The Truth About Marketing

For decades I promoted the belief that getting customers through your door for the first time was the most difficult job in running a business. After many years I realized that this is simply not true. Getting them through the door for the first time is likely the easiest task for any business. This is the forte of marketing firms. The new operation, the flashy signage, crisp uniforms, beautiful interiors, sparkling display kitchens, enticing verbiage on the menu, tempting commercials and display ads, banners proclaiming “under new management”, promoting the new cutting-edge chef, the expansive wine lists or shiny new craft brewing system on display, grand openings, opening week giveaways, restaurant week features, and early bird pricing – every incentive that can be thrown at customers is part of the marketer’s bag of tricks. They all work quite well at pulling customers through the door – for the first time.

Where businesses, of all types, fail is in the follow-through. The real goal of a business is getting customers to love you enough to return time and again and bring their friends along. Marketing tends to appeal to the INNOVATORS (2.5% of consumers) and EARLY ADOPTERS (13.5% of consumers) because these are the buyers who are most interested in what’s new and exciting and they tend to be willing to jump in the deep end and give it a try. The problem is these buyers are also willing to change course and dive into the next great thing after you. Where businesses establish longer-term success and opportunity is with the EARLY and LATE MAJORITY (68% of consumers). So, the question is – how do restaurants get to the 68%?

Marketing is proven successful at getting customers through the door for that first visit – how do we get them to become ambassadors to the majority and convince them to return frequently? We have all seen the marketing initiatives that don’t match the real experience. The beautiful picture of succulent shrimp sauté with fresh lemon spraying across the plate, or a perfect caramelized burger and golden, crisp fries with a sun-kissed juicy tomato slice and crunchy lettuce leaf on a perfectly baked bun that has no similarity to what you find in that hinged box passed across the counter by a 16-year-old part-time employee. The intentions of marketing are sincere – they know how to sell the burger to an eager audience. The reality is that too often businesses fail to do their part in support of that message.

The always friendly, smiling, sincere server who is thrilled that a customer has walked through the door, maybe what marketers know will work in drawing people in, but when reality is quite different, the marketing campaign winds up doing just the opposite.

So, marketing and pulling customers in on day one is easy and can be effective. The hard part is what you (the restaurateur) do in support of that marketing promise. If the experience fails to match the promise, then any element of consumer trust is lost. Once trust is lost it is very difficult to regain it. As an example, the common chaos of a restaurant opening is counter-productive to any marketing effort and can wipe out any benefit that might be gained from an investment in image building and promotion. A lack of follow-through aligned with the “promise” brings the operation one step closer to failure. So, part of the marketing strategy must rest on the shoulders of operators. Here is a better formula for success:

CREATE AN IMAGE AND A PROMISE:

Know how you want to be perceived by customers, employees, and competitors in the marketplace. Determine what it takes to build and present this image and use this as realistic building blocks for your marketing initiatives.

CREATE A MARKETING PITCH

The pitch needs to inspire all who work within the business as well as the potential customers who will walk through your door. Make sure the pitch is realistic and know how the pitch can result in a promise that you are able to fulfill. As you proceed, constantly ask: “Am I doing what needs to be done to keep the promise?”

FUNCTION OVER FORM – FIRST

Design the operation with first consideration for function. Can we realistically meet and exceed expectations with the way the operation is designed for efficiency? Do we have the right equipment, space, technology, and systems?

HIRE SERVICE ATTITUDE

Although it may seem logical to hire individuals with prior experience at a particular position, keep in mind that we are in the business of SERVICE and HOSPITALITY. This means that sincerity and caring are just as important as the technical skills required to perform. Hire people who care about the happiness of your guests, who want to perform well, who will go out of their way to keep the promise, and then train them.

TRAIN CONSTANTLY

Training must go way beyond orientation and job immersion. Training should never end. Focus on more than just the HOW to do something – focus on WHY it needs to be done a certain way, WHAT the ingredients and elements of a task are and the significance of their source, WHO the customer is and WHEN to step in and create an experience that is unique and memorable. A well-trained employee is a happy employee and one who is better prepared to excel. Training leads to competence and confidence.

COACH AND MENTOR

Your role as a manager or operator is to guide your employees and provide the physical, mental, and emotional tools needs to keep the marketing promise. Coaches see weaknesses in an employee as an opportunity to help them overcome challenges and learn how to excel. They see employee strengths as a toll that can be integrated into the organization to inspire and support others.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, DO IT WELL

The restaurant that chooses to change a menu daily or weekly may gain interest from innovators and creative chefs, but it becomes exceedingly difficult to deliver on the promise, maintain positive perceptions, control consistency in quality and cost, and build a lasting brand image. Focus on what you can do extremely well, add a bit of spice through variety, and demonstrate to the 68% that they can trust the experience you offer.

WATCH AND ASSESS

Operators and managers need to develop “restaurant eyes”. Unless you view everything with the critical eye of the “promise police” the details will slip out of your vision. Sweat the details because the details are what brings customers back.

ENGAGE THE CUSTOMER

Ask your guests for their feedback. Do it in a way that is user friendly and reflective of their FEELINGS and alignment with your intended perceptions. As an example – a question like: Rate the quality of our food on a scale of 1-5, tells the operator very little. Whereas: Offer your level of agreement with the following statement: The food in this restaurant is exceptional. [] strongly agree, [] agree, [] disagree, [] strongly disagree, gives the guest a chance to express an answer with some emotion. Space to offer comments will then encourage deeper details of the experience. Or, even better, have the manager or chef stop by the table and carry on a short conversation with the guest to get the sincerest response. Invite frequent customers to participate in tastings of new wines you are considering, or menu changes the chef is working on. The more you engage the guest the more they feel connected with the restaurant and the more likely they are to become a raving fan.

TRY TO GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

Of course, everything that you do should focus on a mistake free environment, but we know that this is nearly impossible to plan. Still, the systems, people, and product should be designed with this in mind.

RECOVER QUICKLY AND EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

Sometimes, even more important than doing it right the first time is how well you recover from mistakes that are made. The plan should always be to exceed recovery expectations rather than just meet them. Keep in mind that customers have become jaded and have less faith in a business’s ability to recover at all. Thus, many will not complain when the mistake is made but rather offer their negative critique on-line after the experience. Remember your promise – it is imperative that you make every attempt to recover BEFORE a guest leaves the business. “Whatever it takes to recover” should be your method of operation. The old assumption that a dissatisfied customer will tell ten people about a bad experience has become exponentially worse with the advent of social media. Now they can tell thousands of others with a key stroke. Don’t waste an opportunity to recover.

MEASURE THE PROMISE

Always look back to that marketing promise and compare. “Are we keeping the promise?” Make sure the promise, the experience, and customer perceptions match.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER