Pre Market Data

Restaurant Marketing For Free - by Roy MacNaughton

How Your Restaurant can Thrive and Survive by learning the secret of the Underground Umbrella

Pre Market Data How Your Restaurant can Thrive and Survive by learning the secret of the Underground Umbrella and its no-cost marketing and advertising tactics.

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Roy MacNaughton in November 2008.

He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and business associates.

We will miss his big heart, infectious laugh, boundless enthusiasm and great passion for helping others through his profession as a Marketing Expert in the Hospitality Industry.

His passion was for independent restaurateurs to succeed and he leaves a legacy for all restaurant owners to benefit from - this free "Restaurant Marketing For Free" report. Please share the news and encourage your independent restaurateur friends to read, download, share and benefit from his report. You can also find more of Roy's writings at http://RestaurantMarketingJournal.com.

The time we have here is short, and we never know when it's our time. Please share with your loved ones your love and appreciation for them. Hug them, today. Tell them you love them, today. Today, we remember you, Roy. ~ Sherman Hu, ShermanLive.com

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How Your Restaurant can Thrive and Survive by learning the

secret of the Underground Umbrella and its no-cost marketing and advertising tactics

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Dedication

I would like to dedicate this e-book to the memory of Brian Borrowdale, who shared with me a great love for rhythm and blues music when we were hospitality students. He helped make attending "hotel school" a real blast!

...And to the members of my class at Ryerson... especially "The Silver Six" (alphabetically, Brian Antonsen, Bob Bainbridge, Brian Borrowdale, Dave Mullock, Patrick Wilson and yours truly.)

...And to our fearless leader, Cornellian, Dave Darker, our teacher through thick and thin. I think we students and Dave seemed to graduate together...or so it seemed at the time.

Dave... thanks to you and Amy... for all you put up with. Also thanks for not flunking us when we insulated' your new house with empty Molson bottles.

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Handling the Legal Stuff

The information presented herein represents the view of the author as of the date of publication. Because of the rate with which conditions change, the author reserves the right to alter and update his opinion based on the new conditions. The report is for informational purposes only. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this e-book, neither the author nor his affiliates/partners assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning legal or related matters is needed, the services of a fully qualified professional should be sought. This report is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. You should be aware of any laws, which govern business transactions or other business practices in your country, state or province. Any reference to any person or business whether living or dead is purely coincidental.

YOU ARE FREE TO USE THIS BOOK.

Any part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system. In return for this Free use, I would request that you respect my legal rights as the author; please use correct attribution when using content or quoting from the copy in this work. Please be advised that the entire work is protected by worldwide copyright, held by the author.

This book is for your use only. If you want someone else to have a FREE copy, please ask him or her to send us an email. We'll send a fresh copy out to them ASAP!

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People worry so much about others stealing an idea from them, yet ideas are usually the easy part of success. Getting that idea in front of people, educating them about it, creating the reality of it - whether in a book or online article - is the hard part. Then even more effort is required persuading others to consider your "inspired idea".

Ideas are like overnight successes. They usually take years of preparation and effort.

"Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats."

Howard Aiken

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If you want a definition of what restaurant marketing is, here is mine:

"All the tasks that investigate, create, design, build, implement, measure, monitor and sustain the environment where the sale can take place."

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Foreword

People in the restaurant industry ask me why I finally wrote a book.

I decided to combine my 30+ years of solid experience with how marketing works and what to do.with my last 11 years online with "Internet Marketing."

I wanted a tool' that is both relevant and immediate.

There was one problem, however. When I finished my first draft of this book, it was 432 pages long! Yikes! Who had the time, patience, willingness to read all that?

Not many, I knew.

It was painful, but I took a sharp editor's knife and shortened it down to just around 100 pages. (I'll tell you what I did with the valuable information on the other 332 pageslater.)

Then I turned it into an e-book format, so you could get your hands on it immediately with a speedy download to your own computer.

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Introduction

What would you do if I put you in a locked room with your customers?

That's right. A locked room'. You couldn't run out the door. You could not escape.

What would you do?

Think about this for a moment. Other than some very important techniques' I will be showing you in this book, this is the most important part of "marketing".

What would you do?

The answer is simple: if you had built a strong, warm, loyal RELATIONSHIP with them; and had consistently provided value to them, you would be at ease, having fun and talking animatedly with them. You would have a positive relationship with them. You would be there to assist them; and they would want to help you in return.

That's what it's all about: relationship.

