, but also promise to bring increased revenues, and satisfied, loyal customers.

The greatest challenge that you have in Marketing is the opportunity to differentiate your Restaurant from your competition.  The performance of your Employees is the key to your success. 

How can you build and maintain in the minds of your Guests the fact that your Restaurant is different?

So how can Foodservice Operators create a relationship with the Customer that reveals how they are superior to all the choices that the Customer has?  The key to creating a “bonding” relationship is the responsibility of your Employees.  Your Employees must be trained so they can build an emotional bond between your Restaurant and the Customer.  Most Foodservice Operators have not taken the time to recognize and/or fully leverage this important concept.  Your Employees are your most valuable asset.

In a Gallup poll, it was revealed that product, price and place did not really create a differential factor in the minds of the Customer.  Now product is important, but it is not as strong a differential factor.  And I’m sure that fine dining is different than fast food.  I’m also sure if the food was consistently bad it would make a difference.  What does build repeat business?  VALUE was found to be important.  According to the Gallup survey

Foodservice Operators who were perceived to offer a great Value generated about TWICE  the Customer Loyalty as those who are thought to provide only adequate Value.  However, it was determined that if the Employees stand out as particularly helpful or knowledgeable, they create from THREE  to SEVEN times as much loyalty among their Customers.  Thus, the role of Employees in generating repeat business is more than Twice as powerful as the role of Price/Value.

What is particularly fascinating is that most Foodservice Operators focus on price and appear to be almost unaware of the far greater role that the behavior of their Employees play in re-enforcing and building a relationship that creates a desire within the Guest to return again and again.

Your foodservice operation must accept the challenge of using effective marketing to increase the customers enjoyment and the percieved value of dining at your Restaurant.  This challenge can only be achieved through teamwork.  Inadequate Sales  are a constant challenge, but they can be controlled through teamwork.  The “Focus on Marketing Team” is a good means of communication to accomplish this goal.  Compete on what makes you superior to your competition.

A.  Initiate a Weekly Focus on Marketing ideas program.

B.   Understand why your focus should be on Neighborhood Marketing. 

               C.   Have each Focus on Marketing team member fill out a Key Employee Questionnaire. 

               D.   Clearly define your  expectations for the team to  each individual. 

               E.   Schedule one-on-one meetings with each key employee.

The USP Workbook will help you and your entire management team fully understand each of your restaurant’s Unique Selling Propositions. You must create in your mind and in the minds of your guests the “Points of Differences” between your restaurant and your competition. Distinguish yourself from your competition to dominate your market area.

Finishing your workbook will be a lot of fun and will pay big dividends to your restaurant - as you make your restaurant “The Restaurant of Choice” in your market area. The workbook will take you and your management team through many thought provoking questions. You will define your Unique Selling Propositions, then prioritize and work on the most important ones first.

Defining Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

• Your “Inside Reality” and “Outside Perception”

• Step 1: Understanding What’s Important to Your Guest

• Step 2: The Decision Matrix

• Step 3: Define Your Target Markets

• Step 4: Defining Your Unique Selling Proposition

• Step 5: Define Your Competition

• Step 6: Putting Your USPs to Work

• Step 7: Conduct Competitive Evaluations

• Step 8: Writing Menu Headlines and Descriptions

• Step 9: Creating the Offers for the Guest

Restaurant owners who barter may fare better during the economic dip than those who do not belong to a barter exchange.  Restaurateurs can rely on exchange members to pick up any slack in business. Often, members bring guests who do not belong to barter exchanges, who hopefully will return as cash diners after being introduced to the restaurant.  Local barter exchanges are joining nationwide networks, bringing tourist trade in addition to local customers to restaurants.

1.  Get the price before you ask for trade.

2.  Shop two to three printers and compare prices.

3.  You need to get competitive prices.

The best way to master any new skill is through repetition. In fact, education experts have determined that people who attend training programs and seminars retain 15% or less of the information they came for - unless they review the material a number of times.  Here's the perfect solution. Our hour long marketing training session is available on CD!  Now you can review the information as many times as you would like to.

