| As I See It...... |
Lately I've been thinking a lot about product pricing - specifically various aspects about discounting.
During this process I've been reading the book Darryl Rosen suggested at the recent MMBA Conference - How to Sell at Higher Margins than Your Competitors by Lawrence L. Steinmetz and William T. Brooks.
So far, a couple of things have really stuck out...
Managers often have no idea how much volume of product sales is required to make up for a price cut, or how much a loss of sales can be tolerated in the event of a price increase.
In the real world, if you cut your price 10 percent, your company will probably have to at least DOUBLE what it's currently selling and might even have to TRIPLE it or more.
Now, some will say a lower price on certain product will bring in customers who will purchase other items.
Probably true, but then are the rest of the products being sold priced appropriately and is the overall sales information being tracked and examined based on the particular product being discounted?.
In other words, are customers really purchasing the other stuff?
Typically, when a business does go bust, especially if it gets into enough trouble to file bankruptcy (or in our case, close the facility) three things occur:
* They experience a period of declining gross margi
* Wages as a percentage of sales begins to increase
* Sales volume begins to increase
In short, all of this leads to the conclusion that, Business is NOT a game of volume. Business is always a game of MARGIN.
Nuff said.
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA Executive Director
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| Restaurant Millionaire Training Game |  4 Remarkable Service has created a game directed toward improving customer service in the hospitality industry. It is fun and educational. The game template is available for purchase and can be customized for individual needs. (MMBA is not associated with this program. Your executive director just thinks it's cool). Here are some FAQ's
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Of Course! You can create you own question and answer sets. Plus you can create as many different games (title them whatever you want to) as you need. So for example, you could have a game around orientation, the menu, service, sales, operation procedures... the possibilities are endless.
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| Motivating Employees Without Money | 
By employeer-employee.com
The employees who work for your company are naturally motivated. All you need to do is to utilize their natural ability, which you can do without spending a dime. That's right! No money.
The first step in utilizing your employees' natural abilities is to eliminate your organization's negative practices that zap away their natural motivation. The second step your organization can take is to develop true motivators which can spark all your employees into being motivated.
The following is a list of ten motivation zapping organizational behaviors that will demotivate your employees:
* Create an atmosphere full of company politics.
* Develop unclear expectations regarding your employees' performance.
* Create a lot of unnecessary rules for employees to follow.
* Plan unproductive meetings for employees to attend.
* Promote internal competition between employees.
* Withhold information critical for employees to perform their work.
* Provide criticism instead of constructive feedback.
* Tolerate poor performance so your high performing employees feel taken advantage of.
* Treat employees unfairly.
The following are example's of true motivators that will help your employees tap into their natural ability to be motivated. Remember, implement these true motivators without spending money. Instead of focusing on money, focus on how you can make some changes within your organization. * If your employees do routine work add some fun and variety to their routine. * Provide employees with input and choice in how they do their work. * Encourage responsibility and leadership opportunities within your company. * Promote social interaction and teamwork between employees.
* Tolerate learning errors by avoiding harsh criticism. * Promote job ownership. * Develop goals and challenges for all employees. * Provide lots of encouragement. * Make appreciation part of your repertoire. * Develop measurement that shows performance increase. |
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| Future Dates to Remember!! |  |
MMBA Regional Meetings
Fall 2010
MMBA Boot Camp
February 21-23, 2011
Breezy Point Resort
MMBA Annual Conference
May 22-24, 2011
Arrowwood Resort |
| Ask A Director |
Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163
Bob Leslie
Pelican Rapids
218-863-6670
Brian Hachey
Stacy
651-462-2727
Nancy Drumsta
Delano
763-972-0578
Lara Smetana
Pine City
320-629-2020
Michael Friesen
Hawley
218-483-4747
Virgene Shellenbarger
Hutchinson
320-587-2762
Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center
763-381-2349
Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925
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| A Guy Walks Into a Bar... |  |
A guy walks into a bar with a dog.
"This dog is the smartest dog in the world." he says to the bartender.
"He can answer any question."
"Oh yeah?" says the bartender. "Prove it!"
The man turns to his dog, and asks,
"What is over our head? " "Roof!"
"How does bark feel?" "Ruff!"
"Who is the greastest baseball player who ever lived?" "Ruth!"
The bartender, growing tired of the show, throws the man and his dog
out of the bar.
The dog then turned to the man and asked,
"Should I have said Joe Dimaggio?" |
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To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step to knowledge |
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