With spring upon us, now is the perfect time to clean up the menu and get it ready for warmer days.
If your business isn’t making money it might be because you don’t stand out in the crowd.
B12 Wet Monkeys
ehavioural science is something that most restaurants know all too well … even if they don’t think they do.
When dealing with different generations of employees and an extremely diverse work force, it’s almost a subconscious understanding of the dynamics of how staff members relate to each other, and function as a team.
At a recent conference, I listened to a hilarious story about behaviour, and how it is influenced by a pack mentality. Now the pack mentality part is key. If you’re a QSR, or take-out only, chances are the majority of your staff fall into the generation Y demographic. This group functions more in a pack-mentality mode than most other generational groups.
In the 1960s, scientists in Arizona explored the idea of how certain environmental conditions can influence behaviour by isolating 12 monkeys in a cage. In the centre of the cage they hung a rope, at the top of which they placed a banana.
Now, as monkeys are apt to do, they set their sights on getting that banana. As the first monkey climbed the rope, the researchers would shower it with a shot of water, soaking all the primates. The study went through all animals until there was nothing but 12 wet monkeys and a banana on the top of the cage.
The researchers then removed one monkey, and replaced it with a new dry monkey. What they discovered was that when this new monkey tried to climb the rope, his 11 soggy peers held him back, protecting him and themselves from the water blast.
For the research, the study was beginning to prove that while the first dozen monkeys learned the truth about consequences for their actions, the new dry monkey was learning of the consequences
from a group of peers – not necessarily the truth. Neither that monkey, nor the remaining 11 wet ones, knew if it would get blasted with water.
One by one the researchers removed a wet monkey from the cage (and for animal rights activists, I’m sure they gave him a towel and a nice ripe banana). As they introduced each new monkey to the study, they discovered that each time the pack of the other 11 would hold the new monkey back from the rope.
By the time the banana was finally retrieved from the top of the rope by a monkey, 48 animals had been used.
So what do 12 wet monkeys have to do with pizza?
Think about your own operations from the same behavioural patterns. Are things not getting done because the “wet monkeys” are preventing the “dry monkeys” from trying new things … or for that matter, even doing the right things the right way instead of the pack-mentality way?
I’m not suggesting you draw a comparison between your staff and these primates, but consider this perspective: it took the researchers having to “fire” four generations of “employees” before the habit based on perception was broken, as opposed to finding out if the 13th subject would learn the truth for him or herself instead of buying in to what the others believed.
It underscores that old workplace philosophy of “we don’t do it that way around here.”
march 2008, vol. 14, no. 2
editor Cam Wood cwood@annexweb.com 888-599-2228 ext. 241
national advertising manager Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 888-599-2228 ext. 29
sales assistant Barb Comer bcomer@annexweb.com 888-599-2228 ext. 25
Production artist Katie Sinkowski
editorial Director Drew McCarthy dmccarthy@annexweb.com
vP/group Publisher Diane Kleer dkleer@annexweb.com
President Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com
mailing address P.O. Box 50, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON NY 4N5
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pizzabites
pizzabites
Hello everyone! Mama rosa here. What a smart bunch of pizzaiolos we have in Canada! I sure hope you are staying cool in those steaming hot kitchens. So, I hope you’re ready for this month’s trivia contest question. remember, it’s easy – I’ll ask the question and you find the answer somewhere in this month’s issue of Canadian Pizza magazine. then fax, mail or e-mail your answer to me. If I pick your name from the answer bag, you win!
are you ready?
this month’s trivia question is: Where is the one non-Canadian location of Santa Lucia Pizza? Deadline is March 19, 2008
fThis month’s trivia question: Where is the one non-Canadian location of Santa Lucia Pizza?
e-mail: mamarosa@annexweb.com
Fax: 519-429-094, attn: Mama rosa
Mail: Mama rosa, Canadian Pizza Magazine, P.O. Box 50 105 Donly Drive South Simcoe, ON NY 4N5
did you know?
Pizza Pizza processes 125 pizza orders a minute at peak times on Super Bowl Sunday, and goes through about three tons of pepperoni slices and over nine tons of mozzarella cheese.
No free beer allowed
ree beer is a term that would usually bring smiles to beer drinkers everywhere, but it is troubling for the body in Newfoundland and Labrador that oversees alcohol sales in the province.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation sent a letter to beer sellers in early December reminding them a consumer incentive is against the rules.
The practice sees breweries offering buyers a dozen free beers with the purchase of five or more cases.
It’s basically not acceptable because it would bring the price of beer down below the social reference price, said Lloyd
Penny, the corporation’s vice-president of corporate affairs.
Penny said breweries deny offering the deal and undercover liquor inspectors haven’t had any luck buying five cases and getting one case free.
David Rees of the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company said his firm doesn’t offer such a deal. But he said it has been available through other outlets for at least the 11 years Quidi Vidi has been in the business.
Retailers caught offering free beer to customers would have a hearing with the corporation and could face having their licence cancelled or suspended, Penny said.
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
a State considers obesity ban
Mississippi legislator wants to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers – but please, don’t be offended.
He says he never even expected his plan to become law.
Representative John Read says he was “trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi.”
More than 30 per cent of adults in Mississippi are considered obese, according to a 2007 study by a research group
that focuses on disease prevention.
The bill offers no specifics about how obesity would be defined, or how restaurants are supposed to determine if a customer is obese.
The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland, says he is going to “shred” the bill.
“It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,” Holland said.
mama rosa
kFood ad standards set
ids under 12 won’t be bombarded by quite so many ads promoting foods and beverages laden with fat, sugar and sodium under specific commitments from 16 companies announced Feb. 6 by Advertising Standards Canada.
The companies, which include food industry heavyweights McDonald’s and Kellogg, began the initiative last April by agreeing to principles aimed at shifting their emphasis to the promotion of healthier dietary choices or active lifestyle messages.
“They have all begun to implement their commitments,” said Janet Feasby, vice-president of standards for the Advertising Standards Canada, an industry self-regulatory body.
“Eleven have already implemented the commitments, and by the end of 2008, all will have been implemented. Some of the companies, the ones with very large portfolios, it will take them longer than others.”
Feasby said the original threshold set last April called for 50 per cent of food
and beverage advertising for children to be for healthier dietary choices or for active living messages.
Half the companies have chosen not to advertise at all to children under 12 – Cadbury Adams Canada, Coca-Cola Canada, Hershey Canada, Janes Family Foods, Mars Canada, McCain Foods Canada, PepsiCo Canada and Unilever Canada.
In addition to McDonald’s and Kellogg Canada, the Campbell Company of Canada, General Mills, Kraft, Nestle, Parmalat and Weston Bakeries say they will direct 100 per cent of their children’s advertising to healthier dietary choices.
In the case of McDonald’s, the company said its advertised meal aimed at children under 12 will contain no more than 600 calories, no more than 35 per cent of calories from fat, 10 per cent from saturated fat and 25 per cent total sugar by weight.
Feasby said Advertising Standards Canada will be auditing compliance and issuing annual reports about compliance.
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
Price hikes can be influential
Want people to like your product more? Raise the price. That seems to be the lesson from a new study in which people were asked to taste wines marked with different prices.
Researchers scanned the brains of the testers and found that the part of the brain that records pleasure lit up more for the more pricey vintages.
And that was true even when – unknown to the testers – they were sipping a wine that they had liked less when it had a lower price tag.
Antonio Rangel and colleagues at California Institute of Technology thought perceptions of higher price meaning higher quality could influence people, so they decided to test the idea.
