New England Business Expo Rocks!

I learned one very important piece of information at last Thursday’s business expo. One bit of data that is essential for anyone doing networking on a large scale like the expo. I thought about putting this information in an ebook and selling it ala Robert Allen (with the usual upsells, of course) but I’ve decided that this must be given to the people… free of charge. What is it?

You gotta have good comfortable shoes.

I spent six hours at the expo mostly on my feet and I came home limping. I symphathize with you folks who were there all day. I just hope you had great shoes.

So Many People, So Little Time

Other than brief moments of culinary ecstasy (in other words, stuffing my face with the great food on hand), I was talking to anyone who was willing to be networked. One of the first people I ran into was Peter Caputa of WhizSpark, the man of the hour. I blame him for my sore feet. If it wasn’t for Pete’s ability to pack a house, I could have left early. If you know of anyone who needs to put butts in seats, contact him or check out his website.

I will not attempt to cover the entire event in one post but there were a few key people that stood out for me. First of all, I am always captivated by magic and Jason Kallio of SayItWithMagic.com was doing his thing. He was at the combined StrategicRemarketing.com and YourPageToday.com booth with Stephen Paulin, auctioneer extraordinaire, and Jo Erickson, expert web development person. Did you know that Jason does educational programs at schools for bully control, fire safety and self-esteem? Jo was her usual upbeat self — she seemed in her element at the show. Even though she ate all the Kit Kat bars at their booth, I won’t hold a grudge.

Michael Langford of Course Pilot Financial (another person with a lot of energy) and I had a nice conversation. An easy guy to make friends with, I already received a follow up note in the mail from him (hand-written). Joining in the fun was Clarissa Rodriguez from Clear Road Associates, a guest of Roy Sequeira. Clarissa was looking for me as the only other Rodriguez on the list. She bills herself and her associates as “productivity architects.”

I’m Not Done Yet!

I’ve got a fistful of business cards with some memorable encounters behind them. I’ll talk about them in my next post. I better hurry, though. I’ve got another fistful of business cards from the Corridor Nine Speed Networking event today that I’d like to talk about. Never a dull moment!

Don’t You Love a Good Restaurant?

I do! I love the feeling you get when you walk through the door. I love the smell as you walk in — the smile of the host or hostess, the variety of conversations as you walk by the tables, the feel of the menu after you’ve been seated. For me, this goes back a long time.

My First Time

I remember the first time I went to a restaurant without being accompanied by an adult. I must have been all of nine years old. I really wanted to experience a restaurant in that way so I grabbed my younger brother and dragged him to a cafe inside a bowling alley. Being nine, I ordered the best meal they had — pancakes! I was hooked. I guess I love being waited on more than anything else, although, if you’ve ever seen me, you’d say it was the food!

Restaurants Are Still a Passion

It wasn’t that much of a stretch, therefore, to focus on restaurants in my business. If you’ve read my “About Me” section, you would know that I have a graphic design and marketing business (go to my website and get the big picture). I toyed around with the idea of going after certain niches over the past several months and sat down one day to explore that. Restaurants kept coming up number one so I developed a marketing package for restaurants.

How Can I Help

The owners of restaurants are the busiest people you’d ever meet. In my career I’ve dealt with all types of managers and owners of businesses big and small and I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as someone who owns a restaurant. With that in mind, I felt there was something I could offer.

What Does a Restaurant Need?

• Website
• Menus
• E-mail Promotion
• Professional Photography
• Copywriting/Press Releases
• Registration with restaurant review websites
• Gift Certificates/Gift Cards
• Promotional Items (T-shirts, caps, coasters, mugs, etc.)
• Postcards for Direct Mail
• Newspaper/Magazine Ads
• Menus – in-house or downloadable

There are more things we could add to the list but I believe the most important item is service. What good is a website if you can’t get your webmaster to make changes in a timely manner? What good are menus if they have misspellings or wrong prices? What good is a promotional t-shirt if it doesn’t have the right message or generate the right buzz?

Commitment to Your Business

It’s service and experience that counts. You’ve got to have someone who is by your side, who treats your business like it’s their business. You’ve got to have someone who’s been around the block and understands people and systems. So I put together a comprehensive package for restaurant owners. Whether you are starting a new restaurant or upgrading an existing one, I can help.

Any Stories to Share?

So restaurant owners, I would love to talk to you about the feeling a customer gets when they walk through your door. The smell, the sounds, the people. Do you have any restaurant success stories? Horror stories? Is your restaurant a source of pride or do you dread going to work? I want to hear those stories! I’ll add a few of my own in the near future. In the meantime, go to one of your favorite restaurants tonight (maybe it’s yours!) and savor the experience. Life is good!