Marketing Observations

As I sit here in a Panera in Doylestown I notice the steady stream of people coming in who patronize this location. The patrons are both old and young and from all walks of life including business professionals to laborers. I ponder the success of getting this wide variety of patrons they are able to attract to their establishment. Marketing and quality products are the keys to their success. One without the other would not have the same results. Paneras marketing is four fold. They use promotional products including pens, direct mail and magnets along with marketing materials such as brochures and menus. Media advertising is next with randomly running ads on radio. They balance this with another form of marketing.......their service. Service from the front door to the back door is an important aspect of marketing any business. I have never waited long to order, the orders are always correct and the food is terrific and a good value as well. Businesses can take a lesson from this and that is to train your staff that their job includes marketing. This is true of everyone involved from the cashier to the cook to the janitorial staff and especially the boss or owner. Every person in the chain IS part of your marketing team. Good impressions and service open up the last marketing avenue.....word of mouth advertising.

Want fries with that?

How many times have you heard the phrase "would you like fries with that"? This is a staple term for sales. When you are selling any product or service there are additional ones which correspond to the one the customer ordered, like fries with a hamburger. These "fries" are value added sales which take little to no time on your part but can reap you additional profit. If you or your employees don't ask you risk losing this additional sale to a competitor who in turn could take future orders from you as well. Remind your employees that these additional sales add up for the company profit and give the employee incentive to make these additional sales through commissions or profit sharing. This shows the employees that you care for them as much as the business.

Marketing during a recession

Marketing during a recession can pull your company out of the downturn by keeping your name in front of your target audience. As long as you do your marketing wisely it won't break the bank. There is a history of companies which made sure they marketed during the recession they were in as they understood the power of marketing. Some of the more notable businesses which did this are Microsoft, Federal Express, Hyatt, Burger King and Trader Joe's.