Googlejuice

“They lost their next generation of customers. They lost their destinies because they wanted to save their pasts. Protection is not a strategy for the future.” Taken from What Would Google Do? Written by Jeff Jarvis, American journalist.

In his book What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis describes the impact that the Google-fication of the world has had on the markets, the economy and our social structure. His compelling book drove me to look at our industry and how Google has impacted it in particular. Google has impacted our industry. If you or your business is not searchable, in many ways it doesn’t exist. The next generations of consumers are dependent on their PDAs, smartphones, and laptops, and those are the mediums through which they get their information. 99.9% of them utilize Google to help them find information like phone numbers, addresses and the like. What does that mean to you, the operator?

While the yellow pages are not obsolete, they are dangerously close to becoming so. More often than not, I turn to the internet for my information rather than a 2 inch thick book of addresses, names and numbers. I can get the info I need in a few keystrokes, and most of the time my laptop or my blackberry is handier than the yellow book. How many of us are still paying good money to advertise in the yellow pages? How cost effective is it? I am sure that there is one or two of you who are raising your hands saying “whoa, you don’t exist if you aren’t in the yellow pages!” That may have been so, but it isn’t anymore. The next generation goes to google.com and types in the name of your restaurant to get your phone number or address. Becoming searchable is far more important nowadays than being in the yellow pages.

What does being searchable mean? Simply put, it means that when I type your establishment’s name (or yours) in the search bar on Google, something pops up that will help you achieve your goal. If you can’t get found on Google, you need to figure out a cure for that and fast because opportunity is passing quickly. Consumers want things now. Google provides that information in under a second. You need to be a part of it.

Not only can potential customers get your vitals (phone / address) but they can get other information about your establishment just as quickly. Google has helped the world order its information, and that can help you more than you think. Chowbaby.com, Chowhound.com, yelp.com, mangia.com and urbanspoon.com are just a few websites that allow the public to go online and write a review about your establishment. Google takes all of those reviews and orders them so that when I type in your restaurant’s name in the search bar, they will all pop up almost instantaneously. Talk about a marketing opportunity. Talk about a tool to help you not only grow your business, but to refine what you are already doing.

I encourage all of you to get your customers to leave reviews on those web sites because those reviews can be the lifeblood to your restaurant’s success and growth. As an operator, you need to be checking out what those reviews are saying about you – you get firsthand information about what works and what doesn’t. FOR FREE. You will get excellent feedback on your menu – what is a home run and what is a dud. This is the type of feedback that can help you shape your menu and refine your business into exactly what the public wants from you. Also, the more reviews, the more searchable you become – the more of a web presence you gain and as a result, the more people are directed your way. Embrace these web services, if you use them properly, there is practically no downside to them. So what if someone says something unflattering – get on there and comment back, thanking them for sharing and telling them how you have corrected the problem. Turn the negative into a positive – you are more likely going to get a return visit from them, and you will show the public that they are being heard and that their opinions matter. Invaluable. That is how you turn a customer into a business partner – telling everyone all about their experience and how you responded differently than everyone else……the potential is limitless.

The world is changing, and with it so is the successful business model. These are tough times, and the business that adapt and respond to these changes are going to be the ones leading the charge into recovery. Be a part of it.

Flourish in THIS Economy? What are you nuts?

"Don't be afraid of opposition (or competition). Remember, a kite rises against, not with the wind." Hamilton Wright Mabie, American writer.

NEWSFLASH – Not every business is hurting in this economy.

What are they doing that makes them different? Not every one of them are lowering their quality and reducing their prices to stay competitive. They are exploring the softer side of the value proposition that expands past the price and into service, quality and making sure to have clear points of difference to their customers.

What is the softer side of the value proposition? It could be anything that enhances the perceived value of what you are selling. The biggest one that comes to mind is service. We will all gladly pay a little more to KNOW that things are going to be done and done well. Cutting service is a very short term solution. When the marketplace as competitive as it is nowadays, customer service could be the thing that pulls you through these dark times. Naturally, we all want to cut costs, and cutting hours is a quick and easy way to do it. However, delivering your customers premium service could be the point of difference that draws customers into your establishment and not your neighbors.

Training your staff is more important than ever in this economy. We often have only one shot to earn customers’ repeat business. A bad experience is hard to overcome. Your first line of defense in this economy is your staff. Train them well, teach them to treat customers like honored guests, and you will earn your repeat business and make new customers regulars. Simple things like looking customers in the eye and adding a personal touch make customers begin to feel like your place is their place and strengthens that bond that draws them back.

Another way to survive in this economy is to create an air of a destination location at your restaurant. How can you make your place the place to be when a customer is making their spending decisions? I recently read about the McDonald’s in Olympia Fields that offers live entertainment in their restaurant. Apparently this place has become a destination location because of the much talked about karaoke nights, poetry slams, magic shows, and live music that local artists provide nightly. Who would have thought that someone would use the phrase destination location and McDonald’s in the same sentence? Being different brings people back and earns their business.

Today more than ever, businesses need to be innovative and thoughtful in how they operate to insure survival. What are the little things you can do in your restaurant to boost value and leave the profits in your business? I would love to hear about some of the things that you have found to help make yourselves successful. Drop me a note at dj.tryba@usfood.com.

Thanks for reading

Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept It....

"The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention." Roger Nash Baldwin, co-founder of the ACLU.

Ever wish life was like a giant etch-a-sketch (you remember the toy from our childhood) wherein we can call do over, shake things up and start from scratch again? I certainly have, and today I feel like with my recent change of employers, I have that chance to call do over. How exciting for me (at least I think so). Kinda scary, but exciting nonetheless.

Since I get this "clean slate," I want to make sure I implement the lessons I have learned from previous experiences and try to make an even better go of it this time. One lesson that keeps rolling around the forefront of my brain is that when I live without intention, I unintentionally fail. It is easy to look back over my life and see the failures that have resulted from not having a clearly defined purpose.

Clearly defining one's purpose is scary. It creates accountability. For many of us accountability is a yucky word. It doesn't have to be. Instead of viewing it as a limiting word (I can't do that now, because I am committed to doing this...) I have to force myself to see it as a word or process that can bring more freedom into my life. The freedom that comes from success and achievement.

Clearly defining my purpose helps give order to my world. It helps me keep perspective. It brings focus to my activities. You have heard the phrase "never confuse activity with accomplishment" - purpose brings accomplishment to my activites. When I am living without purpose, I often feel overwhelmed because I don't know what to do next. As a result, I feel like I am always chasing fun or joy, I get tastes of it, but never really get to revel in it because I always have this black cloud of overwhelming, undefined have-tos hanging over my head.

When I define my purpose and order my life, I no longer feel like I have to chase peace and joy because it is a more natural extension of having accomplished something. At the end of the day, I can look and see that I have accomplished my tasks, I am working toward a goal and can relax knowing that the work is done. What a better way to live.

What does this have to do with you? GREAT QUESTION! It is easy to get caught up in the minituae of everyday life. We all know that life throws us a million reasons to stay active, we have to discern which of those reasons to be active will actively move us closer to our goals. So what is your goal? Is it putting out fires, or is it preventing fires? What is the intention that you are going to live with today? Being better? Define better. Saving money? Making money? Serving customers? Our options are limitless. We just have to pick one and live it!

Thanks again for reading. Feel free to shoot me your feedback, thoughts or comments at djtryba@gmail.com.