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Table of Contents

Introduction_______________________________________________________ 8

1. The Silver Bullet: The Answer __________________________________ 16

2. What makes me think I can help? _______________________________ 18

3. Snapshot Overview of the Industry ______________________________ 23

4. The Only Way to Increase Your Sales ____________________________ 26

5. The Underground Umbrella__________________________________ 28

6. Why You Need a U.S.P. _______________________________________ 36

7. Tactics to Help You Get There __________________________________ 43

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Let's Get Started!

This is the cut-to-the-chase' version of this book. It explains How to Market your Restaurant for FREE'. It's like the cute little guy in the photo below: short, sweet, portable, used to being around restaurants; quite willing to quickly learn what has to be done.

I researched, developed and wrote this book over the last year. A short time later, I was working on another book (a book that continues where this one leaves off), when something about the length of the first book - even with all my shortening and editing - told me that many food service operators are so pressed and stressed, they will not have the time to read anything but

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the how to' offerings in the book.

Additionally, as the economy seemed to get worse, it was obvious that operators needed to know as much as possible about how to market their outlets at little or no cost...and they needed this knowledge NOW.

The big chains have the money for a complete head office or regional marketing department' and the expert staff that goes with it. They have huge buying power to allow them to mount extensive television ad campaigns on national and local television. They have experts in local store marketing, advertising, media buying, graphics, copywriting, promotions, merchandising, Internet Marketing, menu planning; you name it, they've got it.

Furthermore, if a big chain is publicly traded they too are under extreme pressure from the stock market as to their own same store sales' figures and all the number crunching that comes with such public scrutiny. The big chains are going to bear down even harder themselves. They are being forced to become even more competitive; and since there are only so many meals that will be eaten; and only so much money to spend on those meals, the chains' increases in sales are going to have to come from somewhere...at others' expense. Any idea from where their gains might come? You guessed it. As an independent operator, you must often feel like this:

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But don't fear. That little guy in the photo is not without tools and friends to protect him. That's what this e-book is all about.

Taking all this into consideration, I decided to create this much shorter version than the original, so you can go to where you need help, access it quickly; and implement the appropriate free marketing tactic.

We are working on some other exciting never before seen informational products and services for the Restaurant Industry. But we felt we needed to rush this first e-book into production ASAP, so as many operators as possible could access the information and the power of the Underground Umbrella marketing concept now... before it's too late...for some of them.

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This e-book will introduce you to the basics, the principles and some of the Underground Umbrella secrets of marketing your restaurant for free or at least, at very little or no cost.

(And yes... if you like this first e-book, you're going to love the other products and services we'll be launching in the weeks and months to come! The audio download MP3 version of this e-book isn't available quite yet. We're still working on it; but we'll contact you when it's ready.)

Just keep watching at our blog: www.restaurantmarketingjournal.com. You may have to wait a bit until we get it totally recorded. Put your name on the waiting list. If you have registered' by giving us your email address, we'll be able to contact you and let you know it's ready.

We'll be giving you the nuts and bolts of how to do things that help you gain

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more customers for your top line; and reduce marketing expenses to help your bottom line. At the same time, we'll be making sure you understand how and where to use these tactics - in the right place, at the right time - the balancing act. I think we can do it...working and learning together.

Yes, I said together' because I am going to ask you to help us later, by answering some of the burning questions you have about food service and restaurant marketing. But for now, let's just jump back into that balancing act...

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Marketing...as a balancing act'

See...even Fluffy can do it!

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1. The Silver Bullet: The Answer

"The best vision is insight." --Malcolm S. Forbes

Recently an industry colleague asked me the same question that's on every restaurateur's lips these days: How do I go about making my restaurant recession proof?'

To my way of thinking, the answer to making your business recession proof' is the very same answer to the question you likely asked originally: how do I go about making my restaurant a success in the first place!

Often, in times like these, you start cutting costs for the sake of cutting costs. This is just reducing the value you offer your guests. Ask yourself what will happen when things improve? Those same guests likely won't come back to you anyway when it gets rosier because you now have less quality to offer them at the same price points. Why would they come back?"

If you're going to survive this recession - or whatever the pundits choose to call it - you are going to have to look at the big picture, prepare a plan that incorporates every tactic you can find that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg; then work that plan on a daily basis. And never forget when doing this, it's all about the customer and their experiences with you and your restaurant.

That's what this e-book is about. How to Market Your Restaurant with tactics that are mostly free...How to Survive this economic mess we find

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ourselves in these days.

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2. What makes me think I can help?

