Unleashing your staff’s inner marketer

People are often encouraged to “think outside the box” to come up with creative solutions to problems or good ways to improve a business.
Hospitality and Foodservice consultant David Swanston has developed a systematic way to do this.

Swanston, a partner in Focused Industry Training Seminars and an instructor at Canadian university business schools, demonstrated his technique in a seminar at this year’s CRFA Show.

His system for developing good marketing programs for restaurants involves getting the operation’s staff involved. Often, he said, the planning of promotions is in the hands of one person, and the front-line staff who have to carry it off do not have enough information to do it properly.

Also, he pointed out, promotions have to be practical and uncomplicated. Do not attach too many conditions a consumer must meet to win something in a contest.

And marketing pushes must be unique. If every bar in an area has cheap beer night, then people go from bar to bar on different nights to follow the low-cost brew. Every bar gets its share of business but nobody comes out ahead.

Also, Swanston advised, don’t look for the grand slam promotion, the one that increases sales 10 per cent. Run multiple sales pushes that can each bring in an increase of three or four per cent, or even less.

He said most organizations have an untapped wealth of creativity and his system brings out this creativity. He stated that he has been using the method for 20 years and has always had at least one really good idea come out of a session.

He spoke of one successful off-the-wall idea that helped improve business at a restaurant. It was prompted by the fact that front-of-the house staff often let the phone at reception ring and ring—which drove the owner crazy.

The solution to this problem was to tie the phone into the sound system, so that when it started ringing the music would stop and the sound of the phone would be heard in the restaurant. At that point all staff stopped what they were doing and yelled, “Pick up the phone.” This prompted the hostess to run to the phone.

Soon the customers were calling out, “Pick up the phone” and some patrons even went to the pay phone and called the restaurant’s number just to provoke the staff response. Word got out about this crazy event and people came to the restaurant just to see it.

After relating this story, Swanston got down to demonstrating his method for coming up with good ideas.

Sessions work best with 10 to 20 people working under the guidance of a facilitator. They are broken into groups of three to four each—no more than five to a group.

One person in each group is named spokesperson and recording secretary. One good way to choose such a person is by selecting the one whose birthday is closest to the current date.

Each group is then given three minutes to write down as many words as they can that are associated with their operation.

Then they are asked to circle 10 random words. The reason for this is that people tend to start with one part of the restaurant when thinking of words. For instance they might think of the bathroom and come up with “paper” or “cleaner” or “mirror.” Then they might next go to the kitchen for “food,” “stove” or “chef.” Circling random words helps avoid being stuck in one particular part of the restaurant.

After this, the groups are give 10 minutes to come up with a quick outline of a promotion for each word. They cannot use an idea they have already seen or heard about e.g. cheap wings or a beach party. Also, the crazier the idea the better. And there are no bad ideas; none can be dismissed at this point.
The next step is for each group is to take 10 minutes to develop what they feel are the best five ideas they have come up with, and present relative details of each to the whole group.

Then they pass their ideas along to the group ahead of them (go clockwise around the room). Each group then selects the best three promotions. Groups have five minutes to add to a promotion or change it if they have a better idea for the word.

At the end of the five minutes, the spokesperson for each group takes about two minutes to present the modifications.

At the CRFA seminar, Swanston called up six people into two groups of three to go through the process.

In the end they came up with ideas that included two that were attached to the words “menu” and “napkin.”

The “menu” idea involved having a contest in which customers submit recipes for desserts. Those whose recipes are selected come to the restaurant and cook their dishes. The winning item goes on the menu.

The “sexy serviette” Valentine promotion that the other group came up with would have customers put on lipstick, pucker up and kiss a serviette. A local celebrity—say Fashion Television’s Jeannie Beker—would judge the best napkin.

These ideas came out of a single half-hour session. Imagine, said Swanston, the number of good ideas that could result from having a session every month.
One member of the audience asked if promotions are suitable for fine dining restaurants.

Yes, Swanston replied, as along as they are done tastefully.

He brought up the example of a sales push he had been involved in. The restaurant had kids in a local hospital draw pictures. The pictures were framed and hung on the restaurant’s walls, and patrons bid for them. The hospital was a big winner because it received the proceeds.