They asked 20 people to sample wine while undergoing functional MRIs of their
brain activity. The subjects were told they were tasting five different Cabernet Sauvignons sold at different prices.
However, there were actually only three wines sampled, two being offered twice, marked with different prices.
A $90 wine was provided marked with its real price and again marked $10, while another was presented at its real price of $5 and also marked $45.
The testers’ brains showed more pleasure at the higher price than the lower one, even for the same wine, Rangel reports in this week’s online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In other words, changes in the price of the wine changed the actual pleasure experienced by the drinkers, the researchers reported.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
hot stuff
New Visual System From Eagle
eagle Foodservice equipment introduced the new VIP System for its Director’s Choice modular cafeteria serving units. this new visual-in-place system offers foodservice operators a new way to highlight their menu offerings, while also reducing the frustration of long wait lines by spreading customers across a larger serving area. the VIP system, which is designed to work with all Director’s Choice cafeteria units, consists of pylons, signage and lighting components. It features a plug-in signage system that visually highlights the menu items being served.
Signage is configurable to nearly any shape or size. Signs can be produced in a variety of styles including backlit panels, neon or laminated millwork, based on design aesthetics or the degree of permanence desired.
the construction of the system features pylons constructed of square tubing, mild steel or stainless steel, along with welded mounting plates. Pylons attach to all cafeteria units via a docking device that allows for easy installation and removal. eagle also offers special-purpose equipment in the Director’s Choice line, including ice cream units, carving station units, tray/silver units and platforms, plus corner transition units.
available in a variety of standard lengths ranging from 6 to 96 inches, the cafeteria units can accommodate all industry standard-size heated or refrigerated drop-ins. a unique, patent-pending built-in interlocking device allows for securely linking multiple units together to create whatever configuration best meets the needs of the cafeteria serving area including island displays.
For more details on these cafeteria units, the VIP System or other accessory items, visit the Current Links section at www.canadianpizzamag.com.
FeatureS
IS JAggER To BlAME?
Yes, it’s true. Mick Jagger killed the mass market using the power of subconscious persuasion. In 1965, he wrote a song that became a huge hit with the baby boom generation and it changed our views of mass marketing.
This song has been played millions of times over the decades. The song? Satisfaction, which most people believed was a sexual song due to the chorus. However, closer scrutiny shows it was a designed to destroy the obsession with the mass market, Voss Graham writes this month.
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WoRlD FooD PRIcES RISINg
Food prices are about to rise around the globe after years of decline, with climate change making it harder for the world’s poorest to find adequate food, a report released last month said.
Rising global temperatures, along with growing food consumption in rapidly developing countries such as China and India, are putting pressure on the world food system, meaning prices will rise for the foreseeable future, the International Food Policy Research Institute said.
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NeWS
goINg gREEN
Restaurant patrons across British Columbia will soon have a new display sticker to watch out for on restaurant doors and cash registers. Port Coquitlam, B.C.-based, ERM BioSource has launched the “Restaurant Green Zone” recognition program for participating restaurants in the province.
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SAPuTo SET oN WIScoNSIN
Canadian dairy giant Saputo Inc., keen on expanding in the U.S. market, has struck a US$160-million deal to acquire Wisconsin cheese maker Alto Dairy Co-operative.
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BAThRooM SuRVEIllANcE BuSTED
A fake surveillance camera pointing into a restaurant bathroom stall was taken down after it sparked concerns from the chain’s executives and the Quebec government.
DEAlINg WITh loSS
The loss of a loved one impacts each person uniquely, and knowing how to handle those situations with grace and sympathy can make a difference. In her latest article, Bereavement Etiquette: How to Handle Personal Loss in the Workplace, Colleen Rickenbacher, an etiquette expert and consultant, offers helpful tips and insights for your readers.
She offers advice on expressing one’s condolences with traditional cards, donations and flowers, handling items such as gifts and food, writing condolences and thank-you cards and dealing with one’s own personal loss, including arrangements and correspondence.
Full SToRy oNlINE
Second Cup franchisee Francois Turgeon recently installed the decoy camera in his downtown cafe hoping to ward off heroin users who reportedly left dirty needles in the men’s bathroom.
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TIPS TAxABlE
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is reminding Canadians who earn tips and gratuities of the rules for reporting this income on their annual income tax returns. Restaurant servers, hairdressers, valets, taxi drivers and others who earn tips may not have all of their income recorded by the employer and therefore not included on their T4 slips.
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www.canadianpizzamag.com
Revitalize Your Menu Spring Cleaning Will Help Build Brand Loyalty
BY CaMerON WOOD
As spring dawns, and brings a sense of rebirth and newness, it’s also the time when most of us take a long hard look at what we have accumulated over the winter months.
Sure, the back of the storage shelves may not have seen much daylight in recent months; but spring-cleaning isn’t just for checking the expiry dates. It may be the perfect time to clean up that old menu, dust off some of the old favourites and blossom with a few new additions.
Change is a difficult prospect for most, but the timing is right, as people’s palates move away from the hearty comfort foods of winter, to lighter and fresher tastes at this time of year.
“Evaluate what sells and what doesn’t,” says Bill Marvin, a regular speaker on the pizza trade show circuit
in North America. “Sort them by popularity, then sort them by margin. So, now for every item you have, you know two things about them.”
Understanding these two components of the menu items will allow operators to focus more clearly on which items they want to sell, and why some just need to disappear.
For Marvin, a.k.a. the Restaurant Doctor, the best approach to menu revitalization is a slow and steady process, much like how spring arrives. It gives customers the opportunity to take in the changes, what new offerings emerge and bloom.
“Slow and steady change is evolution; rapid change is revolution ... and it’s violent and bloody.”
By the end of the process, Marvin says, operators should have a clear vision of their menu “winners, teasers,
sleepers and losers.”
One thing is clear, he adds. Operators get too hung up on food costs and percentages.
“You can’t pay the bills on percentages. Gross margin is what we work on. We are more reluctant to adjust our prices than our market is willing to accept an increase.”
A restaurant’s menu is its blueprint for profitability; the foundation on which the entire brand is built.
For renowned food critic and author, Pat Bruno, operators’ reluctance to move on price is easily replaced by brand loyalty.
“You need to capture the imagination of the public,” Bruno says. Something that won’t be done with low price pizza.
“With pizza, you have a product that people can relate to ... everybody understands it. You just have to sell the
goodness of it.”
Brand loyalty is not something that is inherent in the demographic that buys on price. Agreed, that demographic is prevalent in every consumer market. But those customers will never be sold on brand loyalty if they are willing to go elsewhere to save a dollar on their order.
“We’re talking about loyalty that you can’t measure in dollars and cents,” says Bruno. “We’re talking about a customer’s commitment to come back. That is the ultimate goal in marketing, and we do that by making the best product we can.”
Both experts note that an underlying element is promotion.
When looking specifically at the menu, and the items the operator has now identified as clear winners, promoting them to increase sales is a necessary strategy.
If “specials” are a key part of business, Marvin recommends removing them from the menu altogether. That way, on the day, week or month that item is a featured special, it adds an element of exclusivity – this is something that the customer can only have today.
The restaurateur is a big fan of VIP programs, describing them as “coupons in drag.”
The excitement created by “membership” and the sense of being able to be part of something that others can’t be, enhances the value. Marvin’s perspective is that people like to belong to programs that they perceive to be “exclusive.”
He notes that this strategy has been successful in retail operations such as Price Club/Costco.
In Canada, loyalty programs, according to one study, have a very strong foothold in consumers’ purchasing decisions.
