At a recent Dan Kennedy Info Summit, I personally met Cal Ripken Jr., The Iron Man of Baseball. Can you imagine trudging to work 2632 consecutive days without being sick or plain tired of doing the same thing over and over. That’s exactly what Cal did for 7+ years without missing a single game or time at bat. Whether he had sore muscles, beat up thumbs, or just fatigue, he kept playing. My goodness, even if you’re not a baseball fan (which I am not) the significance of that accomplishment would be equivalent to climbing Mount Everest without stopping to catch your breathe.

Cal spoke on what kept him going even when he had a hitting slump and felt he should be taken out of the line-up. First of all, can you imagine a high price player today asking to be taken out of the game? His coach said absolutely not, you bring more to the game than hitting! You are the heart and soul of our team, just keep giving advice and helping develop our young players. How would you love to be called the heart and soul of your business? NICE COMPLIMENT!!!

Cal talked about how winning wasn’t everything to him but how you play the game. He mentioned how he had a young catcher and young pitcher who wasn’t striking anyone out. So, he started telling the catcher what signs to give the pitcher. Cal played second base so the catcher could see him. Well to make a long story short, by mid-season Cal and the catcher had worked out a series of signals and Cal was calling all the pitches for every pitcher for this young catcher.

Going out of his way to help others made him not only a great baseball player but a great man. As business men and women, I believe sometimes we lose focus on helping others achieve their goals and only think about ours. I can GUARANTEE when we take the focus off us and on our own customers, good things happen. We truly become winners.

I feel fortunate just to have had a quick chance to stand beside a man of integrity such as Cal Ripken Jr. I’ve now placed him on my list of the 10 most people I would like to have dinner with.

Have a Great Marketing Day!

Dean Killingbeck new book for independent restaurant owners FULL! A Complete Online & Offline Roadmap to Marketing Your Independent Restaurant is now available here.

Now looking at that statement you may say “that’s not very profound… who or what doesn’t change all the time?” However, upon further review, everyone should realize how inadaptable and unchanging most of our business models and personal lives are.

Right now I’m again starting my battle to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol without taking the drugs my doctor wants to prescribe. It’s hard to change from eating meat, sugar, salt and all the other tasty treats I’ve learned to love over my lifetime. But without change, the alternative of a short but happy life could become a reality.

Consequently, I’ve changed my eating habits: oatmeal every morning, vitamins, less meat, more fish, and no bread. Wow! That truly isn’t much fun, but who said everything has to be fun. Everything I’ve always done has taken adaptability and change. From learning to study at college, to becoming a better husband, father, and businessman. Without change I would have failed miserable at all of them. As it is, 2 out of 3 isn’t bad…

The preconceived outcome, objective, or notion!

All of us have preconceived ideas or strategies as business owners which cause us to close our minds to change. How many times have you heard (or maybe even said) “Well that’s just the way we do it!”

Just last week I stumbled across an idea that will save my employees a minimum of 4 hours labor, which means I save approximately $120 every month! I know that doesn’t seem like much, but over a year that’s $1440, multiplied by 10 years… boy that adds up to some real cash! But here’s the reason we changed… “I was looking for it”. That’s right! I’m constantly questioning how I can make my life and my staffs’ lives easier and simpler. I actually plan time into my schedule to look at business opportunities (new businesses not related to my existing ones) and also go over the details of my existing business relating to how I can make my staff and myself more productive. I’ve made quite a few changes over the last several years… some good, some great, and some not so well! However, if you don’t change… you’re dead.

The question I ask you is, “What in your business haven’t you looked at lately that should (and needs to) be changed?” A follow-up system for new customers? Brand-new products? Fire a staff person? Hire a staff person? New supplier?

PS. The only thing that doesn’t change is a rock… but it’s still susceptible to erosion!

Have A Great Marketing Day!

