ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - November 16, 2007

Wow! The Birthday Bash at the Mall of America in Minneapolis was amazing! Overall, both Joel and I thought it was about the best we have ever done ... and we never thought we would beat the experience we had last year.

Every year we take a different look at restaurant marketing and this year we set out to help the attendees learn how to think like marketers. To the extent that they succeeded in shifting their thinking in that direction, they will tap an endless source of great ways to promote their restaurants and pump up the energy.

Even more exciting is that about two dozen of the operators present asked Joel and me to provide coaching support to keep them accountable, help them become outrageously successful and provide the tough love they need to finally break free of their old limitations. If that is not noble work, I don't know what is.

Once we have refined the format, I may offer the same enhanced support to members of my Gold Group. You can get a free 90-day Gold Group trial membership by taking me up on my Best Free Offer Ever.

INSIGHTS R US
New Goals, Old Habits
As the new year approaches, many of you will make a list of goals and resolutions. The sad truth is that most of you never achieve much of what you list as goals. It's not because you don't have good intentions but because you allow yourself to get distracted. When that happens, your old world begins wrapping itself around you again and you start sliding back into old routines and old thinking.

Achieving audacious goals requires the discipline to form new habits. This takes some concentration and focus to be sure, but to truly become the master of your life, you must develop the courage to say no to distractions ... and there are plenty of them.

There will always be people and events that clamor for your attention, but just because someone demands your time doesn't mean you should give it to them. Particularly if it has been your habit to drop everything and put out the fires when they flare up, taking control of your time by refusing to entertain distractions will probably feel uncomfortable. However, that discomfort is a clue that you are letting go of an old behavior pattern, so learn to love it.

The next time one of your crew says the sky is falling and wants you to deal with it, try this: Tell them to use their own best judgement, handle it the way they think will be most effective and you'll talk about it later. (They already know what to do. The only reason they are coming to you is to cover their butts!)

Your ability to trust the judgement of others will help the staff develop their professional confidence (and competence). It will also let you stay focused on building the business.

Will your crew handle situations differently than you would? Of course they will. My approach would probably be different, too ... but that doesn't make it wrong. In life there are lots of right answers. Will they will screw a few things up as they get their bearings? Count on it. But they will recover quickly and your business will be stronger for it. After all, that's pretty much the way you learned, isn't it?

LESS IS MORE?
The Metamorphosis of the EHC
My original intent with the EHC was to make it short and sweet -- a two-minute read max. Over the years it has grown well past that simple goal, partially because I also viewed it as a resource for my Gold Group members.

As the EHC copy has expanded, so has the time required to put it together. While it is still very much a labor of love for me, I question how well it is serving your needs these days, particularly as the volume of e-mail increases.

I'm thinking that for some readers, less may actually be more. If the value of the EHC for you is to provide a quick lift and a fresh idea, then the current format is definitely overload. At the same time, others may find the range of articles and insights to be just the right dose of medicine. (I am the doctor, after all!)

So I am considering a change in format starting on January 4th.

I will still offer the weekly EHC at no charge, but I am planning to make the free version much shorter -- about one screen-full. You will be able to read it quickly (no scrolling) and get back to work. You should be able to get the gist of the message in well under my original two-minute goal.

If you want more, I will also offer a longer version (the length you have been used to) for a nominal annual subscription, probably less than a buck a week. The long version will be included in the Gold Group membership.

The dual format will let you choose the level of information you can absorb. My hope is that the option of receiving as much -- or as little -- as you want will help the EHC remain a welcome resource that you look forward to reading.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? - PART 4
Crafting Promotions That Work

I apologize. Last week I inadvertently duplicated the comments from Part 3 of this series. It must have been a senior moment ... or the results of putting the EHC together too late at night while dashing between airplanes. In any event, here are the last few considerations when writing or evaluating copy for your own offers.

Dual Readership Path
Some people will read every word, others will just skim the paragraph headings. Make sure that your highlighted text (headings, bolds, italics, etc.) will allow a skimmer to grasp the essence of your offer.

Use Emotional Words
Paint a picture that your reader can put themselves into. Speak in terms of benefits to the reader rather than just list the features of your offer. In other words, they don't care what you are offering, they care about what it will do for them.

Every Picture Tells The Story
Artwork or photographs are positive elements -- provided that they enhance the story you are trying to tell -- so choose them carefully. Be sure to include a caption under every photograph. After headlines, photo captions and the PS are the most-read elements of a promotion piece.