According to Colloquy, a loyalty consulting firm, 86 per cent of Canadian consumers identify themselves as participants in loyalty marketing programs, 51 per cent higher than their U.S. counterparts. The findings were presented last fall in a research paper entitled The Canadian Difference: A Comparison of Loyalty Marketing Perceptions Among Specific Canadian Consumer Segments.
The study was a demographic analysis that featured research on the loyalty participation and perceptions of Canadians in key market segments.
“Coalition loyalty marketing in Canada is the difference maker,” said Kelly Hlavinka, co-author of the study. “Canada’s loyalty landscape is heavily influenced by the presence of the Air Miles Rewards program, a national loyalty coalition that accounts for a 70 per cent penetration level among the nation’s households. No such national coalition exists in the United States.”
And despite how wired in the generation Y demographic is, young adults do not engage with loyalty programs through electronic channels more than direct channels, according to the study. Young adults ranked lowest of the five segments (26 per cent) when asked if they were engaged in receiving special offers via e-mail. They are, however, the most likely Canadians to recommend a business due to its loyalty program (48.4 per cent).
it for pizza?”
Rhetorical, but nonetheless intriguing. Marvin says he is irked by operations that “nickel and dime” the customer. It takes the pizza industry back down to the level of corner gas stations, fighting for the consumer over a tenth of a cent.
Customer loyalty and branding success will never be realized because the pizza now becomes a commodity, versus the dining experience it could be.
“Pizza menus look like spread sheets.”
Marvin strongly recommends dollar signs be removed on the menu. He cites examples of some of North America’s finest establishments and shares that the price is almost always found at the end of the item description, not set to the far right in column format.
We’re talking about a customer’s commitment to come back
Core women (any female respondent age 25-59 with annual income between $50,000 and $125,000) led the way, with 40 per cent claiming extreme involvement with loyalty programs via e-mail.
On a whole, Canadian consumers belong to an average of 2.5 retail programs, 2.0 financial programs and 1.5 travel programs.
For Bruno, the loyalty program concept strengthens the branding strategy by helping to further clarify the restaurant in the mind of the consumer, building on the business’s identity and unique selling proposition.
PRI c E PRESENTATI o N
“Let me ask you this,” Marvin says, pausing before asking his question. “We don’t charge extra for what goes on a submarine sandwich, so why do we do
“Now the decision becomes one based on the food, not the cost.”
To everything, there is a season ... and a story. Marvin’s last bit of menu design focuses on something not found in gross margins.
Storytelling is one of the effective ways to connect with the customer. It draws them into a broader understanding of the restaurant, and to a certain degree, the exclusivity of belonging to its history.
“There is no ‘word of mouth’ if there is nothing to talk about. Do things with a story behind them, and give your customers something to talk about.”
And it strengthens the brand in the consumer’s mind. Cheap pizza is not often made with a century-old family dough recipe, or Mama’s secret sauce. Cheap pizza, like gasoline, is founded on price point only ... and where did you last buy your gas?
“People don’t come to you to be students of your menu,” says Marvin. “You must give them a memorable meal – that is why they are there.”•
Why Isn’t My Business Making Money?
BY SaM HOrN
The hotel bar/restaurant had a problem. No one was coming to its happy hours. Why? They were one of dozens of restaurant/bars in the area hosting happy hours.
No wonder they weren’t making any money; they were getting lost in the crowd.
The question is: How could they stand out from the crowd?
The enterprising manager noticed that one of their loyal patrons tied his dog up outside when he came in for a cold one after work.
Light-bulb moment. Why not offer a special happy hour for professionals who wanted to bring along their poor pooches that had been cooped up all day while their owner was away? They could put out water bowls, hand out dog biscuits and offer a discount on beer so it was a win for everyone.
What to call this? Well, use a technique called Alphabetizing in which you talk your word through the alphabet, “Aaapy Hour, Bappy Hour, Cappy Hour, Dappy Hour” . . . and you eventually get to Yappy Hour!
You may be thinking, “Big deal, so it’s a clever name.”
You bet it’s a big deal. The Washington Post wrote an article about the throngs of people showing up for the restaurant’s wildly popular (and profitable) Yappy Hour. A hundred newspapers picked up that article across the country.
Is your business not making as much money as it could or should?
Chances are you’re one-of-many. One of many restaurants, pizzerias, night clubs, bars that all look alike. If you’re offering the same services and products as everyone else, how are people supposed to notice you?
Here’s five of the top ten ways to be
one-of-a-kind (instead of one-of-many) so you break out instead of blend in and increase your volume of customers and income.
1. Give your business a one-of-a-kind name that generates free media attention.
Sure, you can call your business The Nail Place – or you can call it Texas Chainsaw Manicure. Guess which attracts clients from around the world because they’ve read about it in syndicated columns or seen it featured on TV?
2. Zig where your competitors zag. Enterprise wanted to enter the crowded car rental industry but Hertz, Avis, Budget and Alamo owned the market.
Hmmm . . . how to differentiate themselves? What did competitors have in common? They’re all situated next to airports. So, Enterprise located their branches in neighbourhoods.
What didn’t the other agencies offer? No pick-up and drop-off service. So, Enterprise offers to drive you to and from your home or hotel.
Don’t do what everyone else is doing; do the opposite. The best way to stand out from your crowd is to lead it, not follow it.
3. If you have fun, your customers will too.
Art Buchwald said, “I learned when I made people laugh, they liked me.”
Read your signage, web copy, and marketing material. Does it make you laugh? If not, it’s probably costing you sales. Inject some humour into your communication to increase likeability.
A shoe store replaced their standard “Sale” ad with “ Shopportunity. 50% off – and that’s just the half of it.”
Which ad do you think generated more business?
4. Turn generic into genius.
Jay Sorenson saw what everyone else saw
– those cardboard insulating sleeves you put around your cup of coffee so you don’t burn your fingers, and turned them into a 15million-dollar-a-year business.
How? By giving a common product an uncommon name: Java Jacket.
Sorenson said, “That trademarked name is worth more than our patents – it has such a dominant market awareness that people who meant to call our competitors call us instead.”
That’s branding! Give your business a short, alliterative name that’s easy to pronounce and remember . . . and you’ve just given yourself an attention-getting, moneymaking brand.
5. Listen to your customers whine. “What?” you may be asking in disbelief. “Why should I listen to people complain?”
Because they’re telling you what they have a problem with. If you fix that problem, they’ll flock to you.
For example, a Hawaii dive shop got tired of turning away customers who didn’t have a current scuba certification. Solution? Why not have an air hose from the boat people keep in their mouth, kind of like an elongated snorkel? This way, anyone can swim with the fishes 10-20 feet down without risk (you can resurface in seconds) and without hauling around heavy oxygen tanks.
Let’s use a POP! technique to coin a brand new name for this activity. It’s half snorkel – half scuba. It’s SNUBA! Solve a common industry problem and give it a clever name and customers will seek you out because you’re the only one offering this first-of-itskind option.•
Best-selling author/branding expert Sam Horn has helped more than 50,000 individuals create one-of-a-kind approaches that dramatically increased their name recognition, visibility and sales. Visit www.SamHornPOP.com for a free article on the other five ways to get your business noticed and remembered . . . for all the right reasons.
For many years pizza was considered a meal that you went out to eat at dinner. With the advent of delivery and take-out operations, full-service restaurants closed down or were converted into smaller stores catering to walk-in and delivery business.
As competition increased, price wars erupted ensuring that customers could get a whole pizza – sometimes even two or three pizzas – inexpensively.
After the market became saturated with economical deals, stores competing for consumer dollars had to come up with new ways of selling pizza. Thus the “pizza-slice-combo-meal” was born.
