I’ve always envied those that can speak multiple languages. To be able to communicate with someone in their native language must create an amazing connection. I studied intricacies of the Spanish language all through high school, conjugating verbs and identifying when to use the masculine “EL” versus the feminine “LA.”  After four years of studying this, I embraced the Spanish speaking population with an impressive ability to converse, as long as the conversation didn’t require me to say anything aside from. “¿Como se llama? Me llamo Larry. Mi lápiz es grande y Amarillo.” (How are you? My name is Larry and my pencil is big and yellow.)

I often think about taking my Spanish speaking skills to the next level.  You know, by actually being able to form sentences. Nothing is more frustrating than watching my favorite TeleMundo shows and only being able to decipher a few words here and there, completely unable to comprehend enough to understand the concept of the program. C’est la vie! (That’s the extent of my French, but in my defense, I never studied French).

On a recent business trip to Cape Cod Massachusetts a co-worker and I went to grab a bite to eat before starting our five hour journey back to New Jersey. We stopped at a local Friendly’s restaurant. It was here that my colleague made a rookie road-warrior mistake: he ordered the Reuben sandwich. When you’ve been on the road for as long as I have you learn what’s best to order in any restaurant. For example, never order the halibut filet at a roadside diner, or the Reuben at the local Friendly’s.  The Reuben is a delicious combination of pastrami (according to Seinfeld’s George Costanza, the most sensuous of the all the cured meats), Swiss cheese and sauerkraut.  Order this sandwich in a Manhattan deli and your taste buds will be treated to a true sandwich delight. Order a Reuben at Friendly’s and stomach will be taken on quite a different journey.

Me? I stick with the basics when I order food on the road. When asked by the waitress, (in a distinct Bostonian accent) “Wat’ll ya have?” I ordered the very safe turkey club with waffle fries. I assumed I’d given the waitress all the pertinent information she needed to successfully fill my order.  I was mistaken and surprised when she belted out the word “LOADED!?”. Neither I nor my colleague had any idea what to say. Again she bellowed, “LOADED!?” and then the conversation went something like this:

• Me: I don’t understand.
• Waitress: Do you want it loaded!
• Me: Do I want what loaded?
• Waitress: The fries!”
• Me: What do you mean loaded?
• Waitress: Do you want sour cream, bacon, cheese and chives on your fries!
• Me: No thank you.

Even though I got a C- in high school English, I have no trouble comprehending my native tongue. The Friendly’s waitress assumed I knew what the term “loaded” meant in relation to Friendly’s waffle fries and was very annoyed when I didn’t understand what I now call the language of “Friendles”.

Most marketers are guilty of these types of assumptions. We assume that our customers and those with passing interest understand the terminology, or the jargon, we use in our industries day in and day out - they don’t. 

Our jargon is our own, and, more often than not, customers do not understand what we are talking about. Customers may not always tell us they don’t understand as they don’t want to feel stupid, especially in a selling environment. I remember the first time a car salesman told me I’d have to sign the paperwork with the “F and I” guy. The salesmen said “F and I,” but I heard “Effin I.”  I remember thinking, “What’s an ‘I guy’ and why does this man hate him so much?” FYI: F and I = Finance and Insurance.

Communication is the cornerstone of sales and marketing, if we fail to communicate our messages quickly and concisely we fail to connect with potential clients and risk losing a valuable opportunity.  With the economy in its current state of disarray can anyone risk losing any opportunity over something as minor as deciphering your jargon into clear and concise terminology? 

Take a hard look at your customer communications, marketing material and sales presentations.  Put them to the test, by explaining what you offer to someone that has no knowledge of your industry and your offerings.  See if they understand your message and value proposition.  Don’t forget your Internet marketing!  Enlist the help of an outsider to evaluate your website content, website design and any other online materials you may have.

When it comes to connecting with potential customers you only have a split second to make a great connection. Simple messaging always connects, so ensure your marketing message isn’t “LOADED” with jargon.

Two of my favorite restaurant chains have fallen victim to the economy and possibly disconnected marketing. Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and stores owned by its parent company will shut their doors.

The news appeared to be a shock to most of the company’s employees, but some may have had an inkling that the company was not doing well. Steve, a Bennigan’s waiter in Plano Texas, said he recently went from making $30 on a good lunch shift to only $10. “Business has been slow,” said Steve, who said he relies on tips. “I went from making a lot of money on a shift to making very little.

I’ve shared many a laugh and a meal within the walls of these two restaurants and I’m sad to see them go. I fear this is just the beginning for the restaurant industry unless a major marketing mind shift takes place.

At first glance the closing of these two casual dining mainstays seems to be indicative of the economy. Sure the economy has something to do with it but I’m not 100% convinced all the blame lies on the economic downturn.

I have been a keynote speaker for the New Jersey Restaurant Association numerous times and my Internet marketing company has prominent restaurant clients such as Charlie Browns Steak House, The Palm Restaurant, Glen Rock Inn and New Brunswick, New Jersey’s historic Frog and The Peach, I’ve been privy to conversations about the economic outlook and its effect on the restaurant industry, casual dining specifically.