De-Emphasize Price
You don't want to hide the cost, but you should lead the reader to make the decision to accept your offer based on the benefits of what you are offering rather than the price. To make the dollars less of an issue, try to express the cost to the customer (what they pay) without a dollar sign, preferably in even numbers and emphasize the value (what they get) with dollar signs and decimals. (For example, "$39.00 of value for less than 30 dollars.")

Include a PS
I mentioned that the PS is among the most read elements of an offer. It should re-state the offer and the benefit to the reader for responding. In longer pieces you can have several PS notes.

Basic Contact Information
I am appalled at how many promotional pieces leave out basic information like the name, address, phone, and e-mail address of the company sending the offer. Don't take up prime selling positions with this information ... but don't forget to include it.

Next week I'll give you my suggestions on how I would re-write this piece to really kick butt! Oh, and I'll also (finally) declare a winner in our little marketing contest.

THE NOVEMBER SURVEY
The Price of Loyalty
A few years ago, guest loyalty programs were a new idea and one that I strongly endorsed. What I liked is that they reward the behavior that an operator wants to encourage -- repeat business. Is that still the case? Have loyalty programs lost their advantage now that they are more common? Do they still work? Do they generate more money than they cost?

Our last survey of the year takes another look at loyalty programs -- who has them, how they are structured and how they are working. As usual, I will send copies of the survey results to everyone who participates. In the meantime, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys -- including the massive WOW Ideas collections.

Add your thoughts to this month's survey.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
"What did you learn from your staff today?"
I learned that you can get even the most stubborn staff member to do what you ask and not argue with you, as long as you pay them compliments on the work that they do. People are more apt to do what you ask if you speak to them nicely and pay them a compliment on the good work that they have done. Its all about mutual respect. -- Lisa Langton, JustEatLocal, Boise, ID

Most of us were likely mentored by managers who grew up with a cop mentality. "Find things that are wrong and fix them" usually was (and typically still is) the order of the day for management. This model of supervision is closer to law enforcement than it is to enlightened leadership, but that was what they taught us because that was all they knew.

Cops look for problems and see others as crooks who have to be kept under control at all times. A cop believes that you can compel your staff to deliver quality service and that you can motivate them effectively with fear.

The alternative style of management is the coaching model. Coaches look for strengths. Coaches see what talent they have to work with and devise a game plan to win with the skills available on the team. Coaches realize that the talent resides in the players and if the players do not develop to their full potential, the team will never reach its full potential.

Coaches develop their players from strengths not from weaknesses. They will say, "You are doing these things very well. Now let's work on this next skill." Working from strengths builds people up and gives them incentive to do better. Not surprisingly, the way to become a better coach is to become a better listener.

Never doubt that the most important (and profitable!) skill you can develop is your ability -- and your willingness -- to truly listen.

What did you learn from YOUR staff today?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question until they put me in the ground. Just click on the link above and contribute your insights for the common good ... and your own as well!

LIGHTEN UP!
The Noble Experiment Continues
Here is the weekly report on my personal project to lighten up:

Goal: -50 Last Week: -2 Total: -14

I think I may be figuring this out. Last week was almost entirely on the road with no dedicated exercise and still dropped a couple of pounds. Thanksgiving will be the ultimate acid test. With a house full of guests, I can easily do 2000 calories a day just in wine!

A growing number of folks have joined me in this audacious venture. I applaud their courage in "going public." Do you have a goal regarding your weight? Do you have the guts to put yourself on record? We all seem to get better results when there is someone or something to hold us accountable.

Mary Jo Beniger -- Goal: -25 Last Week: +1 Total: -9
Cindy Casady -- Goal: -30 Last Week: ? Total: -15 (no report)
Tom Combs -- Goal: -65 Last Week: ? Total -15 (no report)
Chris Corrigan -- Goal: -25 Last Week: ? Total: -4 (no report)
Trice Micheals -- Goal: -50 Last Week: -2 Total -7
Steve Ulrey -- Goal: -12 Last Week: +2 Total: 0
Bill Breslo -- Goal: +5 Last Week: +1.5 Total: +3.5

If you are interested in how it's going for us, scroll down to the bottom of the EHC each week and check out the progress. If you could care less, don't!

© 2007 Restaurant Doctor