Rather than having to buy a whole pizza, customers can buy a slice that is cheaper, easier to carry and, in most cases, includes a drink or dessert. The low price point and high convenience of this deal makes it an ideal meal at any time of the day
The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association supports this theory. The CRFA reports that pizza is a very hot lunch item. The growth is reflected in
BY tIMOtHY tWYDeLL feature
Let’s Do Lunch
the popularity of the single slice combo meal, which is currently outselling burgers and fries as the Canadian lunch item of choice.
Adding to pizza’s popularity is the proliferation of Pizza DELTOS (delivery and take-out) restaurants and the convenience of their location for consumers. As with most product growth, it is the youth of today, which is driving the surge in pizza sales. The reasons for this are simple: students simply prefer pizza to sloppy Joes at the cafeteria or bologna sandwiches that mom made.
A survey of 50 students at Dennison High School in Newmarket, Ont., revealed that 75 per cent of students had eaten a slice of pizza for lunch at least once in the past month and 60 per cent had eaten pizza for lunch, three or more times.
Those eating pizza for lunch opted for some kind of pizza slice combo, the most popular of which being Pizza Pizza. Pizza Pizza brand recognition is high as 60 per cent of students polled ranked this popular Canadian chain as there favourite
lunchtime pizza to eat. Students know that if they visit a Pizza Pizza they can get a huge slice of pizza with a drink without making a huge dent in their wallets.
The shift in consumers’ consciousness from pizza being a dinner item to a lunchtime one is further illuminated with the introduction of pizzas at Quiznos submarine restaurants.
In a rare move, Quiznos Canada introduced flatbread pizzas ahead of its American stores. The pizzas were introduced in June 2007. According to www. franchisemall.com, the company hopes to, “capture a segment of Canada’s pizza market and help boost same-store and company-wide sales.”
The pizzas come in four varieties. The “Big Pepperoni” has fresh tomatoes, pepperoni and four-cheese pizza mix. The “Works” has fresh tomatoes, pepperoni, salami, capicola, ham with fourcheese pizza mix. The “BBQ Chicken” has chicken breast, BBQ sauce, bacon, red onions, cheddar and mozzarella and finally the “Buffalo Chicken” has chicken
Continued on page 19
Thompson in northern Manitoba is a mining community, the kind of place where people go to make a lot of money quickly then move on. George Simeonidis was one of those who answered the call to Thompson. But it wasn’t in minerals that the young Greek immigrant found his fortune. He built his prosperity on pizza.
In 1971, Simeonidis bought a small pizzeria in a Thompson strip mall from an Italian friend who wanted to move back to Italy. Within a year, the renamed Santa Lucia Pizza was one of the most popular restaurants in Thompson.
From that grub stake, Simeonidis and his family have grown their pizza business into one of the largest privately owned pizza chains in this area. Today, the family operates six Santa Lucia Pizza Restaurants in Winnipeg, one in Morris, Man., and one in Fargo, N.D.
BY MYrON LOVe feature
Greek Pizza Family Finds Success in
As with many who come to Thompson, Simeonidis didn’t stay long in the community. In 1974, he relocated to south Winnipeg. Shortly after, he was joined in business by three of his brothers (Archie, Gus and Lazarus) and they quickly opened more Santa Lucia Pizza Restaurants in other parts of Winnipeg. The locations in Morris and Fargo were opened within the past few years; the latter operated by George’s son, Alex, and daughter, Marcia.
One of Santa Lucia’s claims to fame was the introduction of thick crust pizza to Winnipeg. Another is the introduction of Greek pizzas. George’s wife, Helen, used to make pizzas with feta cheese, cheese sauce instead of pizza sauce, Greek dressing, olives and tomatoes for her husband. Soon, customers started asking about it.
The Greek pizza (also with onions and mozzarella cheese) is Santa Lucia’s third most popular pizza request after the Santa
Lucia special (pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, green peppers and onions) and the pepperoni and mushroom.
Other Santa Lucia specialties include the Vegetarian Pizza, the Meat Lover’s, the Aloha, the Mexican, the Chicken Supreme, the Santa Fe (also chicken breast), the Mediterranean and the Healthy Heart Pizza (on whole wheat crust with chicken breast, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach) and the 30-inch Giant Pizza for $69.95 that feeds eight to 12.
“We emphasize quality and locally produced products,” says Michael Simeonidis, George’s son. (George passed away last summer.)
The Santa Lucia menu also includes a wide range of Greek and Italian starters and entrees, salads and steak and chicken and seafood selections. Michael notes that all the restaurants offer the same menu choices except for one pickup and delivery open outlet, which has a
more limited menu.
“Half our business is pick-up and delivery,” he says.
He adds that his sister and brother in Fargo also cater a lot of festivals throughout the American Midwest, travelling as far south as Texas.
The Family has expansion in mind for the near future. One possibility is a pickup and delivery outlet in Transcona, an east Winnipeg suburb.
“We are considering opening Santa Lucias in towns around Manitoba and maybe looking farther afield to Saskatchewan and Alberta,” Michael says. “That may mean having to look outside the family for managers, perhaps to long-time employees who know our food.”
“One of the things that impresses people is that we eat in our own restaurants,” says Helen. “People figure if the owners eat here regularly, then the food must be good.”•
helen Simeonidis and her son Michael at one of their Winnipeg Santa lucia Pizza Restaurants.
If you’ve never attended International Pizza Expo®,you don’t know what you’ve missed!
And if you’re one of our faithful attendees,wait until you see THISyear’s show!
There will be 1,000 booths represented by over 450 exhibiting companies—companies that are interested in one thing,you,the pizzeria owner.
Knowledge is a powerful business tool,and to help you stay ahead of your competition,we’re offering over 60 business-boosting seminars, demonstrations and networking events.
Want to see if you’ve got the best Gourmet Pizza in the world? Sign up today for our Pizza Festiva® competition.Think you might have the best Traditional Pizza in the world? Gotcha covered there too—our International Pizza Challenge™ is just the place for you to find out.Go head to head with other world-class pizzaiolos.
Are you pretty good at tossing dough? How fast can you make a crust? Ever tried tossing dough blindfolded? Our WorldPizza Games is an unbelievable demonstration of all these skills and more.
OK,so you’re excited and thinking about attending,THIS should get you to register TODAY— enter our MEGA BUCKSGiveaway™ and you could walk away with $20,000.00 in cold,hard cash!
Pick up your phone or get that mouse moving and register TODAY for the hottest pizza show on the planet,International Pizza Expo® 2008.
Michelle Brisebois
Whether you’re naming your business, your kid, your new puppy or a hot new menu item, chances are it’s not been an easy decision.
A great name can have an enormous upside for a business so while we may feel foolish for giving it so much thought, it can be one of the most important decisions you’ll make. A good name defines your product. It should be easy to say, remember and comprehend.
It’s also often hard to come up with a strong name and many business people end up defaulting to generic names that don’t create any buzz. You’ll be relieved to know that while it’s not an exact science, there are some tools and tips to help you choose a good name.
Before you dig in and start generating names, consider those attributes that make a name good. The first thing a good name does is tell the consumer something about your product or business – through their eyes, not yours. The granddaddy of all menu items, the Big Mac is a great example of a name that speaks to the generous portion size of the burger.
Secondly, great names are easy to say, easy to spell and easy to remember. Many marketing gurus cite the iPod as a name that captures all of these objectives. It’s a small “pod-like” device that can be customized to the users’ own specifications and personal preferences – hence the “i.”
It’s also easy to say and remember – marketing nirvana.