"There's only one way to succeed in anything, and
that is to give it everything." --Vince Lombardi

So why or how am I qualified to help?

I believe I offer at least three major advantages when it comes to restaurant marketing:

Specific training in this industry;

A 30-year track record of having successfully practiced both operations and marketing in the trenches in several countries; combined with

The past 11 years of online marketing, practiced daily.

If we take the strategic and tactical methods of marketing, combined with the modern and constantly evolving technology of the Internet and Web 2.0, we have a powerful combination that 95% of your competitors don't know about or practice.

That's why and how I know I can help.

An excerpt from my bio is below; but you can skip that if you just want to get started.

Roy MacNaughton has more than thirty years of international business experience.

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He has lived and worked in Canada, the USA, the UK, The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, and Australia. He graduated from Ryerson University in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, then worked in the daily operations side of the restaurant, resort hotel, fast food (QSR) and supply side of the hospitality industry.

Roy returned to school at age 29 to acquire his MBA. Within one year of graduation, he went on to establish his own firm, Hospitality Marketing, with a Ryerson classmate. Together, they provided marketing research, planning and advertising services to well-known firms including McDonalds, American Express, Four Seasons Hotels, Hilton International, KFC, Wendy's, H.J. Heinz, Johnson & Johnson, and many others.

Within six years, he was hired away by one of his restaurant clients into the post of Executive Vice-President of Marketing for a $450 million foodservice company. After two years in this position, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of a fledgling subsidiary. He grew that division from $3.2 million to $72 million. He was responsible for 140 restaurants.

He eventually moved from the corporate world back into his own hospitality marketing advisory practice, mostly working with independent restaurants; and has been doing so ever since.

As a part-time professor, he has taught at four different schools; including Johnson and Wales. In addition to his restaurant

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marketing advisory practice, he writes newspaper and online 'marketing' columns; and is a Contributing Editor for Today's Restaurant News. He has recently taken over the operations and renovation of the innovative 'educational' site, http://www.RestaurantU.com/net, originally developed in the late 90's by renowned Houston hospitality educator, Peter Langlois, and assisted by industry veteran, Charles Bernstein, Editor Emeritus of Nation's Restaurant News.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

As you were reading just a few minutes ago, we said: "....if you had built a strong, warm, loyal RELATIONSHIP with your customers; and had consistently provided value to them, you would be at ease, having fun and talking animatedly with them. You would have a positive relationship with them. You would be there to assist them; and they would want to help you in return.

That's what it's all about: relationship.....".

If you had not built one, or you preferred staying in the kitchen, while others served your guests, you would not have that relationship. In that locked room, you might be lost for words. The silence in that room might be deafening.

Remember those television episodes of "Kitchen Nightmares" with Chef Gordon Ramsay? Most of those restaurateurs were having severe

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problems, in part, because they opted out of or failed to build any relationship with their own customers, let alone their own staff.

They hid in the kitchen. They had no real idea of what their guests wanted or disliked. Since they were always in the kitchen, they didn't see what was really going on...or not.

Marketing - especially in this wonderful hospitality business - is all about RELATIONSHIPS. Attracting them, building them, growing them, rewarding them, and over time, profiting from them.

Restaurant Marketing for Free is undoubtedly about how to make more on your bottom line. But the way to get there is through attracting, building, nurturing and maintaining relationships with your customers...and staff. This helps fatten up your salesthe top line.

Keep that concept in the back of your mind at all times. It is the bedrock foundation we'll be building in this book for you and your restaurant over the long term.

Now, before you jump in with both feet, you might want to have some nice music in the background while you read. Here is another FREE tip a close friend of mine sent me. Now I listen to it on my computer every day, as I work. You can too. I'm listening now while I write.

It is absolutely free (although it is nice if you would make a modest donation so they can continue to provide this free music service if you love it like I do). I put on the classical stuff, sometimes old rock anthems, and

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lots of Jazz. There are NO commercial messages like on the other so-called free music services. Also, the songs are in random sequence, so you never really know what will be played next, which I find quite pleasant.

Go to: http://www.tropicalglen.com/YR-1970.html

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3. Snapshot Overview of the Industry

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

--Henry Ford

Let's take just a second to look at some of the key statistics of this industry. North Americans now spend roughly one-half of their eating budgets on food-away-from-home. U.S. Restaurants will likely come in at more than $537 billion in revenue for the year 2007. That's a 67% increase since 1997. When I first started tracking this statistic, food-away-from-home was around 38% and most industry pundits couldn't see it growing much bigger. Boy, were they wrong.