Personalized postcards are the least costly direct mail tool that captures your potential customer's imagination with full-color images.  When you use color pictures in postcards, you give customers permission to conjure up an actual image of what you are offering them. People think in pictures, not words.  Images are far more impressive than words. They are more precise and potent in triggering memory, decision-making, and associations than the world's greatest sales copy could ever hope to be. Don't make the common mistake of mailing black and white postcards!

• Low cost restaurant marketing
• Effective use of color advertising
• Examples of effective postcards
• Creating a VIP Club
• Maximizing Repeat Business

New Movers are very unique people. They have just gone through some significant changes in their lives. They have a lot of new needs to fill and new habits to establish.  Perhaps they just got married or maybe they are just moving out on their own or they have a new job. There are lots of new things to adjust to and they are looking to form new relationships. Choosing where they will go to eat on a regular basis is just one of the new habits they will establish very soon.

What a wonderful opportunity to establish your restaurant as "the place" for the New Movers to eat. It is essential that you do what it takes so that each New Mover "wants to," and has a strong desire to, eat at your restaurant. Ultimately, your New Mover program keeps you involved with a fresh group of people coming to your restaurant all of the time.  It has been estimated that the Lifetime Value of a "Regular Customer" is as high as $6,600 over five years so...

Remember, once your New Mover, first-time guest comes in, it is important to get acquainted and establish a personal relationship. What a wonderful opportunity! This kind of personal attention is what builds REPEAT VISITS -- to your restaurant. 

Experience has shown that New Movers tend to be among the most loyal customers that a restaurant has -- FIVE times more likely to response to your marketing than any other group of potential customers.

There is no faster or surer way to add dollars to your bottom line than raising prices.

• When should you raise your prices?
• Increase the price of your menu items, but keep your customers
• Don't market on price alone, sell value
• Evaluate and test specials before you raise your prices
• Give "WOW, Exceptional Service!"
• Know your restaurant sales mix before raising prices
• Customers perceptions of raising your prices
• Maximize profit with a Profit-Builder Menu

Do you think that raising your prices will drive off customers?  It doesn't have to!

In fact, raising your prices can even attract more business.  RAISE YOUR PRICES TO GET MORE CUSTOMERS???  How does that work? Well, if your restaurant isn't already on a constant growing cycle where your sales and profits are continually increasing, then perhaps you should think long and hard about this next question:

Are you marketing on price, or are you marketing on what makes your restaurant different and better than your competition?  Marketing on price is a short path to lost sales and profits. Someone can always beat your price and take the customers that are shopping only for the cheapest price! Use the "Know When To Raise Your Prices" Manual to help you raise your prices while you improve your sales.  This manual will help you earn a fair profit on all the food you sell, while increasing the perceived value of your food and service to your customers.

During the marketing interview, Michael and Ron discussed the following marketing principles:

• Five fast and easy ways that you can increase your sales.  
• Getting new customers.  
• Increasing the frequency of your existing customers.  
• Raising your guest check average. This is done through selling with suggestion by increasing the value of each customer transaction and of course, you want to increase their satisfaction at the same time. 
• Increasing the group size of your parties and having them bring more people in. 
• Developing additional revenue streams.

You will learn valuable tips to help you accomplish these six goals as Michael and Ron talk about:

    1. Your Unique Selling Proposition

   2. WOW! Exceptional Service!

   3. Becoming the Restaurant of Choice in your market area

   4. Suggestive Selling to Ensure Guest Satisfaction

   5. E-mail is a great way to market customers - and it's practically FREE

   6. The 12 Master Marketing Strategies to Create Auto-Pilot Marketing

   7. The first marketing strategy is to build effective customer relationships

   8. Work "on" your business and not "in" your business

   9. Creating a highly profitable 12-Month Auto-Pilot Marketing Program

  10. Involving your employees in your marketing

  11. Using software to make it all your marketing easy

  12. "How To" Marketing Manuals for Each Promotion

  13. The "Business Bonanza," Marketing Program

  14. Marketing to children - Seven "How To" Manuals

  15. Marketing FundRaising Programs - Be involved in your Community

  16. Coaching and Mentoring to Maximize Results

  17. Setting Marketing Goals on a Weekly Basis

  18. Identifying your first-time guests and make them "Regulars"