But does a good name need to clearly spell out exactly what the business is all about? If I sell pizza, do I need to have the word “pizza” in there somewhere in my business name? This type of name could be limiting since your business may expand into other areas one day. Keep
What’s In a Name?
your options open.
There are many examples of products and businesses that “nod” to other meanings. No doubt somebody initially questioned calling a doughnut chain after a hockey player named Tim Horton.
Starbuck is a character in the novel Moby Dick and IKEA isn’t Swedish for common sense. The name IKEA, is an acronym. IK refers to Ingvar Kamprad (the company founder); the E stands for Elmtaryd, the farm where Kamprad grew up, and the A is for Agunnaryd, his hometown. I “Googled” and “Googled” and still couldn’t confirm the real Swedish word for common sense … maybe it’s ABBA?
Rule number 1 if you’re using an acronym (just the first letters of several words) – it works much better if the acronym actually makes a new word. If you are using exotic words or acronyms, do try to make sure it doesn’t mean something horrific in another language. In today’s multicultural society, it’s good to pass it by a few multilingual friends to ensure you’re not offending anyone.
customers receive? What are the ingredients? What makes this different from the competition? What’s the lingo in your industry?
Starbucks refers to their servers as Baristas and you can bet this bit of romance helps pave the way to charging four dollars for a coffee.
Remember Google is your friend (unless you’re trying to find the Swedish word for common sense). Try typing “list of ___” into Google and see what comes up. For example, typing in “list of tomatoes” gave me names like “Peacevine Cherry” and “Prudens Purple” as heirloom tomato types … and that’s just in the “p” section.
no doubt somebody initially questioned calling a doughnut chain after a hockey player named tim horton.
Thesaurus.com is another great source to find “words of a feather.” I again popped in the word tomato and yowza – apparently it’s often used as slang to describe a woman of questionable reputation. Picture W.C. Fields wriggling his cigar saying, “She’s a real tomato.”
Gather a cross-functional team of employees together and make it a fun exercise. Serve some food and even a FAB (Festive Adult Beverage) if it’s appropriate. Start by making a list of questions to generate discussion.
You may wish to ask: What does your product do? What’s its purpose? What is your product’s benefit to the consumer? What will happen for them? What will
However, if you are located in a more progressive trendy area, this line of name generation could work well for you. Try Wordlab.com (look on the menu to the left hand side) for a variety of tools designed to generate cool names. MountainZen and ProtonLove are just two of the combinations I came up with when I used the name builder tool for a few clicks.
The intent here is to jump start the brainstorming process – some of these combos may just give you the inspiration
to come up with your own magic combination. Another website often used by crossword puzzle enthusiasts is Moreword.com. This site will break words down to their smaller parts; show you root words and definitions. It can also help generate some new naming directions.
A good name sets your product apart. It implies value and presumably could command a higher price. Norma Jean Baker became Marilyn Monroe and in the process transformed herself into an icon.
If your menu items have names like “Pepperoni with double cheese” or even worse “Number 5” – think seriously about injecting some sizzle into the description. Get a little help from your friends to come up with some options.
The best names don’t just tell consumers what you do – they tell them how you do it.•
let’s Do lunch
Continued from page 14
breast, tangy buffalo sauce, cheddar and mozzarella.
With an eye on the Quiznos experiment, Subway has introduced pizzas in most of their American outlets
Not willing to lose out on potential buyers Subway has been experimenting with personal pan pizzas. According to www. dietblog.com, “The thick-crusted personal pizzas are pre-baked at central locations and shipped to nearby stores. Basic pies will go for $2.99. Additional toppings, such as pepperoni, sausage or meatballs, are an extra dollar. Vegetables and extra cheese are free.”
It is a matter of debate as to whether Canada will see pizzas sold at its Subway restaurants.
Pizza continues to reinvent itself to reflect consumers’ changing tastes. From dinnertime staple to lunchtime choice, above all one thing remains abundantly clear. The future of the pizza business remains a growing and vibrant part of the restaurant landscape and will continue to do so for many years to come.•
The Ultimate Game of ‘Survivor’ Recruiting, Interviewing and Hiring
BY BOB SCHuLtz
The two most important things any owner or senior management person can be doing on any given day are to increase revenue and decrease cost without sacrificing quality. Recruiting, hiring, training and coaching a world-class team is a giant step in the right direction to increasing profitable revenue.
In order to accomplish this, critical focus and effort must be placed on the recruiting process. It’s amazing that many managers will spend more time researching the purchase of a computer, POS system or other pieces of equipment than they will in hiring the people who will represent them on a day-today basis.
All too often, managers will hire “experienced” people, sometimes taking them from other pizzerias. To understand how costly this can be, it’s necessary to understand the meaning of the word “experience.”
“Experience” can be defined as “events lived through,” or “knowledge or skills gained over time.” But, are those skills and knowledge the right ones? Take, for example, someone who has played golf for 10 or more years without the benefit of serious coaching to become a worldclass golf pro. Most likely, that person’s skills leave something to be desired, but he or she can still be “experienced.”
Like the TV show Survivor, the right recruiting process will eliminate people all along the way until only the outstanding winners remain.
STEP 1: IDENTIFy ThE NEED
Before you begin recruiting, you must
establish the positions you’re looking to fill and identify the community in which new staff will work. Then, establish a targeted compensation model and ideal target behavioural style for each position.
STEP 2: FIND ThE cANDIDATES
It is not necessarily important that candidates have experience, but some successful background in a related field is helpful.
Ads should run in the classified section of a local newspaper, and, if budget permits, a display ad should run in another section of the paper. Ads can also be posted on Internet sites catering to those seeking employment.
STEP 3: START ScREENINg WITh ThE RESuMé
If prospective employees can’t sell themselves, how can they represent your business? Inspect their resume for typos, grammatical or spelling errors, and sloppiness. If the resume can’t pass this critical first step, then “vote them off the island.”
STEP 4: SEND A PRE -INTERVIEW PAckAgE
Send the remaining applicants a preinterview package. It should contain a personalized cover letter and an application for employment. (To expedite the process, consider posting this preinterview package on your website to be downloaded by applicants with a password.)
If you find the responses to these questions satisfactory, then include the
applicant in the next challenge: the interview. Rather than a single interview, the procedure should be a series of steps; each one’s a part of the screening process.
STEP 5: coNDucT A TElEPhoNE INTERVIEW
Set up phone interviews via e-mail. This acts as another important test. If applicants don’t check their e-mail, they probably won’t check it when customers send them an e-mail.
Conduct the first telephone interview using a script. Some important questions at this stage include: “What are your earning goals for this year?”
The energy in the candidate’s voice during the phone interview is a strong indication of whether or not we want to interview them further. If they can speak eloquently and seem to be intelligent, set an appointment for a face-toface interview.
STEP 6: FIRST FAcE -To-FAcE INTERVIEW
Look for the candidate who arrives on time and is dressed professionally, if there is consistency with previously given answers, and how the candidate feels about being video/secret-shopper shopped.
STEP 7: chEck REFERENcES AND BEhAVIouRAl STylE
Before you proceed further, obtain permission from the remaining candidate or candidates to assess their behavioural styles. Some excellent personality assessments include the Management for
Success (MFS) Style Analysis Response form (sales version) and Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values (PIAV) Response form from Target Training International, which candidates can complete online.
Review both of these reports to determine if the candidates are close to your targeted profile.
At this stage you should also conduct a complete reference check. If the references check out satisfactorily, and the behavioural reports are in sync with your targeted profile, then call the candidate for a second face-to-face interview.
STEP 8: SEcoND
FAcE -To-FAcE INTERVIEW
This time, add an additional representative from your pizzeria so you can get another perspective.
