Using Your Marketing Tools Wisely

Watching an expert who advises restaurants on how to profitably set up their menus prompted me to think of passing this information on to you. In the report, he shares six tips.

First, he points out a menu that merely lists the offerings. After each offering a series of dots leads the eye over to the price. "This is a huge mistake," he says. "A listing of this nature makes it very easy for the customer to glance down the list of prices and select the cheapest offering."

Second, he notes that dollar signs next to the prices are not wise. "When you eliminate the dollar signs," he advises, "the menu presentation becomes much softer and easier to read." This gives a menu more appeal and readability.

Third, he recommends a mouth-watering description by each offering. The description informs the customer about the offering and entices the customer to order it. As a customer, I sometimes feel quite frustrated that an offering is not described. If I am interested in the offering, I am forced to ask the wait staff for a description. That person's description may or may not be accurate, to say nothing of appealing.

Fourth, he tucks the price at the end of the description. This puts the emphasis on the offering, or what the customer is buying, first and the price second, which is profitable marketing. Contrary to what most business people seem to think, customers do not think of price first. They think first of what they want and if this offering satisfies that want.

Fifth, he adds an offering to the menu that is destined not to sell because of its ridiculous price. For example, an asparagus omelet for twenty dollars seems pricey until it is placed next to a freshly prepared, live lobster bisque for one thousand dollars. Comparatively speaking, next to the lobster bisque, the asparagus omelet seems quite inexpensive, right?

Sixth, he places the most profitable offerings on the upper right hand pages of the menu. As we read, our eyes naturally focus first on the upper right hand side of the page. Because we look there first, that placement has the best opportunity to get and hold our attention. Thus, placing the most profitable offerings there will get the most attention. More attention likely leads to more sales. In this case, that leads to more profitability.

After describing these six points, the reporter replies that these are "tricks" which get the customer to buy. "These are not tricks," the expert corrects. "These are tools to more profitability. These tools encourage the customer to buy certain offerings, but the customer still has the final choice in the matter."

I agree. Using marketing tools to present your offerings in the most appealing fashion and to sell your profitable offerings is wise. Presentation does make a difference. Any chef knows that the attractiveness of the dish contributes to the customer's perception of it. Similarly, the menu presentation makes a difference in the customer's decision of what to buy.

In fact, any materials that you present to your customer affect the buying decision. Whether you operate a restaurant or not, tips from this expert can be applied to any presentation. Go back and review these tips. Then, look at your presentations to your customers. How can you use these tips to make your presentations more appealing?

How can you sell more of your profitable offerings through improved presentations?