April 15th sends chills down the backs of many people. For some it means a big tax bill and for others an extension is filed; delaying the inevitable.
April 15th is Christmas for CPA’s and tax preparers. From about now until tax day, accountants, bookkeepers and tax prep firms will be working feverishly to process mountains of returns for their clients.
This means many late nights and weekends away from home.
When asked why he robbed banks, the famous bank robber Willie Sutton replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”
And so it goes with finding catering niches. If a person or niche is spending money to feed a group, then the efficient marketer needs to pursue that niche.
Whenever employees have to put in extra hours at night or on weekends, you’d better believe the company is bringing in food for their team.
Pink Logan, a longtime member, sent out a letter to CPA firms soliciting his catering business during tax prep time. I believe he picked up around three thousand dollars in drop off catering.
As a result of that idea, I created a sales letter targeted to CPA’s. The background of the letter was a 1040 tax form. Members can find that letter template at our members only website; RestaurantProfitPoint.com
http://www.restaurantprofitpoint.com/members/109.cfm
Many prudent members have used this promotion with great success. Yesterday I was talking with a client who used the promotion for a second year in a row. Right off the bat he landed a deal to deliver $600 in catering a week from now until April 15th to a single CPA firm. I know he’ll land other CPA businesses.
Marketing is not some big mystery. It doesn’t have to require the budget of Nike or Coca-Cola. With the software and services available today, the little guy can look like a big guy.
Niche marketing allows you to focus a small amount of resources on a very tight group of high probability catering prospects. Some of my biggest catering victories have come from niche marketing. For instance, One year I targeted twenty hospitals with my famous x-ray mailer for hospital week catering opportunities.
Twenty mailers brought in over $17,000 worth of catering.
There are less than two months to April 15th. Will you choose to read this article and ponder or take action?
Small successes lead to more successes. My first marketing success in booking catering lead to another and another…eventually leading me to start this company.
For me marketing is fun. When it brings in sales, it is downright addicting! Try it. You just may get hooked.
NOTE: Last year I put on a full day catering seminar in Baltimore with one of my most successful clients and longtime member, Frank D’Antona with Cantina Mamma Lucia in Baltimore, Maryland. We had to turn people away last year.
One attendee, Vince with Trinacria credits us with his best catering Christmas season. He did over a hundred thousand dollars in catering for December 2014 versus $12,000 in 2013.
Saval Foodservice is sponsoring the event this year. It will be held Monday, May 18, 2015 near the Baltimore airport.
So if you have any interest, please go to www.CateringSeminars.com/baltimore for complete details. Hope you can join us.
Well, that’s all for this issue.
To Your Restaurant's Marketing & Catering Success,
Michael Attias
Restaurant Catering Software
P.S. – If you need help growing catering sales, then please go to www.RestaurantCateringSoftware.com and download my free eBook: Cater or Die!
P.P.S. – I make a limited number of time slots available each week for a free Catering Strategy Session with me. (You also get a catering menu critique and free analysis of your website for “Catering Effectiveness”). For complete details and to grab one of the limited spots, please go to:
http://www.restaurantcateringsoftware.com/catering-planning-strategy-session
P.P.P.S. – Please check out my podcast at www.RestaurantCateringSmarts.com
P.P.P.P.S. - Anyone wishing to reprint my articles may do so. Please email me for the bi-line to use for proper author’s credits.