It’s also important at this point to look for a ‘PHD’ attitude, which stands for ‘poor, hungry and driven. Managers are
looking for that extra commitment from a person to assure that they will be happy to stay late, and willing to embrace full-time, active weekend work when necessary.
If the applicant passes the second interview satisfactorily, then invite him or her to the all-important group interview.
STEP 9: ThE gRouP INTERVIEW
Most managers would be satisfied to hire people who have been through the first eight steps of the recruiting process. However, some people are very good at behaving well in one-on-one interviews, and a resumé is really just a balance sheet that lists all assets and no liabilities. The group interview provides a chance to probe for the liabilities and see how potential candidates interact with others.
During the group interview, sit back and watch the candidates in action. Compare notes with the other observers
from your company and choose your superstars.
Role-playing should be an integral part of the recruiting night. This can help determine if the candidates are going to be coachable.
STEP 10: FINAl INTERVIEW AND oFFER ThE PoSITIoN
Schedule an appointment to meet for a final face-to-face interview with the candidates selected from the group interview. Use this interview to go over anything that may have concerned you during the group interview. If you are satisfied, present the job offer and start date. •
Bob Schultz, MIRM, CSP, is a new home sales and management expert. He has been recognized by Builder Magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Home Building and is the author of two best-selling books, “The Official Handbook for New Home Salespeople,” and “Smart Selling SM Techniques.” His company, New Home Specialist Inc., is a full-service management consulting and sales company with clients throughout North America. For information, visit www.newhomespecialist.com or call 561-368-1151.
Put Your Business on Auto-Pilot
BY aLaN BaYHaM
If you’re like many small to medium-sized business owners, you love what you do, but you often feel “trapped” in your work.
You want the business to continue after you retire, but you have a handson role in nearly every aspect of the company, and you wonder how you’ll be able to. While you love the financial rewards of being a business owner, you wish you could reap those rewards without doing all the work yourself.
The problem for many business owners is not the inability to walk away from the office and leave work at work, but rather a lack of formal business systems that would essentially automate the company’s processes. But since many business owners always handle the business issues themselves, they feel there’s no need for systems.
They believe customers need the personal interaction from them, and
have a hard time delegating tasks and responsibilities.
However, by systemizing their business and creating policies and procedures, business owners can break free from the chains keeping them tethered to their desk. They can then focus on business building activities and personal interests, rather than day-to-day work.
While the systems, policies and procedures will depend on the nature of your business, following are some guidelines to keep in mind when putting systems in place.
S ET P RI o RITIES
up in the day-to-day activities of their work they lose sight of what they should be doing in their leadership role.
Be sure the written processes are based upon a job description and not based upon a person.
Often business owners are so wrapped
Therefore, take a time-out and ask yourself, “How can I grow my business and reward myself personally?”
You’ll likely realize that in order to grow your company and feel more personal satisfaction, you need to be spending your time on things like networking for new business, building client relationships, planning the company’s future growth, or enjoying time away from the business.
Once you realize what you should be doing on a regular basis, you can let
go of the day-to-day tasks and employees can easily start to take over.
lIST you R Ac TIVITIES
Next, keep a journal of how you’re spending your time at work.
What specific tasks are you doing? How much time are you spending on the technical aspects of your company? How much of a hands-on role are you taking? What percentage are you spending on strategic activities?
You’ll likely find you spend the majority of time doing similar tasks you pay employees to do.
Why? Because most small business owners started as technicians in particular fields and decided to open their own firm or business. So while they’re skilled and comfortable in their trade, they lack business management and leadership training.
For most small business owners, evaluating on paper the time spent on technical tasks rather than business-building activities is a real eye-opener.
D E l E g ATE E FFE c TIVE ly
Delegate tasks not related to the list of what you should be doing, created when you set out your priorities. This means giving the person clear directions and being sure he or she understands what you want done, how much time and money it should take, what processes should be followed, and when the task is due.
Make yourself available for questions, but do not have hands-on involvement. Follow up with the person in writing, reiterating the task and all the details.
When you complete this step, you will have systemized your first process.
I NVolVE E VERyo NE
Putting processes in writing applies to everyone in the company. It needs to happen laterally as well as vertically, like creating an owner’s manual for each position. Have each person list out all the tasks his or her position is responsible for.
Consider that someone in the payroll department would detail how to run payroll, how to pay the withholding taxes, how to process deductions, etc.
The goal is that if that person suddenly quits, another person could pick up the
process description sheet and perform the job. Every person, from the CEO to the janitor, needs to go through this process for every aspect of the job.
Be sure the written processes are based upon a job description and not based upon a person. Systems cannot be based on what Mary or John does, it needs to be based upon the job description for John’s position. That way, if/when John leaves the company you can replace him easily.
Sh ARE Th E Sy STEMS
Once something is written down and systemized, put it into a policy and procedure manual. Also, have people crosstrain for different positions so they can step in when needed, even if it’s just to help out during a crunch time.
Finally, since all the tasks are tied to specific job descriptions, make sure they’re tied to that person’s performance evaluation. That will ensure that the task is done according to the prescribed system.
Sy STEMI z E you R Succ ESS
While the process of creating systems company-wide may seem overwhelming, you don’t have to do it all at once. Systemizing your business is a long-range project, not something you can do quickly.
Start by systemizing one position and then move onto another. Once you have one thing systemized, be sure to re-evaluate your system on an annual basis to see if you need to make changes based on new events, information or regulations.
Taking the time to systemize your company will lead to more effective leadership and a more efficient business. You’ll be able to focus on things that will make your company more successful and reap the profits from your business if you’re not physically there.
Begin the systemization process today and you’ll enjoy the rewards for years to come.
Alan Bayham is a sought-after business coach and consultant, and the president of Bayham Consulting, LLC. With a master’s degree in organizational management, he is a licensed professional business coach with more than 30 years of experience in leadership, management and marketing training. For more information, contact Alan at 504-259-8682 or at abayham@bayhamconsult
ing.com.
Consistency Does Not Equal Fairness
BY BILL CatLette aND rICHarD HaDDeN
Joe Kraus, founder of web portal Excite.com once said, “Nothing demotivates people like the equal treatment of unequals. When you hire a bozo and treat him the same as a rock star, it deflates the rock star.”
We’ve all heard the workplace mantra, “Whatever you do, ensure that employees are treated fairly and consistently.” The manager’s dilemma emerges, however, when “fair” seems to collide with “consistent,” and someone has to figure out which way to swerve.
One day, Henry, the founder of a large corporation, walked aimlessly through headquarters handing out $50 bills to long-service employees he recognized. Nothing particularly scientific or well-planned, just a guy trying to recognize those who had served faithfully for many years. Fair enough.
Lou, the company’s director of labour relations pulled the offending founder aside and pointed out that he couldn’t just walk around the office singling out employees for these on-the-spot bonuses. He’d need to give the same to everyone in order to be consistent – to do otherwise would reek of favouritism.
ees equally. Fairness means treating each employee appropriately, and individually, based on the circumstances and contribution of that employee.
Fairness depends on something external, such as circumstances, situations, performance, or contribution. Consistency depends on nothing but conformity to an existing standard. Consistency requires good records. Fairness requires the application of good judgment. Consistency is easy, fairness
with consistency rather than fairness – that person finds it hard to sustain discretionary effort. A common reward for an uncommon effort is a slap in the face.