Yes people are not dining out as much and when they are they are either going somewhere quick and cheap or making it special by going somewhere a bit more high end and memorable. Diners have literally cut out the middle man! Casual dining has taken a huge hit while their gourmet and fast food counterparts also feeling the effects of a slow economy are able to survive and even thrive.

Take my Internet marketing client The Frog and The Peach for example. It is one of the best restaurants in NJ and saw the economic writing on the wall. Its management began to shift marketing efforts from offline marketing to online marketing in order to target diners looking for, “something special” on which spend their hard earned money .

In a few not- so- easy steps (nothing good ever comes easy) they were able to take advantage of an opportunity that came from the economic fallout.

Step One
Create a new and improved professional website development strategy that let diners looking for that special experience know that the Frog and The Peach atmosphere, customer service and cuisine is exactly what they are looking for. A place where they can satisfy their appetite and their need to feel their money was well spent.

Step Two
Use search engine optimization strategies to target core search phrases hungry diners are searching for when they want the best. Type (without quotes) “Best Restaurants in NJ” into Google and you’ll see The Frog and The Peach on page one.

Step Three
Keep a strict diet of regular fresh content, delicious events and scrumptious news to entice previous diners and keep the site intriguing to search engines that are driving valuable dining masses.

These steps illustrate how a high end restaurant is working harder and smarter to stay ahead of economic failure. But what about the struggling middle market, the casual dining restaurant? After all, they are the ones that are hurting and in need of an Internet marketing strategy.

Charlie Browns’ sister establishment, The Office is hoping to attract new and existing clients by leveraging the informal social atmosphere of their brew pub while at the same time touting their affordable but delectable menu to patrons at their exact time of need. Here are the steps they have planed to incorporate in order to avoid the effects of the economic slump .

Step One
Create a professional website development strategy that allows diners to take advantage of the social interaction the Internet is becoming known for. Patrons will be able to upload pictures of their friends enjoying a drink at the brew pub right from their cell phones. Allowing friends to comment on these images on the restaurant’s website when they get home will help to create a much needed viral component for the restaurant.

Step Two
A mobile version of the restaurant’s website will allow a potential customer to use their mobile phone not only to search for an area restaurant, but peruse restaurant specials and events. This is a great feature for those leaving a movie looking for a local hot spot to grab a bite with friends.

Yes the economy is terrible and there seems to be no end in sight but the companies that have succeeded in tough times historically were the ones that sought out opportunity while their competitors whined about how tough things were.

The Frog and the Peach and The Office Restaurant are two restaurants that are hungry enough to make a change and prove that they have something to offer no matter what the economy throws at them.

Happy marketing and Bonappetit.

When I say, “marketing strategy” you may not instantly think of, “customer service” but you should.

When it comes to customer service, as a marketing professional it is painfully obvious to me that customer service in this country has taken a drastic downturn in the last five years or so. 

Making a customer happy, whether an existing client or a new prospect is tantamount in the battle for customer loyalty yet customer service is seldom discussed in the marketing phase of creating a customer acquisition strategy.

TGI Fridays has taken big (but simple) step to improve customer service for their patrons. Along the lines of the call button on hospital bed or an airplane, Friday’s in Toms River, New Jersey has adopted the, “ESP System” to provide better service to their diners.

The ESP system consists of a wireless table top button that when pressed sends a signal to the tables assigned waiter / waitress. The server wears a wrist watch that vibrates and displays a smiley face and table number when the button on the receiver is pressed.

I was a featured conference speaker for the New Jersey Restaurant Association in 2007 at their annual conference and will be speaking there again on March 31^st at their 2008 conference. When I spoke there in 07 I was able to sit with some of the restaurant owners and discuss the customer acquisition issues facing today’s restaurants as well as the marketing challenges they are experiencing in a competitive connected world.

I learned that the number one reason diners do not return to a restaurant is poor or slow service and the number one reason a diner frequents a restaurant for the first time is a result of word of mouth marketing from other satisfied customers.

I don’t know how much the ESP System costs but I can’t imagine it is an investment that would take much thought. First off this device solves two major issues facing a restaurant, it increases the level of service offered to a patron (this in and of itself is worth the price of admission). Second, while the device is new it gives diners something to talk about to other people once they leave the restaurant (look at me, I just saw the thing an hour ago and I’m already writing about it!).

In our busy and noisy world creating word of mouth marketing is difficult to say the least. Anything that can help spread the word and attract new people to your business deserves serious consideration and if it can help make a diners experience better that’s a slam dunk!

I have a few clients that run high end restaurants and I already know what their objection would be to the ESP System. They would say, “Our diners are affluent, they don’t want to see a device like that on the table in our restaurant, it cheapens the experience”. Personally, I would want a five star restaurant utilizing everything in their power to make my service the best it can be (and I already expect it to be better than a TGI Fridays), especially if I’m paying five star prices for a meal.

If you’re worried about the look of the device on the table, dress it up, wrap in jewels or put it in a crystal dish but be rest assured, as a diner, I’d appreciate the effort to make my service the best it could be. If anyone from ESP Systems is reading this you may want to create a high end unit for the upscale places so you can avoid the objections all together.

There is a Chili’s, Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Red Lobster, Longhorn, Outback and countless other dining choices within a three mile radius of my house. Guess which one I’ll be visiting next time my stomachs growling?