I love it. On a recent episode of the TV show Kitchen Nightmares, the fearless chef was at it again, ripping yet another hole in the backside of another comfortable yet complacent restaurant owner; who was committed to chaos.
How about you? Do you love simplicity or are you more complex? Personally I prefer keeping it simple and my guess is you do too. That’s one of things I like about chef Gordon Ramsay, he’s a tough, say-it-like-it-is kind of guy, but he gets the job done and more importantly gets results.
The show has a lot of drama for what might look like a regular restaurant with regular workers. It always has just the right elements of surprise like the sudden outbursts of profanity or some disgusting discovery of moldy food in the freezer. But more than that, it has sound marketing advice from a world class chef.
Here are 5 ways Gordon Ramsay clearly gets the big picture on marketing that you and I can use to create better results in marketing our businesses...
1. De-clutter: On every episode it’s almost systematic. Right from the beginning, Gordon marches in to the freezer, the kitchen, and the dining area and inspects the entire place. Upon inspection which is usually a complete disaster, he instructs the staff to clean, scrub, and de-clutter everything in sight.
2. Clean house: After cleaning the restaurant, Gordon cleans house. If there are any bad apples (the kind with feet) they get tossed faster than a chef’s salad. This is important because it can kill morale and that is a key ingredient to the success of any business.
3. Play to your strengths: Once Gordon figures out the best food fit for the locals, he ramps it up as a centerpiece for the restaurant. He plays to the strength of the crew and caters to the desires of the patrons.
4. Simplify: Next, simplicity kicks in. When there are too many menu items or choices of any kind, customers get confused. Gordon simplifies the menu with powerful winning selections, yet makes it easy for customers to decide. This in turn creates speedy orders, less confusion, happy customers, and bigger profits.
5. Get personal: Since many of the restaurant owners are people persons, freeing up their time with the other systems allows them to play to another strength-getting personal with their guests. The personal touch is an integral part of any marketing program because people buy more than just products or services. At the end of the day (and the beginning) they buy you.
Model the best. Regardless of the type of business we’re in, one thing is sure, we are all in the people business. Remember to always keep it simple, keep it real, and keep it personal. Like the Olive Garden says, “When you’re here, you’re family” and when you’re marketing, remember the details and you’ll have family members for life.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?David Dallas Rivers
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