A three per cent across-the-board salary increase for everyone on your team is not fair unless you have observed an across-the-board improvement in performance, or are making market adjustments. A reward system based on the notion that -
leading in a ‘fair’ manner is rarely cut and dried
Henry’s reaction was two-sided. First, he reminded Lou of their respective positions in the food chain and, second, authorized the company’s treasurer to equip Lou with enough cash to similarly reward, and therefore quiet, any employee who even dreamt of complaining about the disparate treatment. They were going to be consistent!
But was this practice fair? No. What’s fair about rewarding a long-timer with $50, and then gifting the same amount to a newcomer who simply threatens to complain? And what’s fair about scoring a four-out-of-five to all but the most egregiously poor performers on their annual performance evaluations? Consistent perhaps, but grossly unfair.
Consistency means treating all employ-
ship was easy?
Leading in a “fair” manner is rarely cut and dried, as it calls for discernment and a degree of wisdom. While age can help a leader develop these qualities, they certainly are not reserved only for managers with wrinkles and a difficulty reading small print.
Your job, as a leader, is to inspire maximum effort from people at work. When managers abandon fairness in pursuit of consistency, something happens to people’s willingness to give us their all, or to go the extra mile. It’s like a slow leak in a tire – eventually it becomes entirely deflated, or perhaps blows out altogether.
Going the extra mile – parting with what’s known as discretionary effort – is a conscious decision on the part of each employee, every day. When someone makes that decision, it distinguishes him or her from others. However, if that effort is rewarded in an undistinguished manner –
The same is true for sanctions or punishment. Punishment may be an effective “corrective device” for adults, but it is foolhardy and lazy to generally spray everyone in your group with the same sanctions when not everyone is guilty of the infraction being dealt with.
As Emerson famously said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” There’s no place for little minds in leadership. It requires, among other things, making tough decisions based on a value system firmly rooted in fairness. That’s not always consistent with … well … consistency. •
Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden are the authors of the newly released, “Contented Cows MOOve Faster.” The two founded Contented Cow Partners, LLC to help business and organization leaders produce better results through a focused, fired-up and capably led workforce. Bill’s professional background includes more than 30 years of leadership experience with companies such as ADP, FedEx, and Aramark Uniforms. Richard has managed teams in financial services and information technology, and has more than 17 years of experience training and speaking for corporations such as Dell, Pfizer and Mayo Clinic. Contact the Contented Cow Partners at 904-720-0870 or www.ContentedCows.com.
Be consistent to be fair
Here are some ways to move toward “fair” treatment of your workers, even if at the expense of consistency:
1. First, think back to a time you were treated unfairly in order to maintain consistency, and then consider the effect it had on your motivation. It’ll be the same feeling for those you now lead.
2. Establish clear targets and rewards, and be crystal clear about your expectations. Carefully articulate what constitutes outstanding performance, and the rewards that await all who achieve it. Those who perform receive the reward, those who don’t receive coaching and encouragement to achieve it next time.
3. Develop a well-thought-out system that allows you the flexibility to give
spontaneous “spot rewards” when you see a deserving performance, and keep an element of fun in your reward system. Employees are motivated by the expectation of, but not entitlement to, frequent small rewards for valuable performance.
4. Account for differences in personal circumstances, especially in the short term, and those beyond the employee’s control. If an employee experiences the loss of a close family member, cut them some slack for a reasonable period. Go the extra mile for your employees in these situations, and you’ll have their full attention when you talk about going the extra mile for your customers. Offer help if their slump lingers for more than a few weeks.
5. When an employee complains that you’ve treated him unfairly, listen because he may have a point. Ask what he would consider fair, and engage in a
dialogue that gets both perspectives on the table. Be reasonable, and ask for the same from the other party. Be willing to compromise and come to a mutual agreement. Then move on.
6. Develop and maintain an effective Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process in your organization. If the situation rises to such a level, engage the ADR process to resolve the issue without involving lawyers and the courts. Mediation, and other ADR interventions can be extremely effective in restoring a sense of fairness to all parties, and maintaining productive working relationships.
Be consistent in yourself. Don’t change your tune with every change of mood, and don’t maintain different standards for different people, or different groups, without reasons everyone feels good about. Keep your promises, and follow through.
Karen Saunders
Do the marketing pieces you send out lack pizzazz and personality? Are they capturing the clients you want to work with?
As your company’s in-house graphics person – perhaps more by default than by intention – you’re pressed to be a jack/jillof-all-trades. You want to do a great job of producing promotional pieces, but you have little time to learn advanced design and marketing skills.
What techniques can you apply now?
Take these five design/marketing tips to heart. Using them consistently in your pizzeria or restaurant will save you time in the long run and attract more customers.
1. Develop a brand identity.
Branding is an all-encompassing concept that brings together your business’s product mix, pricing, ambience, promotions, identity, and much more.
From a graphics point of view, it’s your logo, menu, stationery, business card, website, and flyers that create a graphic personality. Your descriptive tag line bonds these pieces with added pizzazz.
Think about familiar brands like Nike. You know what it offers instantly when you see the logo (the Nike swoosh) and tag line (Just Do It!). You want that kind of instant recognition for your business.
The results? Your messages get noticed because you’ve built credibility and recognition into your brand through consistent use of graphic identity techniques.
2. “Hook” customers with persuasive writing and a “call to action.”
Make a habit of doing these two things: Use persuasive words that “hook” their interest, and include a well-defined call to action in every piece. When writing
Hook Clients With Words
marketing pieces, what can you do to make them more effective? Apply these basics:
• Know who you are writing for and keep their preferences in mind as you write each word.
• Put your message in terms of “you” rather than “I” or “we.” People don’t care about what “we” offer; they care about how your product can make their lives better.
• Make it clear what your readers should do, think, or believe as a result of reading the information you present.
• State your intention as a command – known as a “call to action.” It can be as simple as “Call Today” or “Order It Now.”
The results? The whole point is to encourage your prospects to take action. Whether it’s to send an e-mail or pick up the phone and call you, using precision wordsmithing persuades your prospects to take action...now.
3. Use digital photography and illustrations to add “kick” to your pieces. A ho-hum marketing piece generates few calls. What a waste. Learn the ins and outs of working with digital photography and illustrations – so much easier with Internet resources galore to choose from. A few quick tips:
• Place your strongest image in the top half of the page where it will get the best visibility.
• Using one large picture makes a stronger impression than several smaller ones.
• Group several small pictures so they collectively form a single element.
• Juxtapose a small picture with a larger one for contrast.
The results? Photos and illustrations help you add the “eye” appeal that translates into “buy” appeal.
4. Jazz up your layouts.
Break up monotonous lines of text with attractive “pull quotes” or “call-outs,” which make critical information stand out on the page.
To create a pull quote, just copy a provocative or challenging statement from your text and paste it into a different position on the page using large, contrasting type. Add decorative quotation marks, border it with lines, or place it inside a box to jazz it up.
The results? The points of interest you’ve added draw the reader’s eye to the exact point you want them to remember.
5. Ensure professional results by using the right file formats. You’ve just created a flyer that will be printed and mailed to your customers. To finish it off, you import a needed graphic from a website and send your file to the printers. Ouch. The resulting graphics looks blotchy and amateur in print.
What went wrong? Graphic file formats for the Internet (72 dpi, low-resolution JPG and GIF) and file formats for offset printing (300 dpi, high-resolution TIF and EPS) are totally different animals. In this case, you’ve used the wrong file format and resolution for your purpose.
The results? Choosing the right file formats gives you a professional-looking document with clear images and the quality you want.
Start using these five easy techniques to add pizzazz and personality to your marketing pieces now, and you will “hook” new customers immediately. •
Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique design firm for today’s entrepreneur. Learn the top five mistakes that can cost you money by signing up for her free e-course. To take advantage of this e-course and find out how easy it can be to attract more clients, http:// macgraphics.net/FreeStuff.php. You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net.
