Restaurant Marketing | Auto Repair Shop Marketing Blog by Dean Killingbeck

It’s Sunday morning, December 19th, and I’m on South Beach in Miami, Florida. I’ve got sticky sand between my toes, listening to the sound of the surf hitting the beach, the sun is shining bright and it is already 73 degrees. Back in Michigan it’s only 20 degrees, with 4 inches of snow on the ground in our famous little town called Howell.

You might be wondering what makes us so famous? It’s our annual Melon Festival. Over 50,000 people participate in our Howell Melon Festival Parade, and over 100,000 show up for the weekend long affair. They come each August to taste our Howell Melon’s, which are picked fresh every morning, while the dew is still on the ground and the roosters are just beginning to crow.

The Howell Melon Festival is a tradition that has been going on for over 3 decades. Children used to sit in awe while the 8 team Clydesdale horses from Anheuser-Busch went clopping by. Those same children now bring their grandchildren to participate in an American tradition: “A Parade”

A marketing strategy is creating traditions for your guests. Example: St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of friends meeting each other to drink a pint of Guinness or green beer, talk, raise hell and just enjoy each others company. I have a friend that each year he and his boys, now in their mid thirties, meet at the same place on St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy each others company. It has become a tradition.

Here’s the scoop: Start at least one tradition at your place of business. Maybe it can evolve around a holiday, such as Halloween, your anniversary, King Crab season, Bountiful Harvest Month (with cabbage corn, beans, brats and other fresh vegetables). Big Boy in Michigan used to have a tradition of The Strawberry Festival only in July…it was something everyone looked forward to. Now it is all year long…nothing special.

Make an important decision…Discover your tradition. Maybe you already have one but just haven’t put a name to it, like Winter Soup Month. Think of something special!

One of my traditions is giving Christmas gifts in January! Just to be different, of course. My wife tells me I have no problem with being different, think outside the box.

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, click on “How To Get New Guests In These Tough Times Automatically”

WARNING: Congress Outlaws Impact Wrenches Because They Make Too Much Damned Noise!

If my headline sounds ridiculous, well it is… but it’s no more ridiculous than the new law that our Congressmen just passed Thursday…

Congress has decided that TV commercials are too loud, causing people undue hardship and ear pain. Those loud commercials (only 3 to 6 decibels louder than regular TV) are, in their minds, a nuisance to anyone watching the boob tube.

Ladies and gentlemen… it looks like “big brother” has taken another step toward deciding that we the people are too stupid to tape our favorite shows to skip over those loud obnoxious commercials, too stupid to figure out how to turn DOWN the TV, or, God forbid, unwilling to turn the TV off!

What would we do without their help? Not only that, but this is what they waste their time discussing? Maybe they should be more concerned about our economy? I think I’m beginning to know just how the Romans felt when Rome was burning and the Roman Senate just watched..

Don’t Get Me Wrong… Some People Will Celebrate

What Industry Will Be Next? Cows emitting too much gas so farmers will have to start using Febreeze in their barns? Free ranging chickens will no longer be able to poop in the grass and contaminate the ground, so they will have to use chicken diapers (there actually is a website that sells chicken diaper’s). Okay, I’ll admit those were ridiculous examples with tongue in cheek, but look back at what’s happened in just the past 4 years.

1. No voice broadcast… except if you’re running for a political office then its okay ..Hmmm double standard

2. Do Not Call lists… except if you’re running for a political office then its okay … Hmmm double standard

3. E-mail double opt-in… unless you want to get known as a spammer….and except, of course, if you’re running for political office.. Hmmm (see the pattern!?!)

4. And the famous no Fax to B2B

I’m sure there are other examples that I’ve omitted of how congress has been making the job of marketing harder for us. However, as a business owner, you always must be thinking of different ways to market yourself and your business.

As my mentor says, “The Worst Number In Business Is One!”

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 go to : “How To Get New Guests In These Tough Times Automatically”

Learn How This Marketing Strategy Cost The Restaurant $8,000!!

5.3 Billion Dollars?? You’ve Got To Be Kidding!

As I sat down at my desk in my paper strewn office, with piles of unread newsletters, articles, magazines and a Honey Crisp apple, it was just announced that Google is trying to buy Groupon, the discount coupon buying website, for 5.3 billion dollars. Since Friday night, the deal is off for the moment as both sides grapple on price.

Now, to me, this is just another one of those Dot-Com bust “get rich quick” schemes that broke California… but only time will tell if this investment proves to be worth while. I guess I’m a bit of a skeptic about investing in a company that’s only been around for 18 months with absolutely no track record.

It’s like getting married to someone without ever meeting their family… AND going through the holidays with them and their friends. In other words, I don’t think you really get to know someone without first knowing everything about them and their circle of influence… same goes for business.

The Next Shiny Bullet

I’m no Whiz Bang Authority on internet marketing, but from observing the deals (where it seems restaurants are giving away the bank), listening to what some of my clients are saying, as well as reading blogs like Posies Cafe (their restaurant lost $8000 on their venture with Groupon), I have my doubts about how well cheap internet offers are helping the restaurant industry.

What seems to be happening is restaurant owners are hearing about all amazing internet sales and they desperately want to get in on the action. However, using the internet requires some long thought and tough decision making about whether it will or won’t work for their business.

Understanding the Purpose Of Marketing

As I see it, there can be only two outcomes obtained when you, the Restaurant owner, decide to offer deep discounts with online internet marketing:

1. Your existing guests, who love your restaurant, find out you’re selling certificates online at a huge discount (usually 50% off) and start buying up big numbers of certificates to redeem. Now, these are the customers that normally would have come in and dined with you at full price… However, have you ever known anyone to NOT cash in on what is basically free money? NOPE! Online coupons offering 50% off, cut your net profit by 70%… Just DO the math (by the way… all marketing is about the math)!

2. You get some new guests who come to your restaurant. HOWEVER, these are typically guests who only go out to eat when they find a coupon to justify doing so. Every week they go someplace different, because they only care about how much money they are spending.

Conclusion: when you offer deep discounted coupons online, you’re teaching existing and new customers that they should always be looking for the next discounted deal!!! To grow and sustain your restaurant you need good, qualified guests that will come back again and again and spend money, because THEY LOVE YOUR RESTAURANT… not cheap deals. These are Valued Guests… not guests looking just for a deal….. GUARANTEED!!!

Beware of those shiny bullets…

Have A Great Marketing Day

PS. Coming the first of January, my NEW Restaurant Marketing Book, a complete online and offline roadmap to marketing your independent restaurant, “FULL” will be for sale on Amazon…. written by Mark Ijlal (an online marketing guru) and myself (an offline marketing specialist).

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