Winning Power Phrases To Increase Your Sales 4

From the moment shoppers first call for information to the moment of their decision, let them hear you say, or let them read, a variety of the scripts below. These phrases are important because they highlight certain benefits you can offer.

One of the nice things about . . .

. . . our staff is . . .

. . . this room is . . .

. . . ABC Catering is . . .

My past clients have told me . . .

. . . that this particular menu was well received by their guests.

. . . that the valet parking option gave their event a great start.

. . . that the cheese course added Wow! to the party.

Make Marketing Messages Shorter - IMPORTANT

People have little time to waste. Most get their marketing messages on the fly. Some tune out to all marketing messages that come their way whether they are reading, seeing or hearing them.

Many people look upon the constant marketing barrage they face each day as an invasion of their privacy and time. When creating a marketing piece, make the message short, concise and easy to understand. Some believe a marketing message has four seconds or less to capture enough interest for the target of the marketing to invest 10 additional seconds.

This means large blocks of copy are unwise. Use concise headlines and/or images to seduce the viewer to take more time. No matter how hostile a person is to mass marketing, they will not throw away anything that has a cat on it if they are cat owners! A “foodie” type person will do the same when a message has words or images that appeal to their particular interest.

Reminder About Marketing

A catering business needs to continually keep its name, products and services in the mind of current, past, and potential customers. There are many ways to accomplish this, including direct mail, email messages, television, radio, personal phone calls, live demonstrations and print media (newspapers, magazines and specialty publications).

Marketing has only two goals: It needs to make your phone ring or get prospective buyers to come into your place of business, and it needs to create a sales opportunity by preparing the shopper to better understand your differences from other caterers.

There are costs associated with all marketing efforts, but some marketing techniques are less expensive than others. The marketing message you offer must be geared towards getting the prospect to contact you for information that will lead to a sale. You need to get your phone to ring, to receive emails, or to have prospects walk through your door to talk to the sales team.

Business Builder That Works Even Though It Is Scary!

Here’s an idea that is not for the faint of heart. I don’t expect most caterers to either embrace it or even “test” it to see if it increases business. That’s OK. My task, however, is to continually present “cutting-edge” ideas that at first often appear to be “silly” or “impractical” to some caterers.

That being said, I have done this myself when I was a caterer and several of my consulting clients have tried it with great success. It has backfired only once that I know of. On the other hand, this bold idea has secured sales that would have gone elsewhere. Additionally, I have found that prospects will pay a higher price for their catering to get the guaranteed refund opportunity.

The copy below is sent to a person who has agreed to become a client for signature and a deposit, or it is just signed at the end of a “live” sales presentation just before the prospect gives you a deposit payment.

AGREEMENT AND DATE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION

Enclosed please find our payment of $8,500 to confirm our wish for ABC Catering to provide food, staff, equipment and other services for our event on Monday, (DATE) at Grace Temple. This payment will be refunded in full, with no questions asked, if our plans change and if we wish to cancel our catering anytime preceding 60 days of (DATE). Refunds will not be given is cancellation comes with less than 60 days of the event date. The balance will be due in full at the conclusion of the event on (DATE).

_X________________________________________

Mr. Jim Doe

Questions To Ask About Your Marketing

An effective marketing campaign needs information before, during and after its development and launch. Questions to ask and answer include:

·         What types of people purchase from my company already?

·         How do these buyers feel about our catering?

·         What are the steps buyers take to purchase from us?

·         How many different groups buy from us?

·         Am I aware of my competitor’s marketing?

·         Do we maintain a database of our buyers and update it continually?

·         What foods, styles of service and trends are really in?

·         What parts of the catering are expensive in the mind of the buyer?

·         What parts of my business are looked upon as “added value”?

·         Do I know what other caterers say about our catering?

·         Do I know the strengths and weaknesses of our kitchen?

·         Am I aware of past and present advertising and marketing statements?

·         Do I know the story behind the start of my company?

·         Do I really know how our food tastes?

·         Have I spent time talking to others about our products & services?

·         Do I really understand and know about my company’s product lines?

·         Do I understand what my company’s guarantee policy is?

Did you know that I am now working with nuphorIQ Media/Marketing as a consultant? I am ready to help anyone for free who has any marketing questions or actually with developing a complete marketing program for you.... (773) 549-7210

Proven Marketing Targets & Ideas - Part 2

·         Donate a Win Our Chef for One Night promotion to charities.

·         Give part-timers business cards with their name and yours on them.

·         Invite people into your kitchen and sales office for an open house.

·         Give an educational seminar for corporate clients on “What’s Hot and What’s Not in Corporate Catering.”

·         Offer gift certificates in denominations of $500, $1,000 and $5,000.

·         Handle RSVPs for your buyers.

·         Hold a cooking contest for corporate presidents only.

·         Create a newsletter carrying your name but containing articles, notices and information provided by the community.

·         Develop a scratch-and-sniff ad.

·         Market a deal where customers can buy three events and get the fourth one at half-price.

·         Get specially printed messages placed in fortune cookies.

·         Hold a fall or spring “fashion show” of your foods and entertaining styles.

·         Send Thanksgiving cards instead of normal holiday cards.

·         Create hot lines for special types of orders or information.

·         Offer 100 percent money-back guarantee.

·         Sell a limited number of party permits on certain days to establish supply-and-demand pricing.

·         Give commissions or other rewards to clients who recommend people who buy.

·         Offer evening business hours for clients to call.

·         Create a division to handle catering for second marriages.

Proven Marketing Targets and Ideas - Part 1

·         Make speeches to clubs, nonprofits, other organizations.

·         Place news releases with local publications and broadcast media.

·         Get on a radio talk show speaking about parties, events or food.

·         Tie your marketing in with various charities.

·         Find an important person or celebrity to feature in your advertisements.

·         Create and mail or email a newsletter.

·         Write a column for the local newspaper or a local magazine on entertaining.

·         Tell clients that they can borrow some of your event equipment when they need it for something they are doing themselves without your catering.

·         Send congratulatory letters to key business figures who win awards or are written about in the business section of newspapers.

·         Create a traveling information booth to take to shopping malls and community trade shows.

·         Rally around a common problem of the community.

·         Provide your prospective callers with hard-hitting testimonials from happy clients.

·         Provide food for the Chamber of Commerce meetings.

·         Create marketing value with all sorts of event checklists and how to for buyers.

·         Make a contribution to a charity based on a percentage of each sale you make.

·         Send birthday cards or cakes to important people.

·         Provide souvenir menus for the guests at events to take with them.

·         Put catering displays in other business’s windows.

·         Invite your best buyers to a party.

·         Send a picture postcard of your staff.

·         Put best buyers’ names up on a billboard to thank them for their support.

·         Use at least one of the client’s recipes at the event.

·         Put a food scent into your letters or marketing postcards.

·         Offer to buy back one of the host’s pictures to add to your collection to show others.