Ross Shafer
if you are losing your market share or not meeting sales projections, chances are you aren’t relevant to the most important sex.
So much has been written about the powerful female consumer you would think the “men folk” in your organization would realize women are the root of all profits.
Yet, still so many companies live in denial that women account for over 80 per cent of all consumer purchases.
In fact, their financial heft is so significant that any business would see an instant spike in revenue if they adopted a “nomore-marketing-to-men” attitude.
WoMEN coMPlAIN FoR A REASoN
Research indicates that of 1,000 random complaints, more than 80 per cent were written and registered by women.
When the transaction goes badly they get mad and stay mad. Their complaints register words like “embarrassed,” “hurt,” “crushed,” and “rejected.”
Those are the same words many would typically use in an intimate, loving relationship, and that’s because women business is personal and emotional to them.
WoMEN STARTED VIRAl MARkETINg
Not only do women tend to complain about the perpetrator, but they also tell everyone else about the experience.
Author Faith Popcorn says that the average satisfied female customer will recommend a service, shop or client to 21 other people. Since women speak an average of 20,000 words a day – versus a man’s 6,000 – women were indeed the first “viral marketing” machine. Therefore, when women have a good feeling about your company, it can create a vast army of female unpaid spokespeople for you.
Are You Relevant … to Women?
WoMEN ARE MoRE loyAl
If you make an effort to understand the emotionality of a woman’s purchase, she will start to form a relationship with you.
This is critical because an emotional bond is the only factor that breeds true loyalty; not “favoured customer cards” not reward points or discounts.
Women don’t want “service” from you; they want empathy. They want to be understood. Once women feel you have understood and appreciated them, you have not only a loyal customer, but a referral engine as well.
oFFEND WoMEN AND DIE
When you scorn or offend women, look out.
Consider the detrimental effects to the Tom Cruise movie, Mission Impossible III When Cruise blathered in the press insisting his then-girlfriend Katie Holmes have a “silent birth” as prescribed by Scientology, his immense female fan base stayed home.
WoMEN gET STRoNgER WITh AgE
The largest purchasing body is baby boomer women. They are rich and powerfully influential.
Ken Dychtwald, author of The Power Years, says that by 2015, at least $15 trillion dollars will land in the hands of baby boomer women. Wouldn’t you like them to be spending some of that money with you?
hoW Do you gET INTo A WoMAN’S WAllET?
1. Think like a woman. Behave like a woman.
Understand that women crave appreciation for their immense buying power and influence. Know that they want you to succeed because they love to introduce
amazing new discoveries to their friends.
Behave in ways that are caring and honest. Showing her attention and empathy will cause her to become your advocate; an unpaid spokesperson for your company.
2. Be emotional.
If you sell a product, write emotional content that speaks to her heart and reasons for her to own what you sell. If you sell a service, get personal and sell yourself. She wants to buy from people who won’t make her feel helpless, embarrassed, or vulnerable.
The Nordstrom clothing chain has been wildly successful because the salespeople are warm, friendly and personal. There is also no risk in buying from them. Nordstrom will let you return your purchase for any reason, at any time. Nordstrom breeds trust and confidence.
3. Don’t try to suck up to women. Don’t pander to women or try to exploit the obvious stereotypes. Not all women are shoe fiends and tabloid readers.
Women want authenticity from you. They don’t want hype or false promises. They would also like you to be socially conscious – which may mean that you donate some portion of the sale to famine relief, the environment, spousal abuse, or another heartfelt concern.
4. Rethink your current strategies. Visit www.marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com. This organization has a robust website to answer your questions.
You may not be a member of this group yet but you should be. You’ll be able to cross-pollinate ideas that could shatter your old sales records.•
Ross Shafer is the author of “The Customer Shouts Back, Nobody Moved Your Cheese,” and the upcoming, “Remaining Relevant: How Great Organizations Avoid Extinction.” Shafer is also one of the nation’s most popular convention keynote speakers on these subjects. To learn more, visit www.RossShafer.com
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Diana Coutu - Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria
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Book an online demo today! www.speedlinedemo.com
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Kelley Robertson
Recently, my wife and I had to renew our mortgage for another term. The last time our mortgage was due, our bank called several months in advance and offered a good interest rate, so we automatically renewed with them without shopping around.
This year, however, was a bit different. We decided to do a bit of homework before speaking to our bank so we would be in a better position to negotiate a better interest rate. We did some research and found a lender who offered an extremely attractive interest rate – almost two full percentage points below the posted rate of our bank.
Armed with this information, my wife called our bank directly, but was transferred to a call centre.
Call Centre Agent (CCA): Hi, may I help you?
My wife: Yes, our mortgage is coming up for renewal and the last time our mortgage was due someone contacted us several months beforehand, but we haven’t heard anything from you yet.
CCA: No problem. What branch do you bank with? I’ll contact someone there and they can probably renew your mortgage over the telephone.
My wife waited several minutes until the agent came back on the line.
CCA: I’m sorry ma’am. They don’t want to talk to you. Your mortgage isn’t due for six weeks so we can’t renew it right now.
Wife: I don’t want renew it yet. I just want to get some information.
CCA: There’s nothing they can do – it’s too early.
Wife: So no one will talk to me about this?
CCA: No ma’am.
Wife: My husband and I have received a
Who’s Costing You Money?
quote from another mortgage company and they’re offering a good interest rate. Are you saying that we should go with them?
CCA: I guess so.
Wife: You really want us to transfer our mortgage to one of your competitors?
CCA: There’s nothing we can do.
Wife: So you’re saying that you have no interest in keeping our business and renewing our mortgage?
CCA: I guess so.
My wife and I were somewhat flabbergasted when she hung up the telephone. In my opinion, it was evident that no one had taught this particular call centre agent how to effectively deal with this type of situation. He clearly had no idea that his actions were costing his employers thousands of dollars. Or, perhaps that was what he had been taught to do. This may have been an isolated incident, but I highly doubt it. Needless to say, we started the process to transfer our mortgage to another lender.
in teaching your team exactly how they should behave, what they should say, and how they should respond to specific situations. A “throwaway” comment made by an untrained employee can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in sales, depending on what you sell.
By the way, we did eventually receive a call from our bank – four weeks later. It went something like this:
“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Robertson. It’s Debbie calling from your bank. I’m calling to remind you that your mortgage is coming up for renewal and I’d like to talk to you about the options you have.”
a ‘throwaway’ comment made by an untrained employee can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars
Most large lending companies invest millions of dollars in advertising in an attempt to attract and draw new customers. What if they took a portion of this money and taught their call centre agents how to properly deal with every type of situation? Imagine the money they could save.
So, how does this affect you?
If you run a business and rely on other people in the organization to make contact with your customers, you could be losing business due to their actions and behaviour. Invest the time and resources
Obviously, the conversation we had with the call centre rep was not forwarded to the actual mortgage person at our bank. And once we told her about that conversation, her shock, frustration and concern was quickly apparent. I’m sure she makes a commission, or is responsible for achieving sales targets each month, and the actions of her colleague in the call centre cost her business.
Don’t let this happen to you. If you rely on other people to help you reach your sales targets, take the time to coach and show them exactly how to do it. Don’t let other people cost you money! •
Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, customer service, and employee motivation. Visit www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com. He is also the author of “The Secrets of Power Selling” and “Stop, Ask & Listen; Proven Sales Techniques to turn Browsers into Buyers.” Receive a free copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free newsletter available at his website.