There are now way too many restaurants out there. You are in a hectic, cutthroat, hyper-competitive arena. Your margins are now sliced paper-thin; there is little room for error. Incredibly, your bottom line averages less than 6-8% of sales at the end of the year. That's a heck of a lot of hard work - and big RISK - for such a small return.

Those independents', are in it likely because you love the food, cooking, restaurant, food service and a people business.

You really are passionate about being a restaurateur!

You can make some very big money; but today unless you realize three things, you won't.

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Those three things are:

* this is a BUSINESS and has to be treated with the care and professionalism that other retail businesses command; and

* without MARKETING you don't stand a chance up against (i) the huge chains; and (ii) all the other independents, busily 'copying' each other.

* there is also the recent trend or paradigm shift that is taking place within the business. It's a function of both demographics (the changing age groups, cultures, habits and longevity of others); combined with digital technology, mostly the Internet, and the way these demographic groups are using it to directly influence who they are, what they eat, where, why, when and how they are informed, then make those specific choices, e.g. how do they decide which restaurant to patronize? What online tools' are they turning to? How are they now using those ubiquitous cell phones to learn about your outlet and make a reservation; or rush over tonight, a usually slow night, to take advantage of a menu item special available just tonight?

Without accepting and understanding these three facts, you have a slim chance of surviving in this hyper-competitive market. I didn't say I would handle sensitive issues with kid gloves. This is the stark reality of what confronts you right now.

If you accept the fact that you are in a tough, competitive BUSINESS and start operating it as such; and you accept the fact that with the understanding and ability to drive customers to your door on an ongoing

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basis, you will have an excellent chance of making it. Today, more than at any other time, it's all about MARKETING.

Why, What, Where, When, Who and How.

This book is designed to answer most of those questions listed above...and

show you HOW.

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4. The Only Way to Increase Your Sales

"A free lunch is only found in mousetraps"

-- John Capuzzi

What kind of an arena are you competing in?

This is one tough business these days. It always was. Today, it's just that much tougher. Still, you have to do what is necessary to increase your sales, cut your expenses - without hurting your quality and service - so your profits can grow or at least maintain the same level so you can pay the bills and look after your family.

So you concentrate on how to increase your sales...without it costing you an arm and a leg.

Before we go further, let's take a look at the five basic ways in which you can increase your restaurant revenue - the top line.

Assuming you have all the components of your product and service in tip top shape (e.g. the food, HI reports are great; service, cleanliness, ambiance, and all the other aspects of creating a receptive environment in which you can sell food from your menu)...how can you turn this into more sales?

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In my judgment, there are only 5-6 things you can do to increase your sales in a restaurant:

(a) increase your menu prices (due to competitive and/or economic reasons, this is not always an appropriate/wise option)

(b) increase the number of dining parties

(d) increase the average guest check: (more/better suggestive and up selling' in addition to selling the more profitable menu items)

(e) by increasing the frequency with which your guests visit your restaurant; and;

Depending on your type of outlet, you can also increase sales with:

take-out; delivery; and/or catering.

Each of the suggestions, ideas, concepts, tips and tactics we shall deliver, is designed - one way or another - to assist you in accomplishing at least one of these 5-6 ways of increasing your sales.

For the most part, each of these tactics is also FREE, or of negligible cost to you.

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5. The Underground Umbrella

"Doing nothing is very hard to do...you never know when you're finished."

Leslie Neilson-Canadian-American actor

This next section is likely the most important part in all of restaurant marketing. I call it the "Underground Umbrella". It's a way of understanding and remembering what steps must be followed -- in what order - to effectively and profitably market your restaurant.

Why "Underground" and why "Umbrella"?

First of all, who ever heard of needing an umbrella while underground? Normally you would not need an umbrella (meant to protect you from the intense sun or rain) if you were underground. Additionally, the visual image of an open umbrella' beneath the ground is one that is strange; hence it

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sticks in your mind better than the image of a regular umbrella on a rainy or very sunny day.

But this is a different meaning of the word underground; it's the secret kind. By secret' I mean that even once you hear it - as simple as it seems - most restaurant marketers don't look at marketing' this way. They choose the obvious: direct mail, television, coupons and promotional menu specials.

It's one of those famous best kept secrets'. Operators get things mixed up, or in the wrong sequence or wind up spending too much time and/or money because they didn't know this secret. I call it the umbrella to give you a visual image of how this secret works. Additionally, the umbrella was originally invented to protect people with the overhead canopy. So was this marketing method.

