Restaurant Client wants One-Time Services - ideas?

15 replies
Hey guys,

I have a restaurant client who is looking to bring his overhead down a bit. He'll be moving away from some print ads he's been buying and wants to put a portion ($500-1,000) into a one-time-buy to increase his marketing efforts.

The thing is, I kind of specialize in recurring services. What one-off services do you guys offer your food clients?

The only thing I've thought of is setting up his Local Marketing Assets for him (Yelp, Google Local, Etc). Maybe a website, but that's got recurring charges attached to it and I don't think it will make him a positive return without extra marketing packages.

Any ideas would be appreciated!
Will
#client #ideas #onetime #restaurant #services
  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
    Some thoughts, trying to figure out stuff thats good for the biz but also lets you make some money.

    -Listings on all the local directories possible
    -Pimped out Fb page with w tabs for menus, reviews and such
    -You might be able to do a free food sweepstakes or contest
    - an EDDM postcard campaign to 2-3k homes closest to him
    if you can get 1k
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    Promise Big.
    Deliver Bigger.
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  • Profile picture of the author James English
    Does this one time buy include your cut? Or are you paid separately from this?

    I only ask because that rules out a few of the options. EDDM would be great (though you mentioned he was moving away from print ads). I have seen some great response from my restaurant clients with EDDM campaigns. However, if the $500-$1,000 includes your cut, it kinda of rules this option out.
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  • Profile picture of the author massiveray
    Build him a birthday club email system.

    Set it up so that people get a free meal if they bring 4 friends in the month of their birthday.

    Quick, easy and generates a guaranteed revenue.
    Signature

    Join my private strategy group on Facebook or find out how I made £2000 recurring in 2 weeks.

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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    -Mobile app, or mobile or desktop website
    -Website hosting should not be a big deal for him
    -Facebook and Twitter so he can post spur of the moment specials
    and do VIP kinds of things
    -Customer loyalty program - buy three get one free sort of thing
    -email and or SMS list building
    -study his online reviews and compliment his efforts and suggest improvements
    -probe into his decision to cut back and see if he has valid reasons, or is being
    pennywise and pound foolish - OR see if it is time to improve and change what he was offering. Could be that he just needs to graphically improve his ad.

    -find other ways to get customers to refer and comeback (menu and service improvement and what can he offer that will resonate with his market and that is not being offered by his competitors)

    -have a lucky random winner of a meal and drinks for two on a every second Tuesday (or other slow night) every month. Publicize it and he should get more business those nights because people like to win stuff.
    -Study "Setting the Table" for more ideas that cost little to implement. Him too.

    Dan
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    "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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  • Profile picture of the author Adrian John
    Have a VIP member list built for their main website(newsletter for events and special offers) and one list through sms along with an mobile friendly website.
    Signature
    ARE YOU A CONSULTANT? Do you have clients who could use MORE LEADS?
    Get them a MOBILE WEBSITE PLATFORM built to stay up with their clients habits.
    More than 50% of their customers buys from their mobile devices now!

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
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  • Profile picture of the author sdentrepreneur
    Get them set up with Facebook (Deals), Google (Offers), Foursquare (Check In), Yelp (Check In) this way, they can track all the new clients from Social Media. Build a targeted Following on Facebook/Twitter. Optimize their Google Place/Local/+
    After set up, charge a small monthly fee for maintaining and growing the audience.
    Signature

    Learn Digital, Internet and Social Media Marketing For Your Business
    Click here to learn more - Digital and Social Media Marketing Training Course

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  • Profile picture of the author JSL Publishing
    Hey Will,
    My partner Shelley might be able to help you here. she has written a couple of eBooks on the matter.

    Originally Posted by WillMitchell View Post

    Hey guys,

    I have a restaurant client who is looking to bring his overhead down a bit. He'll be moving away from some print ads he's been buying and wants to put a portion ($500-1,000) into a one-time-buy to increase his marketing efforts.

    The thing is, I kind of specialize in recurring services. What one-off services do you guys offer your food clients?

    The only thing I've thought of is setting up his Local Marketing Assets for him (Yelp, Google Local, Etc). Maybe a website, but that's got recurring charges attached to it and I don't think it will make him a positive return without extra marketing packages.

    Any ideas would be appreciated!
    Will
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8004657].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
      Originally Posted by JSL Publishing View Post

      Hey Will,
      My partner Shelley might be able to help you here. she has written a couple of eBooks on the matter.
      Then have her post some ideas up rather than make vague comments about it!!!!
      Signature
      Promise Big.
      Deliver Bigger.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8004868].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author WillMitchell
      Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler View Post

      Some thoughts, trying to figure out stuff thats good for the biz but also lets you make some money.

