Discussion Points For Professional Salespeople

If you are a salesperson please discuss the points below with yourself and others. The outcome of your discussions will have a positive impact on your selling results.

1. Selling needs to be make an impact on the prospect. 


2. A salesperson needs to be “generous” in their sharing and conversation.

3. There is always tension over doing something new.

4. Selling is an ongoing dynamic process.

5. In selling there are pauses and stillness – don’t miss them.

Major Different Between On and Off-Premise Catering

Most buyers think more about space and starting and stopping times than food when dealing with an on-premise caterer. They want the best or prime ballroom in the facility and they want to be able to gain access to the room at a certain time. These buyers are comparing carpets, lighting, heating, cooling and parking more than menus when assessing caterers. Buyers approach the off-premise caterer from a completely different point of view, putting total focus squarely on the menu since the client, not the caterer, is the one who determines the location and event times.

Roman's Thoughts On Staffing Your Business

Caterers spend a lot of money on staffing. How that money is spent or invested determines both the overall success of the operation and the profitability of the company. It is not by chance that leading catering companies have more passionate and dedicated staff than those that seem always to be struggling.

There isn’t a magic formula to finding the best staff possible. In catering, more often than not, it is a matter of letting the cream rise to the top. Management needs to recognize examples of shinning talent in their staffing ranks before they leave for other jobs.

Caterers tend to over-staff their company right from the start. Sometimes it’s not that the company has too many staff, but that they have too many staff in the wrong areas. The amount of office, kitchen and other full-time staff must reflect your company’s sales results because the company pays all its bills from the efforts of the sales team.

When possible, caterers need to move toward using more part-time staff and outside services. There is a growing industry of services that replace the need for a caterer to maintain as many full-time staff as they currently have. The plethora of labor-saving, ready-to-use menu items and recipe ingredients can save huge dollars. Outsourcing training and cleaning also can help your bottom line through dollars saved on payroll taxes and benefits.

ROMAN'S HOLIDAY RUSH THOUGHTS 2011

ONE (1) DAY TO GO ... hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

• Never have so few done so much for so many! Think about how much you produced in your kitchen and how many events you handled... you are amazing!

• If you are already home, take a moment and call some of your fellow team members to thank them for all they did to make the 2011 holiday rush so successful.

• Don't fret - it's only 366 days to Christmas 2012 (don't forget leap year) 

Have a healthy and safe holiday!

Mike

ROMAN'S HOLIDAY RUSH THOUGHTS 2011

TWO (2) DAYS TO GO... is it really possible?

• Doesn't feel like a Friday? 

• Why are so many staffers smiling?

• Call ten of your best clients and wish them a happy holiday.

ª Treat yourself to lunch if possible.

ROMAN'S HOLIDAY RUSH THOUGHTS 2011

THREE (3) DAYS TO GO... something coming something good!

• Order lunch from your competitor without them knowing it's going to you. This is really a fun idea. 

• Right now you should be thinking: "Catering would be a great business if there weren't so many customers".

• Remember that if you are starting to slow down or perhaps you have completed the week's orders, something new will probably creep into the order skew. 

• By the way, how do your feet feel?

• Don't forget that next week is going to be less intensive. Maybe?

Roman's Little Secret: I stopped catering in 1986. I really miss the holiday rush action. I used to live for solving crisis problems! I envy all of you.

ROMAN'S HOLIDAY RUSH THOGHTS 2011

FOUR (4) DAYS TO GO...pinch me to make sure it's true!

• Call your significant others from work to thank them for their patience over the last week and tell them once again how much you love them.

• Someone will call back today and tell you that you forgot something yesterday from their order and request a refund. Be gentle and remember that this too will pass.

• Have you gotten all your holiday shopping done?

Sales Horror or Sales Hurrah? - Guest Article by Jon Wool

Everyone in the hospitality industry works tirelessly throughout the holiday season: planning, cooking, trouble shooting, and managing hard-to-please clients. This is followed by a race to close the books before finally enjoying a well-deserved holiday break. Two scenarios are likely to follow:

Scenario 1: The Horror, the Horror!

• Many hard-earned kudos and pats on the back for a job well done.
• Down time from December 20^th until a few days after New Year’s.
• A January filled with a belated office party, extra time chillin’ in the break room, cleaning the file drawers, and posting pics of your holiday successes.
• Snow day!  Stay at home with hot chocolate and good movies.
• A last minute getaway over Valentine’s Day weekend.
• Commerce hasn’t stopped but you sure have…
• No revenue in the sales pipeline.

Do the math. In this scenario, your company may have missed out on 2-3 months (that’s 15-20%) of the sales calendar! You missed the chance to beat the previous year’s numbers. You handed your competitors a big head start.

Small businesses must sell hard all year long and there is a way to do it:

Scenario 2: A Sales Hurrah!

• Enjoy much-needed rest and family festivities over the Christmas and New Year’s weekends. Even attach an extra day off on either end.
• Consider the week between Christmas and New Year’s a prime selling time.
• Get on the phone and reach business owners (decision makers) directly.

Note: The executive staffs of many small businesses are in their offices during this week, working to get a jump start on the new year. Therefore, they are accessible, have fewer pressing deadlines, and there are no gate keepers to hinder your sales efforts! 

• Create aggressive sales activity quotas to kick off your new year.  Start a contest to reward the salesperson with the best first quarter sales.
• Contact your holiday clients and ask for referrals.  Offer them an incentive program.

• Anticipate the flood of bridal inquiries that arrive at the first of the year.
• Host intimate open houses for new brides, planners, and key clients – now that the holiday hubbub has died down, they’ll be happy for a night on the town.
• Prepare your specialty menus and marketing plans for the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Passover, etc.
• Network for success in February at the Catersource Conference (glad to get this plug in).
• Fill your sales pipeline.

Everyone in our industry knows to anticipate a robust fourth quarter but that’s no reason to snooze through the first couple months of the year. The smart approach is to ramp up sales throughout the first quarter. This will set a pace for the entire year and, rather than the horrifying loss of 2-3 months of sales time, you can be well on your way to a meaningful increase over last year’s numbers.

That’s definitely a reason to cheer “Hurrah!”

JON WOOL

ROMAN'S HOLIDAY RUSH THOUGHTS 2011

FIVE (5) DAYS TO GO... yes, yes, yes!

• Today you are probably going to ask yourself: "Why did I become a caterer!?"

• Right about now some chefs are thinking: "Maybe restaurant work is easier than catering?"

• A customer will call today to thank you for the beautiful event you catered yesterday. This is a very good thing.

ROMAN'S HOLIDAY RUSH THOUGHTS 2011

SIX (6) DAYS TO GO... that's five digits on one hand plus one finger on the other!

• Today is a day that everyone in the company needs to think about how important everyone in the company is.

• Remind the culinary team to be careful for the next six days because they're tired which often results in errors in judgement with menu creations or accidents in the kitchen.

• Will my family remember who I am? This is a question that many might be asking themselves this first day of the last week.