The four walls strategy includes everything within the four walls of your business. Starting from the inside and looking outward. The maintenance and repair of your business. The way your staff appears, their uniforms, the way they behave, the smells the guests experience while they wait, and eventually the experience that you create for your guest.
The way you make your guests feel during their visit and the experience that they have and what they remember long after their visit to your store is what makes your establishment exceptional. Marketing from within. There are no advertisem*nts that can make your guests have such a personally memorable experience.
It is so much easier to get an existing guest to visit you again than it is to harvest a totally new guest.
Consider the following aspects of your operation daily:
- People and communication.
- Body language, verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Know your staff
- Internally reward great service.
- Know your guests.
- Training, training, training.
- Workshops, daily short 2 minute workshops.
- Get the ambiance right.
- Recognize your guests and show your appreciation of their customs.
- Gifts, surprise guests with a little sample dessert or an after-dinner liqueur, a voucher to use during their next visit.
- Visit their tables and check on their regular requirements.
- Get involved in the community where your guests are involved.
- Social marketing.
- Communication of specials.
- Visual marketing tools.
- The fishbowl lucky draw business card.
- Vibe meetings before a shift start, clear and concise information, and communication between management and staff.
- Build an unconditional positive attitude between team members.
- Discuss selling techniques.
- Roleplay upselling
- Roleplay suggestive selling
- Debriefing meeting after a shift or while cashing up.
- Make notes and work on information gathered during the debriefing of staff.
- Loyalty programs
- Free WiFi
Once you have an indoor marketing system implemented you will have a solid foundation to depart from when building your external marketing strategy.
Author: Marius Joubert
Founder of Restauranthub.co the first true community for the restaurant and hospitality industry.
