I too enjoyed the newsletter, so much so I wanted to hit the order button, but alas, there wasn't one..... Newsletters are an incredibly powerful tool in the business owners arsenal. However they take a great deal of time and effort to produce, especially In a consistent and timely manner. It makes no sense to me at all why a business owner would go to all the time and trouble to produce a good informational newsletter- but then not only shoot themselves in the foot, but blow their own feet off by not getting the best return on their time/money investment. Sooooo much money left on the table...... It makes me sad. I keep saying it, the money is not in the coffee, all the hidden 'money' in a business is and always will be in the marketing... I read elsewhere, by Jeff, what I will call 'the cafe owners lament'... I'm a tradesman and that lament was completely applicable to 'me'... I class 'coffee', 'tradesmen', 'hairdressers', etc, etc- you name them- as 'commodity' industries. Typically 'price-based' and a 'take em or leave em attitude' shown towards them by most customers. Yet, in amongst the 'flock' you will find individual businesses that thrive and flourish. Do they make the 'best' coffee, trade repairs, hairstyles? I'm sure they're all good to very good at what they do.... But scratch below the surface and I bet you find outstanding Marketing.... (BTW I'm not a betting man... Those words don't leave my mouth unless I know I'm 100% correct) How does one pizza shop charge $10.00 for a pizza but have an empty shop, whilst a competitor across the road charge $15.00- $25.00 for a pizza, yet have a queue of eager waiting customers lining up, out the door? (I know of just such a pizza store in Perth... They have competitions every week, a spin the wheel and get your whole order- FREE... But you have to pick- up your pizza yourself. They have a Super-hero themed night... Wear your underwear 'on the outside' and get 50% off your pizza .... They use SMS, e-mail, personally addressed snail-mail- think birthdays, x-mas, Easter, Aust-Day, etc, etc, etc They engage with their customers, they inform and entertain them. They have regular promotions and on and on the success story grows.... They literally have their customers disrobing and rearranging their clothes in the car park out back. Yes, they really do! How many of their friends do you think they told about this? For anyone wondering the Pizza store(s) are called 'Heroes' and happen to be owned by my Marketing Mentor's (Mal Emery) daughter... Please let me express my lament.... Why is it that a trade apprenticeship is 4 years long to try and teach a student how to do a trade... Yet not one minute is invested in that student on 'How to get a client', 'How to Add Value and charge, and get, the right 'fee', 'How to get and build a referral business'... Why is it that let's say a public servant with a 'payout'... Why is it there is a self-assumption that all they need to do is a "Barista" course and they are fully qualified to open and run a cafe business? ( Sounds all too familiar doesn't it?) Why do we let ourselves down so badly? (Rhetorical) University is no better- what University teaches Doctors, Vet's, Dentists, etc How to Build a successful referral based business?.... Answer= None! I may be one voice in 25 million saying this, but I do say our whole education and further education systems are well and truly in need of major overhaul and complete re-calibration. Let me just finish on this thought... If we are the 'lucky country' and if we are all so smart.... Why is it then that what is the figure... 85-95% of ALL businesses fail in the first 5 years? Does that not sound like an imbalance to you?