      -Listings on all the local directories possible
      -Pimped out Fb page with w tabs for menus, reviews and such
      -You might be able to do a free food sweepstakes or contest
      - an EDDM postcard campaign to 2-3k homes closest to him
      if you can get 1k
      Thanks for your thoughts on this. Local directories is definitely an option. He tried some social packages before with a former provider and got railed (right when they dumped everybody's engagement), so he's pretty put off by social :-\

      I like the EDDM idea too!

      Originally Posted by Trent English View Post

      Does this one time buy include your cut? Or are you paid separately from this?

      I only ask because that rules out a few of the options. EDDM would be great (though you mentioned he was moving away from print ads). I have seen some great response from my restaurant clients with EDDM campaigns. However, if the $500-$1,000 includes your cut, it kinda of rules this option out.
      Yea, my cut will have to be in there. EDDM does look like something I might be able to work out with him, I hadn't even considered it until today! Thanks for the tip.

      Originally Posted by massiveray View Post

      Build him a birthday club email system.

      Set it up so that people get a free meal if they bring 4 friends in the month of their birthday.

      Quick, easy and generates a guaranteed revenue.
      Also a good idea, I could probably set him up with an email system to compliment the SMS system I have in place now. Thanks!

      Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

      -Mobile app, or mobile or desktop website
      -Website hosting should not be a big deal for him
      -Facebook and Twitter so he can post spur of the moment specials
      and do VIP kinds of things
      -Customer loyalty program - buy three get one free sort of thing
      -email and or SMS list building
      -study his online reviews and compliment his efforts and suggest improvements
      -probe into his decision to cut back and see if he has valid reasons, or is being
      pennywise and pound foolish - OR see if it is time to improve and change what he was offering. Could be that he just needs to graphically improve his ad.

      -find other ways to get customers to refer and comeback (menu and service improvement and what can he offer that will resonate with his market and that is not being offered by his competitors)

      -have a lucky random winner of a meal and drinks for two on a every second Tuesday (or other slow night) every month. Publicize it and he should get more business those nights because people like to win stuff.
      -Study "Setting the Table" for more ideas that cost little to implement. Him too.

      Dan
      Really like the random winner idea, I'll probably be able to sell him on that (and my margins will be high). Thanks!

      Originally Posted by Marty S View Post

      Cheap website from Weebly. $80/year.
      Constant contact autoresponder. $50/month
      Facebook page. $0
      Twitter. $0
      Youtube $0

      Use your affiliate links to sign him up, then offer to manage all of these for $250-$500 while ranking videos, blog posts, images, for 6 months. Then use Google analytics to show your real value, then double your fees for another 6 month contract.
      Good idea here as well, I'm liking the email list idea. I might be able to sell him on a yearly recurring charge rather than monthly also...

      Originally Posted by Adrian John View Post

      Have a VIP member list built for their main website(newsletter for events and special offers) and one list through sms along with an mobile friendly website.
      Already have the SMS, so VIP email would be easy to tie in - thanks

      Originally Posted by sdentrepreneur View Post

      Get them set up with Facebook (Deals), Google (Offers), Foursquare (Check In), Yelp (Check In) this way, they can track all the new clients from Social Media. Build a targeted Following on Facebook/Twitter. Optimize their Google Place/Local/+
      After set up, charge a small monthly fee for maintaining and growing the audience.
      Like this idea as well - thank you

      Originally Posted by JSL Publishing View Post

      Hey Will,
      My partner Shelley might be able to help you here. she has written a couple of eBooks on the matter.
      Send em over!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8004999].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WillMitchell
    Thanks for all the feedback guys - I'm thinking my best bet is to offer him a few a la carte items and have him select what he wants. Email, website, local optimization - one of those 3! Also like the slow-day giveaway idea, I'll probably pitch that as well as a small add-on

    Thanks for the help everybody, you guys rock!
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    • Profile picture of the author JM Biz
      For restaurants I like the birthday club idea but I would do it with postcards. You can send 500 variable data postcards to local consumers in the month of their birthday with special offers, free entre, desert ect. Not many people dine alone so it's a win for the restaurant.

      Check out www.markots.com

      $240 gets you the list, design, variable data printing and postage for 500 cards. You can mark it up and resell or cut a deal for a percentage with them.
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  • Profile picture of the author TrumpiaTim
    You can run an SMS mobile marketing campaign for the client on a one-time basis, hopefully the return is great enough that he sees value to continue running the mobile marketing campaign on a monthly basis
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    www.Trumpia.com

    Trumpia: The Most Completed SMS Text Messaging Software & API Solution.
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  • Profile picture of the author mjbmedia
    What he considers 'one time' , with some clever thought would develop into repeat marketing anyway.

    See he wants to spend once and that's it, that's how hes thinking right.

    So let him, but he just reinvests (some of) the profits from the 'one time' again and again.

    So he calls it 'one time' and has one outlay, you'd still call it repeat and can still do your stuff.
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    Mike

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  • Profile picture of the author neutralhatter
    let him pay 1 time 1000$ for 10 months of a litle bit of recurring services. instead of 10 times 100$
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