Let's look at a typical umbrella: it has a handle; (it won't work well unless

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you hold it by the handle), with the upright shaft of wood, steel or aluminum, pointed upwards, to the sets of ribs and stretchers that are covered with fabric, sewn together, forming the six or eight panels of the canopy.

There are four parts to an effective umbrella:

(1) The handle;

(2) The vertical supporting shaft;

(3) The somewhat horizontal-like support ribs and stretchers;

(4) The fabric stretched over the ribs, creating the coverage' or protection for the user.

Each step builds on the other, resulting in a whole, finished, effective umbrella.

Think of them as the four major steps in determining just how you will profitably market your restaurant.

Always think of this secret umbrella concept and visual image... to organize both the type and the sequence of your thoughts, strategies, then tactics that you'll employ in your own restaurant's marketing plan.

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Where did these four steps originate?

A veteran advertising guy, Harry Yates taught me this concept back in the day, he insisted that no matter what you are trying to plan for, you need to ask yourself four basic questions:

(1) Where am I now?

(2) Where do I want to be? By when?

(3) How do I get there? and

(4) How do I know if I'm getting there?

It gives you a way of looking at what you need to do first, then next and so on.

Some folks have referred to this as: "ready, aim, fire". If you don't follow some basic rules - and get it right the first time - you could take longer and spend much more than you need to reach your goals. (Or end up shooting yourself in the foot).

Step #1 asks you to find out for sure where you really are: vis- -vis your competition, your customers, suppliers; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. What kind of an environment do you have to compete in? This important first step also incorporates you using the concept of the 80-20 Rule. We'll talk more about the use of the 80-20 Rule later; but for now, know that this rule states that 20 percent of your customers account for 80 percent of your bottom line profits!

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Yes...you read that correctly...80% of your profits, from only one fifth of your total customer base! Amazing, but true. What's even more amazing is that if you can identify and isolate/segregate these important twenty percent of your customers, you can use other proprietary methods to maximize their value to you by up to 16 times. More about that later

Question #2 is about setting goals and objectives: realistic and attainable goals that are capable of being met. Write them out and have numbers with them: e.g. "I want to increase my top line by 5% in the next 6 months; and my bottom line by 3% in the next 3 months."

Step #3 is the most important one; the one most operators just jump into without having answered the first and second questions. How you are going to get where? Know where you are, (step #1) and then where you are going (step #2) before you determine how you will get there.

The vast majority of this book will be dealing with step #3...just how do I market my restaurant for FREE, or next to nothing. These are your specific action steps or tactics'.

Keep in mind that if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there!

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How do you get there from here?

Sometimes you don't always receive the best directions, either!

Step #4 is designed to make sure you set up some methods of tracking your

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progress and results along the way. Measure how you're doing.

The big take-away here is to ensure that before you start implementing specific tactics (e.g. like buying media advertising for example) you need to make sure you have the answers to step #1 and #2. Build an understanding of where you are and where you want to go, then....and only then....HOW you will get there. For instance, the answer to the question: "who is my primary target group of existing and potential customers?" will dictate the kind of media you should choose to target (e.g. reach), inform and motivate that group to patronize your restaurant. You will have learned who your primary target group is when you conducted your own research and thinking in step #1.

Let's just go back, for a moment, to that secret, 'Underground Umbrella' concept. If you have the handle, holding it in your hand; plus you have a vertical support shaft - that is attached to the handle - what protection will this device give you?

With only these two things, you'll still get soaking wet or terribly sunburned! You need the horizontal struts - and the special fabric that covers the carefully placed struts - in order to obtain the result you require. Even if you devise and implement great tactics (e.g. building an email list of your best customers and emailing them regularly), if you don't have a way of making sure your emails are received, opened, read and are their most effective, (step #4) you will never know if your tactics are really working for you or not.

If you find out that they are not working, you can take remedial steps

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immediately to adapt and change so you do obtain the result you want (e.g. protection from the blistering sun or the heavy rains).

This device we call the umbrella' or parasol' (originally invented for protection [para] under the [sol] sun) only works if the four parts of the process (the physical construction of it) are working in concert...together.

It's the very same with your restaurant's marketing.

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6. Why You Need a U.S.P.

When you set goals, something inside of you starts saying, Let's go; let's go', and ceilings start to move up."

-- Zig Ziglar

How you are going to build your own umbrella marketing plan' and implement it profitably, is the very essence of restaurant marketing.

