I know a Girl Scout, we'll call her Susie*.
Susie is in the process of selling Girl Scout Cookies in her neighborhood. Here's how she went about it:
1. Set a goal (400 boxes, might be a little ambitious)
2. Identified places to reach her audience: book store, grocery store, door to door, made a list of family and friends
3. Overcame obstacles. For those who 'already purchased from someone else' and for far away relatives who want to support don't really want you to send the cookies, she identified a local charity (a retirement community) to which you could donate boxes. She increased her ticket average significantly just through donations.
4. Made a plan. Monday: call bookstore owner, set up order taking in store (owner will provide a coupon - buy 2 get one free - for paperback books to anyone who purchases), Tuesday: call family, Wednesday: door to door in neighborhood x, Saturday: door to door in neighborhood y.
5. Identified an accountability partner. She and another girl in her troop share experiences and brainstorm solutions.
Cookies are more about sales than marketing - everyone knows about Girl Scout Cookies - yet she samples at events anyway, gives a little something to whet the appetite.
Maybe, if we think more in terms of sales instead of marketing, we might be able to learn something from a 10 year old (if we're willing to listen, that is).
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and minors who didn't ask to be profiled.
Friday
A Little Tough Love
This post is going to sound a little haughty, but it needs to be said. It doesn't pertain to all of you, maybe not even most of you, but it applies to some of you and you need to hear it.
Insert whatever brand you hold in high regard below...
"I want to be the next Starbucks."
"Starbucks does this, and Starbucks does that."
What most people don't realize is that Starbucks does things many of you abhor. They give away free coffee to alter potential customers' habits (and yes, most often existing customers benefit with free coffee).
They also are very involved in their communities and in the world. What have you done to benefit a neighbor that, except for the good PR, didn't benefit you?
Lastly, have you seen the new Starbucks TV commercial? Visit any store, pledge 5 hours of community work, get a free cup of coffee? You want to be "just like Starbucks" but you need to realize that, except for their packaged goods that are distributed through other channels, Starbucks built their brand on word of mouth and real estate. Their advertising, in the past, has been limited primarily to billboards.
How about McDonald's? You want to be like them? They give scholarships to employees and provide them with training to retain the good ones.
Chick-fil-A. Are you going to be like them one day? Giving away free or discounted food for fundraisers in order to build goodwill and spread positive word of mouth?
The truth is, some of you aren't prepared for what it takes to be a local icon. You give 10% off coupons and wonder why no one redeems them. You don't know your other community leaders and you don't train to retain your good staff members.
In this climate, with 'change' all about us, with a renewed sense of community and impersonal restaurants struggling, you might want to reconsider what it takes to be the mayor of your village.
Insert whatever brand you hold in high regard below...
"I want to be the next Starbucks."
"Starbucks does this, and Starbucks does that."
What most people don't realize is that Starbucks does things many of you abhor. They give away free coffee to alter potential customers' habits (and yes, most often existing customers benefit with free coffee).
They also are very involved in their communities and in the world. What have you done to benefit a neighbor that, except for the good PR, didn't benefit you?
Lastly, have you seen the new Starbucks TV commercial? Visit any store, pledge 5 hours of community work, get a free cup of coffee? You want to be "just like Starbucks" but you need to realize that, except for their packaged goods that are distributed through other channels, Starbucks built their brand on word of mouth and real estate. Their advertising, in the past, has been limited primarily to billboards.
How about McDonald's? You want to be like them? They give scholarships to employees and provide them with training to retain the good ones.
Chick-fil-A. Are you going to be like them one day? Giving away free or discounted food for fundraisers in order to build goodwill and spread positive word of mouth?
The truth is, some of you aren't prepared for what it takes to be a local icon. You give 10% off coupons and wonder why no one redeems them. You don't know your other community leaders and you don't train to retain your good staff members.
In this climate, with 'change' all about us, with a renewed sense of community and impersonal restaurants struggling, you might want to reconsider what it takes to be the mayor of your village.
Wednesday
Are You Planning to Fail?
If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail.
Trite, eh? But it's pretty true. You might not fail miserably, but you almost always are less efficient without a plan. You waste time in forgetting things, you miss opportunities, you become so focused on completing the task you miss out on going deeper, bigger.
A marketing plan does three things for your restaurant:
1. It schedules your time.
2. It holds you accountable.
3. Focuses your efforts.
When you have an idea as to the scope of your tasks, you can take time to prepare accordingly and execute when ready. If you don't plan your time, you'll never find it (you have to make it).
A plan can be either a carrot or a stick. If you knock things out, cross them off of your list, it's a carrot. If you get sidetracked, encounter obstacles, or otherwise do not succeed, it's a stick.
Focusing your efforts means as much as the quality of your tactics. I've seen a lot of people with a lot of great ideas that just don't get it done. They chase another "opportunity" without giving the current one its due. They spread the word too far and wide and never gain enough frequency of message.
Plan your work. Work your plan. Visit the CommonMan Group if you need help getting started (go on, you have to register but it's free).
Trite, eh? But it's pretty true. You might not fail miserably, but you almost always are less efficient without a plan. You waste time in forgetting things, you miss opportunities, you become so focused on completing the task you miss out on going deeper, bigger.
A marketing plan does three things for your restaurant:
1. It schedules your time.
2. It holds you accountable.
3. Focuses your efforts.
When you have an idea as to the scope of your tasks, you can take time to prepare accordingly and execute when ready. If you don't plan your time, you'll never find it (you have to make it).
A plan can be either a carrot or a stick. If you knock things out, cross them off of your list, it's a carrot. If you get sidetracked, encounter obstacles, or otherwise do not succeed, it's a stick.
Focusing your efforts means as much as the quality of your tactics. I've seen a lot of people with a lot of great ideas that just don't get it done. They chase another "opportunity" without giving the current one its due. They spread the word too far and wide and never gain enough frequency of message.
Plan your work. Work your plan. Visit the CommonMan Group if you need help getting started (go on, you have to register but it's free).
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