Direct Response – Steve Pohlit

Top 7 Steps For Strengthening Sales and Profits In The Restaurant Industry….Actually Applies To Most Businesses:

Top 7 Steps For Strengthen Sales and Profit In The Restaurant Industry….Actually Applies To Most Businesses:

1. Know your customer! People coming thought the door and buying should be acknowledged with an email or card and possibly more. How do you do this? You need to have their contact information and specifically an email address and now ideally their cell phone number.

Here is an idea on how you do that: Buy them a drink or a dessert in exchange for their information. Here is the key: when you identify a particularly important person, the owner comes to the table, welcomes them and offers to buy their dinner in exchange for the cell phone number so they can be alerted for a very special event. Now before you say this ticket could be $200 or more I ask you how worth it is to have the cell phone number for key text messages with VIP’s and I mean people whose net worth is in 8 figures. This is huge

2. Have a plan. Your financial plan should be an annual target that can then be detailed to a weekly plan.

3. Know your numbers. Traffic and sales by time of day. Track your trends. Use this information to market to your list. Invite them to slower times using incentives.

4. Use all proven marketing tools to help grow your business. These include direct mail to targeted zip codes and ads with a “hook” in publications your target customer reads and other venues like radio, participation at key charitable events, local/regional festivals that are for your target audience, on line promotions and more.

5. Have your on line credibility in place meaning a website and social media presence

6. Use a referral marketing system. Reward people for inviting their friends and colleagues.

7. Monitor the variances from plan in all areas of your business. Nothing is excluded: payroll, food costs, utilities….the gold is in the detailed analysis of the variances.

Now You Know…Success Is In The Details. Failure is almost always a result of not consistently following the steps that have been proven to lead to success.

Steve Pohlit

Business Consulting, Executive Coach
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About: Steve Pohlit CPA,MBA has been the CFO and COO of major domestic and international companies. Steve has extensive business ownership experience having purchased and started off line and on line businesses. Steve offers his business building experience to companies and entrepreneurs with business coaching and business consulting. His focus is on building business profits and net asset value at above average rates. All articles published by Steve unless specifically restricted may be freely published with this resource information.

Elite Business Leader Group Leaks Marketing As The One Action That Makes More Money Now

On October 8, 2008 a very select group of highly successful business owners met for 90 minutes to explore what strategies are working the best in today’s economy for growing their business. These business owners represent companies with current revenue and gross marging growth rates (this year vs. last year) of at least 10 %.

With no close second choice, each person said that an aggressive marketing plan, rationalized and implemented each day was solely responsible for the growth in their business. The only difference in the individual representations was the methods used. The marketing tools used to bring targeted companies through the sales funnel, varied in their application depending on the type of business. For example, while all companies had a business website, a number of the owners clearly used personal connection as the primary marketing tool.

I estimate about half of the nearly 30 in attendance use email marketing and direct mail. All have traditional media including business cards and other print collateral. 10% were experimenting with video and close to the same were experiencing with blogs.

Can you imagine what could happen with your business if you consistently focused on and implemented all of the following:

Email capture and marketing with the assistance of an autoresponder

Video and blog messages integrated with your website and business theme (message going out at a rate of not less once week.)

Selective use of press releases

Direct response mail

Google Adwords

Networking events

Monthly newsletter

Radio Show Interviews

Select print and electronic ad placement

Ebay store (if applicable)

Other depending on your business

My marketing module is tailored for each business. Nearly in all cases I am recommending the use of video and blogs to support a foundation website for the online marketing component. Of course customer contact management using email, phone calls, meetings and direct mail is critical.

I have prepared an introductory package that will help most companies jump start their revenue growth. This package is particularly attractive as it does not involve much time on the part of management. Here is the summary:

Do It For You Package:

Hosting One Year
Full Cpanel Access Your Log-In and Password
Your Domain Hosted on My Server
Setup a Website Template on Your Domain
Wordpress Blog Set-Up In A Subdomain
10-15 Plugins Loaded
Up To Three Graphical Templates For Your Blog, Loaded That You Pick
Your own autoresponder account set up and assistance with the first 2 or three email messages
Up to three 5 minute videos, syndicated and integrated with you blog and website. (video is really hot.)

Up To 10 hours of consultation focused on guiding you to making money. Is this a great deal? Well it could be worth many millions. You tell me. What is your business and what is your idea?

Price $2,000 flat or $1,200 up front and$1,200 upon completion.

Sending all my readers the energy of wellness, peace and abundance

Steve Pohlit, www.StevePohlit.com

Network with me on Facebook: LinkedIn: Follow me on Twitter

This report may be freely distributed without restrictions with the original content including this resource box remaining unchanged. Author: Steve Pohlit, Business Consulting Services, Executive Coaching, please visit www.stevepohlit.com

Discover Effective Business Marketing by Following Successful Direct Response Marketers and Internet Marketers

All of my work with helping companies achieve their potential includes enhancing their marketing programs. Everything I use in that part of my consulting and coaching practice is a result of what I learned from: Dan Kennedy, Ken McCarthy, John Reese and more.