It involves the thinking through of just how you might differentiate your restaurant from all the competing others; how you might do this in a preemptive manner, so you will be seen to be the first to do so in this different manner; it will be very difficult for others to copy you. It will involve the setting of the overall "strategy" of how you will improve your business (as you specified in your statement of goals' earlier).

After you have determined steps 1 and 2, you are then faced with developing your own strategy designed to help you reach those goals you set in step #2. This is the creation or determination of your Unique Selling Proposition (USP); then implementing it, using steps 3 and 4.

** Your USP is the most critical and important element of your

strategy *

It defines just how you will differentiate yourself in an extremely overcrowded restaurant market-especially if you're an independent in a sea of chain outlets, all trying to gobble up your business.

Unfortunately, differentiating yourself is not enough.

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You have to do it in a way that is positive, passionate and preemptive. You can easily guess what you might have to do for the first two, but being preemptive is not so easy. If you don't do the differentiation along with the preemption - at the same time - it won't work.

Anyway, enough of that....some may say I am just talking semantics. But the difference is crucial I think; and I have been adopting USP's for myself and clients successfully for more than a quarter century. You can't microwave experience. It takes time to accumulate and grow richer.

Here's a visual example: if you had a little country filling station, this is how you might differentiate yourself in a way that no one else could or would. Folks would be talking about this outlet for hundreds of miles around your site. They would want to come by and buy some gas... just to experience and take photos of this amazing sight!

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How about this bar-b-q restaurant out in the sticks? Does this one stand out? Would you remember this restaurant

By now you're aware of the 5-6 different (and only) ways there are to improve your top line. We know that we must have a marketing plan; and it is designed by asking and answering those 4 key questions, especially the third one: how do we get there? Part of that third answer is the adoption of the Unique Selling Proposition: it sets your outlet apart, hopefully in a preemptive manner; and it gives you guidelines for the tactics you might adopt when implementing your Marketing Plan.

Let me go back to the concept of "strategy" versus "tactics." The overall

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strategy you adopt for your restaurant is your all-encompassing plan' to be profitable and successful. For instance, it may be a brand new direction you have decided to take: whereby you determine that you will now specialize' in just one type of food (e.g. super burgers); or one geographic class of food (e.g. French, Australian, Italian, Swedish, or Greek); or maybe it will be a new type of location format (in-mall, free-standing on a pad, in sports complexes etc.); or method of service (e.g. strictly delivery only to local office buildings, only at breakfast and lunch).

If you are just starting out, you will be choosing and developing a strategy' and resultant tactics that will be implemented right from the beginning, at opening. This might be easier than adopting and changing people's minds and habits.

Hopefully, you will have studied your local trading area, market, your competition and decided to adopt this strategic stance. Then when you adopt this strategy', the very first tactic under that strategy is to figure out just how you will do that. You will use the concept of the U.S.P. Lay out your plan of tactics designed to get you to your goal.

In summary, The Underground Umbrella works like this:

1. Conduct your research' (step #1)

2. Set your goals for the future (step#2)

3. Adopt an overall strategy' (step #3)

4. Develop an appropriate U.S.P. (step #3)

5. Now develop a Marketing Plan (step #3)

6. Include appropriate tactics (step #3)

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7. Implement the tactics in the Plan (step #3)

8. Monitor and measure the results (step #4)

9. Make necessary adjustments to the tactics (step #4)

10. Continue monitoring the environment for new opportunities that accrue naturally; and as a result of your own Marketing Plan (step#1)

Continually adjust your tactics to achieve your strategy and goals. Tactics are always adjustable; your strategy should be pretty solid up front.

By now you're aware of the 5-6 different (and only) ways there are to improve your top line. We know that we must have a marketing plan; and it is designed by asking and answering those 4 key questions, especially the third one: How do we get there? Part of that third answer is the adoption of the Unique Selling Proposition. When you're in the tactic-choosing' planning phase of your Marketing Plan, it is important to constantly ask yourself this question: "Is what I am about to do - or implement - consistent and congruent with the USP I have adopted?"

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If it is not, don't do it. Each tactic you employ must be congruent with the stance or USP you have adopted. You must ensure that the target group you have identified - and determined to be the most important group of customers you will attempt to reach, inform, motivate and attract to your outlet - will be reached by the methods you decide to employ or the media/methods (e.g. email, blogs, newsletters, promotions, radio, Internet, etc.) you pick to reach that target group.