Also, as Americans we can stand-up and be proud. We sent over the drilling equipment used in the rescue, UPS freighted the equipment over to Chile, the man who ran the drilling equipment was from the US, even NASA got in on this huge humanitarian effort by aiding the Chilean’s with the construction design of the capsule to pull the miners through the half mile hole in the ground. I’m sure not one person reading this blog could ever conceive of being stuck that far underground with no quick way out. I don’t know about you but it raises the hair on the back of my neck just thinking about being buried alive……BRRRR!!! there’s those chills.

Without trudging on one of the most feel good stories this year, let’s look at the Marketing that was taking place during this 70 day ordeal:

1. The Chilean President staked his re-election on getting those miners safely out. He won big!!!

2. The news media made nightly news stories that we all tuned in to hear or read about the progress of the drilling.

3. NASA gave advice on the design of the capsule to bring the miners out. With their budget being cut, the publicity of saving these miners didn’t hurt their cause of saving their $1.4 billion budget.

4. The uniting of people all over the world and especially the Chilean’s, with all of us rooting for them. They even sang their national anthem when everyone came out–very moving.

5. Oakley gave each miner a $450 pair of sunglasses. I’m sure we’ll soon see a few commercials with the 33 miners wearing Oakley’s!

That, in fact, brings me to my point. How many current events happening every day do we miss and don’t recognize them as huge marketing opportunities? Let me tell you, special events with great stories or a cause can help propel our business from being mediocre to exceptional just by helping others. Best of all, it makes us feel really good.

Example:
This month we have clients that are doing a special promotion all around Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is near and dear to us, like me, who have had a loved one pass away from that horrible disease of breast cancer or a related cancer (ovarian in my wife’s case). Consequently, they have decided to hold a fundraiser by sending out a postcard announcing that anyone who brings the postcard in, the business will donate money to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Society. Two things happen when businesses help out others: One, their customers feel good about coming in and spending because they know a donation is being made with that money. Second, and the really cool part , it makes my clients feel like they’re sitting on top of the world by helping others … Guaranteed!

This promotion is working so well they are considering “Toys for Tots” for the month of December.

Moral of the story: use current events and actually seek out opportunities to help others while marketing your business. Everyone wins: customers, non-profits, your business and in the most recent case the Chileans rescued from the depths of hell.

Have a Great Marketing Day!

Dean Killingbeck is a Master Marketer, understanding a restaurant’s needs and knowing that “Cash Flow is King”. For his FREE REPORT, “How To Get New Guests In These Tough Times Automatically”, go to www.NewCustomersNowMarketing.com

Here’s the example that he used about eating fire (that’s right I said eating fire). He pulls a young woman, that owns an Auto Repair Shop with her husband, from the audience and started training her on how to eat fire. Did you know that there’s a proper way to eat fire??

No? Well let me explain to you: you must wet your lips, take in a big breath, then as the fire goes into your mouth, close your lips quickly. Sounds easy, but trust me, it looks scary as hell!

Let me explain the process of each step and why: wet lips don’t burn, that’s pretty self-explanatory! Deep breaths fill the lungs with air, so no smoke can get in. Finally, closing your mouth over the flame, oxygen denies the fire and it goes out.

But everything is in the timing! The sequence also counts because one thing out of order and the fire doesn’t go out, the lungs aren’t full of air and bingo! Burnt Person. Oh, by the way, he had her practice this sequence and timing 20 times on stage stamping her feet and yelling I’m the greatest to help with her timing.

He also tells everyone that they should profess that they are the best and greatest auto shop in the world and tell everyone they can do nothing wrong. Of course, when I got my 5 minutes to speak, I yelled “I’m the number one Direct Mail New Customer Acquisition Specialist in the Whole Damn US, and maybe the world, except I don’t know what the Chinese are doing! Everyone laughed, but it was all in the timing!

I then got everyone to listen to what I had to say. You must get the customer’s attention! You must get them to trust you! Then, get permission to sell. If you move away from this sequence, guaranteed most of the time you will be unsuccessful. And of course you must always practice!

Moral of the story: We are absolutely the best, Done–For-You, Direct Mail Marketers in the US and NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, can compare with our mailers. Believe, work hard, follow the system, and sales will come! Sort of like “Field Of Dreams”, build it and they will come!

