SYSCO iCare
www.syscoicare.com February 2010
IN THIS ISSUE
Take Aim on Customers with Trigger Marketing
8 Ways to Save on Merchant Processing Fees
How to Ensure a Packed House for Holidays
Defining Buzzwords for 2010
 
QUICK LINKS
Couples at Dinner

Take Aim on Customers with Trigger Marketing

What if you could direct a message to your customers at the exact moment they are most likely to act? Sound too good to be true? It's not, if you have specific information related to your patrons' transformative or "trigger" events.
 
Trigger marketing enables savvy restaurateurs to send out insightful offers in a timely manner. By reaching them with the right offer at the right time, you can see as much as a 400% improvement in response rates over other marketing initiatives.*
 
So what are triggers? They are events in a person's life. They can be life changing such as getting married, having a baby or moving to a new home. They can also be something less significant such as when a local sports team wins a big game.
 
Consumers are getting more discerning when it comes to marketing offers, so you have to give them a compelling reason to come into your establishment. While it is important to send the right message to the right person, it is also becoming increasingly important to get that message out at the right time. In order to get the message out at appropriate times, you must understand what's going on in a customer's life and be able to translate that into the appropriate response.

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Money8 Ways to Save on Merchant Processing Fees

 In today's economic climate, restaurants are searching for ways to save on expenses, yet service their customers well. Credit card acceptance is a vital part of doing business and provides convenience to your clientele.
 
Did you know that there are ways to reduce your merchant processing expenses that you can implement today? Just by making a few changes and becoming more vigilant with your staff, you could realize savings on your next merchant statement.
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
 
1) Make sure your employees swipe a card rather than hand key whenever possible. Electronic transmission of card data is more complete and results in a lower transaction fee for you.
 
2) Batch out daily to avoid downgrade fees. Transactions should be closed or settled each day. Batches closed out after two days incur additional fees.
 
3) Electronic check service can provide great savings in checking fees if you accept checks in your business. Electronic checking speeds access to your funds, provides check guarantee and eliminates the time consuming chore and cost of making check deposits.

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How to Ensure a Packed House for Holidays
and Special ToastOccasions
 
Signs of economic recovery are all around and restaurant owners are hoping for a busy and lucrative year. Special occasions and holidays such as Valentine's Day, the Super Bowl, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and others offer a great opportunity to attract new customers, fill seats, and boost revenues. Below are suggested marketing strategies you can use to ensure a packed house for any special occasion.
 
Preparation is key
Ask any good sous chef, and they'll tell you that preparation is the key to successful food service. The same holds true with email marketing. A chef wouldn't wait to marinate steak tips until they're ordered, right? And no bartender would wait to restock until the bar is lined with patrons. Why would you wait to market your business until right before a big date like Easter?

Ideally, you've been sending consistent, valuable email communications to your subscribers for months - entertaining, educating, and enticing them to your restaurant. In this way, you've been preparing an audience that is now receptive to your emails and more likely to visit your business for their holiday celebrations.

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Defining Buzzwords for 2010
What Should Be on Your Radar?
Tips from the Green Restaurant AssociationGreen Globe
 
The GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant® movement for 20 years. In the last two years, the Green lexicon has expanded at a rapid rate, leaving many business owners and consumers in the dust as they try to keep up with learning the latest terms and issues.

As a business owner or operator, it's crucial to stay in the know regarding current trends, news, and industry-specific issues. Here are some buzzwords and hot-button topics that you should be aware of in 2010.

Transparency
Get used to this word - you'll hear it a lot in 2010. In order to be transparent, something must be see-through. It's wonderful to want to work toward going green on your own, but the market and consumer awareness has changed in the last year. "Greenwashing" was one of the buzzwords of 2009. Your customers know what it means...do you?

Greenwashing occurs when businesses, companies, restaurants, etc. use clever marketing to lead customers to believe that the product or service is "green." Greenwashing can call attention to the few environmental merits that may exist, while downplaying the areas that have no environmental benefits at all.

With the new awareness of greenwashing, customers are demanding transparency. Ask yourself this question: how do my customers know that my green efforts are real?

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At Sysco iCare , we've done our homework, so you don't have to. iCare partners are Sysco approved and uphold the highest service levels, quality standards and performance guarantees of anyone in the industry.