Here's a tip: if the method being suggested or pushed' on you by a media salesperson is not the best one to reach, inform and motivate your chosen target group, don't spend and waste your timeand money. (You want to use what we call target marketing' as in the concept of an high-powered, scoped (sniper) "rifle" with maximum accuracy, using only one bullet...as opposed to an awkward, "shotgun", using many pellets, with little accuracy, pellets scattered all over the target area). The type of "gun" you choose will be the best media for you to use to reach your desired target market. Make sure each tactic you employ is consistent with your strategy...and the U.S.P. you have chosen to help you execute that overall strategy.

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If you follow this simple rule, it will save you thousands and thousands of dollars over time. Here are more tactics or methods for helping you get there (step #3).

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7. Tactics to Help You Get There

"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results." -- Winston Churchill

Here we go! Hang on to your hat. Some of these tactics will not be what you expected.

Here is just a very partial list of the kinds of action steps or tactics that might be taken within a fully integrated marketing plan. Naturally, I am not going to cover off all the aspects of putting together and then implementing a full Marketing Plan.

That book would be 432 pages long! You likely wouldn't read it.

But I do want you to have a grasp of the fundamentals in terms of where and how the major facets of a marketing plan fit together; which comes first, the potential sequence of the steps and some examples of things you can do for FREE or at very low cost. In this e-book - and over the weeks and months to come in the blog and elsewhere - I will be covering most of these tactical areas of Marketing Plan implementation, particularly those that don't cost you an arm and legyour shirt; or your pants!

This is only a partial, not exhaustive list; but you can see that there is much to be aware of and do if you want to market your restaurant successfully and profitably.

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Ask any successful independent restaurateur - or the big chains - and they'll tell you that you have to systematically go through a process' similar to the four steps in my Underground Umbrella System and develop a U.S.P. in order to create a super-competitive Marketing Plan (in writing too, by the way). This Marketing Plan should include, at a minimum, addressing' each of the facets of restaurant marketing listed below:

1 Target group definition

2 Market segmentation

3 Budgeting

4 Pricing

5 Advertising: creative, production, media

6 Media choices: print, broadcast, audio, video

7 Internet: sites, emails, list-building, blogs, SEO, traffic, split-testing, conversion

8 Web 2.0: blogs, social & bookmarking sites

9 Database management & marketing

10 Email marketing

11 Direct (postal mail) & co-op mail marketing

12 Points of Contact

13 Packaging (appearances)

14 Direct Selling and solicitations

15 Merchandising

16 Channels of Distribution

17 Promotions

18 Brand Building

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19 Public Relations -- press releases, etc.

20 Media relations

21 Human Relations

22 Staff Training: Motivation & Retention

23 Uniforms and personal appearance

24 Name tags

25 Telephone usage (management and staff)

26 Yellow page advertising

27 Music (as part of the ambiance)

28 Dcor and FF&E

29 Parking and parking lot: egress/exit

30 Garbage receptacles (inside and outside)

31 Menu: research, planning, equipment

32 Wait staff: suggestive selling; up-selling

33 Community Relations (chambers)

34 Industry Relations (restaurant association)

35 Trade Shows: (booths and behaviors)

36 Word of mouth & Word of mouse'

37 Referral Marketing

38 Four Walls Marketing (dcor-ambiance)

39 Customer Retention Plans

40 Loyalty marketing

41 Customer Service-The Moment of Truth

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This indeed, is The Moment of Truth!

42 Lifetime Value of a guest/customer

43 Tele-marketing

44 Customer research/surveys/focus groups

45 Mystery shoppers

46 Customer Newsletter and Alerts'

47 Email communications: why and how to

48 Joint Ventures with other non-competitors

49 Fund-Raising* (Cause marketing)

50 Working with local, regional non-profits*

51 Strategic Alliances

52 Going Green: environmental tactics; and

53 Many others too numerous to mention here; but wait...what is this just below...?

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Uh...let's add copywriting' to that list above...

Here are some specific tactics to get you started.

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Naturally, it always pays to plan ahead

First off, let me say that if it is true that the majority of your competitors are just following others in lock step, like copy-cats, do you see the fantastic opportunity that is hiding behind all this sameness? It's there, just waiting for you to take advantage, while the other guys are sleeping or busy being normal.

It follows that if most of your competitors are doing much the same marketing things, spending money on the same media outlets, pouring the same money down the john', then while they're doing that, you have a glorious chance to do much the OPPOSITE.

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As I said in a recent post on the RestaurantMarketingJournal.com blog, you have the choice to play to game not to lose.or you can play it to WIN. There is a big difference here: in focus and attitude!