Have a Great Marketing Day!
Dean

Dean Killingbeck is a Master Marketer, understanding a restaurant’s needs and knowing that “Cash Flow is King”. For his FREE REPORT, “How To Get New Guests In These Tough Times Automatically”, go to www.NewCustomersNowMarketing.com

Know WHO are your best customers?

Deciding on who your best customers are is a very simple task that will bring you a very large payday. But you must take the time to figure this out. Here’s how to walk through the exercise its simple, simple. Get out a sheet of paper and start putting down the traits of your ideal customers (you noticed I said Ideal and I want at least 10) such as age, income, kids in the house, male, female everything you would like them to be …..GOT IT?…… Okay now go over what your best customers look like the ones that already do business with you and write that info on a separate sheet of paper. Now match-up the 2 sheets of paper and see the similar traits. You now have the profile of you very best customer. Okay, I really simplified the task but you get the idea……..

Why find the WHO?

You now know the who! But why do you need to know? Because now you can write to that group of people and make them an irresistible offer to come into your business and spend their hard earned money with you rather then with some big chain restaurant or big box store. Example: I have a independent karate school that has determined that his best customers are parents with kids between the ages of 3 to 6 years old. Consequently, we have developed a letter for him that address all the issues that parents have with 3 to 6. Do you think the letter would be effective if it was a generic letter trying being sent to parents of teenagers, pre teens and 3 to 6 years old all in one letter? The questions and problems are different in each age group like; drugs, sex, peer pressure etc? If you answered yes each age group has a different set of circumstances then it also holds true for adults 30 to 50 years olds they see the world differently than young singles 20 to 30 year old and retired grandparents have a completely different set of circumstance. So that’s why you need to determine the WHO.

New Customers Now is a Done-For-You company that will help you determine your best customers. Then we will get the list, develop the letter or postcard, print,stuff and stamp your mailer … If you would like a FREE 20 minute consult with absolutely no strings attached to hear how we can help you get more new customers and ideal customers that will be a joy to sell then contact Shannon at 517-548-5315 or e-mail  her.

Oh My!!! Can you imagine my surprise when he made that statement? Any owner of any business should never be put in the position of hoping for sales. I can’t imagine opening my doors and hoping that someone comes into my business and shops. I asked him what would happen if they decided to go across the street to the big chain restaurant. Would it mean he can’t pay rent or meet his food bill? How long before he’s out of business??

Wake Up Folks

This is not the same old economy where money is flowing like the stimulus bill. We’re in a new economy with new rules… and let me tell you, those rules are very harsh! “The government is not going to bail us out” .. Either you can decide to follow the same old marketing patterns or create new ones that actually work and can be brutally and honestly measured. One of my clients in Washington has a very successful restaurant, doing 6 mil a year in business, with a wait of 1½ to 2 hours every Friday or Saturday. I asked him why he still uses me for his marketing, and his answer was“… because I’m afraid the line will go down to less then 30 minutes, that would be very bad for my business!” Theoretically, he could quit marketing and save all that money. However, he understands that people aren’t spending as much today as they did in the past, so he must continually market in order to keep his numbers constant.

This Is Not A Time To Become Timid

This is not the time to become timid with your marketing or only use the cheapest and easiest marketing methods. E-mail marketing is the big craze however it’s not always the best .. Sure it’s cheap but it’s only about 3% effective… meaning if you sent 3000 e-mails, 90 will get opened. BUT how many will actually respond is the big question? You need to stop and ask yourself, “How effective and How much business did I receive from the E-Mail???”

You must use all methods that make you money and can be measured, such as postcards, inserts, e-mail , newsletters , no peeking, and bounce back coupons (remember the easy customer to sell is the one you already have ).

Diversity leads to stability

The more methods you have to bring customers into your door, the more stable your marketing (and your customer count) will be. So figure out how to expand your marketing strategies and use every one that creates a positive cash flow.

……Next blog Why Customers Stray …..

Have a Great Marketing Day!