Yesterday, John Reese sent an email updating his list about the status of his latest project. Part of that email is repeated below. Be sure to read my comments after John’s remarks for very valuable free resources.

From John Reese……..

If you haven’t yet signed up for Twitter.com you
really need to do it ASAP. As you’ll soon discover,
it’s becoming a very powerful traffic-generation and
relationship-building communications tool.

I believe it’s only a matter of time before every
serious Internet marketer, blogger, affiliate,
and business owner has a Twitter account and
is using it to grow their traffic and grow their
business.

It’s completely FREE to create a Twitter account.
So go right now and create an account and
SECURE YOUR NAME (or company name)
before someone takes it first.

After you create your account (or if you already
have one) be sure to “follow” me by going to
my Twitter page and clicking “follow” under
my photo:

http://twitter.com/johnreese

* I’m announcing some important news in the
next few days… follow me on Twitter to get
the *live* updates.

Yours For Online Profits,

John Reese

—————————–

Valuable information you can use when you set up your Twitter account

1 Follow me at http://twitter.com/stevepohlit

2. Larry Chase published a great list of Twitter tools – I learned about this from a “Tweet” by a person I am following. You won’t believe the tips you get when you start following some of the people on Twitter.

Don’t Miss These Free Reports from my new business consulting site:

The Top 10 Action Stops That Will Make Your Business At Least 50% More Money in 90 Days or Less While You Spending Less Time Working

The Key Issues That Must Be Addressed Before You Buy Any Business of Any Size. Click Here For The Free Report

Steve Pohlit
http://www.stevereports.com

Steve is the President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies to rapid increases in revenue and profits with a sustainable growth rate. Don’t miss my FREE Report: How To Make More Money With Your Business Now and Long Term I am building my practice and welcome new client inquiries. Call me for a fee consultation at 727-587-7871 Remember many of my business building articles can be found at Steve Reports and my prosperity building tool (best tool ever for helping you manifest your goals and dreams) is The Prosperity Tool Chest and guiding articles posted very often at Prosperity Tip

How To Use Multi Media For Lead Generation

It is unusual for me to watch TV. However for those of you that follow me on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace adn LinkedIn you know that I love the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While watching the most recent game I noticed an add during a commercial break that appeared to be an promotion for a home furnishings retailer. I quickly realized the promotion was for lead generation. This ad was designed specifically for viewers to request a resource on how to buy direct from over 700 manufacturers.

The promotion focused on the mark-up that retailers charge and asked “why should you pay their bills?” So this was clearly an emotionally engaging campaign. It was also targeted at anyone remodeling or building new. It also appealed to people intending on replacing home furnishings.

The focus of this ad was to motivate people to call or go to the web site to request their informational booklet. Clearly a squeeze page strategy using electronic media which in this case was TV. This was all very well done except showing home furnishing ads during a hockey game begs the question of whether this was the right program to be presenting the campaign.

While the ad was running I went over to my nearly always on computer and typed in their URL. Again – squeeze page only. The home page was there for one purpose which was to capture contact information. I was intrigued as to what they were really promoting. Is it a buying club with a monthly membership fee or something else?

I was very surprised to discover that I received a pass for an appointment to visit a physical place not more that one mile from my home and they were very specific as to the time. What is more interesting they now know my household (me) since their follow up survey wanted to confirm there was no problem having a baby sitter so I can could make the appointment. (The only baby sitter I need is for me.) They also know I am planning on at least some home furnishing replacements in the next 3-6 months. They asked and I told them.

I am likely to go to this appointment because I am very intrigued by what it is they want me to do. The location is not large enough for a showroom so my number one bet is that is is a buying club promotion. I will disclose the website with a follow up report in a few days.

In summary this is an excellent case study in lead generation. I certainly don’t know but it would not surprise me if Dan Kennedy was hired for this since he is one of the best marketers with TV media, copy and lead generation. Dan is the one who taught me how to pay attention to ads including infomercials. The effective ones on TV are effective sales letter in action. If you are interested in marketing you really should be getting Dan’s monthly newsletter. Click Here if you are interested.

This example is a great lesson in using multi-media for lead generation. TV, Phone, and the Internet are the primary tools being used and there is a mail in option presented but not emphasized. They did a good job and served as an example of why it is important to pay attention to well designed campaigns. And on that note I will ad there is no such thing as junk mail. Every piece is an opportunity to learn something even if it is what not to do.

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve
http://irconsultinginc.com

Steve is the President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies and their employees to achieve their highest potential. Many of Steve’s business building articles can be found at Steve Reports and his prosperity building tool is The Prosperity Tool Chest

Email Steve or call him directly at 727-587-7871

PS Don’t pass the valuable information on Blogging for Profits and How To Increase Revenue and Profits by 30% or More In 90 Days or Less.