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Method
Marketing Newsletter: Issue 35
November 4th, 2002
Getting
Personal:
Guest Relationship Marketing - A Primer
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Synopsis:
An
effective Guest Relationship Marketing program includes
two arms -- one focused on sales building, the other on
data collection. Both share the absolute commitment to put
the guest first. This is not about finding more ways to
interrupt their lives, but to engage them in meaningful,
two-way conversations. They must provide guests with concrete
benefits and information that they deem 'interesting &
important'. As a result, the conversations spawn every-deepening
relationships. It's not about us; it's about the guest.
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"What
is pleasanter than the tie of host and guest"
Aeschylus*
*Courtesy of the Quotable Feast
Your
guests define 'value' by the totality of the experience:
the service, the décor, the food and its flavors
and aromas and the cost: all details that create a memory.
The most memorable experiences come from an organized,
well-rehearsed and communicated performance. Great 'word
of mouth' is built note by note, scene by scene, act by
act, so that by the end of the visit your guest walks
away 'wowed'. Or bored. Or, worse of all, disgusted. It's
your choice. |
For
the longest time, I thought that dining was, at its heart, about
the food. God knows, I love to eat. I savor every single mother-loving
moment of flavor and sensation that accompanies an expertly
prepared dish. But, that ain't it. Neither is it the ambience,
nor is it the hospitality. Have I gone crackers? We're in the
restaurant business, for crying out loud. At the core of all
the effort is the guest. Yet, we restaurateurs spend little
time cultivating the relationship with our current guest. Hey,
we got them already. We're always on the lookout for the ephemeral
'guest I don't got'. We give our current guest the short shrift.
How can you tell if you are part of this majority? Simple. Answer
these questions:
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Do
you know many of your current guests by name?
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Do
you know where they work, their kids names?
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Do
you know how much they spend with you, or how often they
visit?
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Do
you collect that information in a database?
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Do
you have their phone numbers or e-mail addresses?
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Do
you reward different guests differently, based upon their
use behavior?
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Do
you encourage guests to refer you to others in any standardized
way?
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Do
you have any systematic way of getting their feedback or
gauging their satisfaction or loyalty?
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Do
you communicate with them on a regular basis? Is there any
methodology behind it?
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Do
you actually share information they care about, or is it
basic "sales talk"?
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Do
you know if they have left your restaurant to call another
restaurant their 'favorite?' And, if so, why?
Why does any of this matter?
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The
cost is five times as much to lure a new guest than to retain
your current one.
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Unsolicited
'word of mouth' is the most powerful advertising tool.
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According
to BMW, interaction with customers makes them three times
more likely to believe in your story and become buyers.
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Given
too many choices, and the guests' susceptibility to brilliant
advertising prevent you from assuming that "if you
got them, they'll come back."
What should your Guest Relationship Marketing Program look like?
It should have two components. The first is sales focus. The
second is guest relationship/satisfaction measurement.
Sales
Focused Ideas:
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E-mail
clubs that inform, reward and get in front of the guest
on a regular basis
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Loyalty
cards that reward patronage and trigger management action
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Guest
referral programs that reward both the referrer and referred
Guest Relationship/Satisfaction Measurement Ideas:
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*
Prompt response that inspires faith that you 'walk the walk'
and really care what they think
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*
Mystery shoppers, focus group members or quantitative research
panel participants can and should be picked from your current
audience
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*
Trends can be spotted more quicly
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*
With a constant flow of guest feedback, you now have new
ways to celebrate the wins and learn from the mistakes.
You'll find guests love to share their thoughts, if they
think you are interested in listening
I concentrate on the electronic world, because of its combination
of speed, lack of expense and intrusive potential. It doesn't
ignore more traditional means of communication, but it is where
the opportunity lies. Anybody can play in the electronic league.
Because so many of the big guys rely on mass media as the means
to create traffic, the 'Davids' of the world can slay the mighty
'Goliaths' when on-line. I love TV, but it is like starter fluid.
It gets the fire started, but it won't make a friend.
Even with the tools mentioned above, you have to put yourself
in the shoes of the guest. What do they want to see? What interests
them about your concept or story? Base the conversation on their
needs, and you will never go wrong. These are the folks who
will bring others to your restaurant and sing your praises.
They will be your evangelists and raving fans. Sounds like a
plan to me!
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Seminars:
Now, for a little shameless self promotion. Looking for a high-energy speaker,
capable of personalizing a presentation to meet your needs? Just email me at rkhendrie@linkincmethodmarketing.com.
I will get right back to you, so that we can discuss how I can be of service to
your organization.
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