The secret of restaurant marketing today is to do two major things extremely well:

(1) research, choose/seize, adopt, build and implement your own brand of local "expert-ness" or "specialization" so you positively stand out in the over-crowded restaurant arena; and

(2) adopt the new methods (literally dozens of them!) of communicating with, (not selling to) those who would patronize your restaurant - your intended target group.

Here are some of the ways you can do this:

* Beginning today, each time you send out an email, you should have an "ad" or deliberate "message" in your email signature. For instance, you might say: "XYZ Caf...the home of Seattle's only Meatball Milkshake".

Or perhaps: " Roy's Caribbean Hut BBQ....home of the world's juiciest pulled pork sandwiches"

Or, finally, how about: "Why wait in line during your lunch hour? Email us ahead. We'll have your order waiting at the front of the line!" This is called your sig-line' or signature.

Choose one or two different ones and rotate them, using one in each email you send...starting today. Keep track which ad' or sig line works best for you. Keep refining it over time. A good friend of mine - Len Hansen, America's foremost expert on How to Market to Mature Adults - sends out an interesting statement with every email he sends.

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His signature file says:

*** Leonard J. Hansen is the nation's expert on reaching, informing and motivating active and affluent mature adults for successful, results-producing marketing. *Now available for assignments. Access his website to learn more: www.lenhansen.com*

* I think this goes without saying, but you really must have a web site. I know you're thinking, but what do I have to do to get to the very top of the first page of the search engine results when I have to compete against every other restaurant in the city, the state, the region or the country?

The answer is that you really don't. You only have to compete with other restaurants in your trading area', or the approximate circle surrounding your own location.

If Jennie lives in Bellingham, Washington, and she needs to meet Glenn for lunch in the Fairhaven district of town, she needs to find an appropriate restaurant...but only in that specific locale. Jennie knows she can get on the Internet and do a search for "restaurant Fairhaven district" and Google maps will show her restaurants in this neighborhood. This service even shows her where they are located, so she prints out the map and drives over to the Fairhaven district. Understand that Jennie uses the location name in her search because she knows that if she just Googled "restaurants" she would get pages and pages of restaurants from all over the world, which would be of no

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use to her.

With your own restaurant, therefore, you should use those same location-specific keywords throughout your own site. In this manner, you'll get to the top of the search ranking pages for the specific group of people you are targeting; namely: those potential patrons wanting to dine in the Fairhaven district, and not all over Bellingham (in this example) or in another city/state/province. Most of your competitors will NOT KNOW how to optimize their web site to achieve these top page rankings, and hence the attention and attraction of the targeted customers you want. Remember that your potential guest won't visit you if they don't know you exist, or where you're located.

* How do you optimize your site for local search? Here are three excellent ways:

(1) Use "geographic keywords". If you want to target only those who live within a x" mile radius of your outlet - and you know from other research you have conducted - (some of these research methods are outlined later in this book), the dimensions' of your trading area, then you know that you will have to specify exactly where you are: the city, the neighborhood, the street, even the street address. People will use all these terms when they perform their online searches.

Don't forget to think about HOW locals will search for it; and what specific terms they will use. For example, if you live in Boca Raton, Florida, the locals just call it Boca'; if you're in Beverly

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Hills, they might call it 90210' or if you're located on the upper levels of Hamilton, Canada, the locals call it The Mountain.' So if you're targeting locals from that town, you definitely want to use local expressions and colloquialisms. You want to speak their language and use those keywords throughout your site. Work those location keywords into your copy and code whenever possible. Use these items in your headlines, subheads and all your copywriting for extra oomph' with the search engines. The engines want to know that your site is relevant' for these specific keywords. They work on sites being relevant to what the searcher wants.

Make sure one of your pages is a directions page, including a Google map.

(2) Display your address and phone number. Put your full street address on the footer at the bottom of EACH page and on the side or top navigation bar of your site. Don't forget to include the area code with your local phone number. This too helps the search engines with the information they may need to pinpoint your location.

(3) Try to obtain as many inbound local links as you can. The search engines really love links that point to your site from other reputable sites and organizations they know, trust and find relevant' (that word again)! The best way to get these inbound local links is with local directories. There are many different local directories you can use. Submit your site to the following:

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Goog411 - http://www.google.com/goog411

Yahoo Local Business -http://listings.local.yahoo.com/signup/create_1.php

TrueLocal.com http://www.truelocal.com/listabusiness.aspx

Switchboard.com Yellow Pages -- http://www.switchboard.com

Ask Local -- http://city.ask.com/city

Internet Yellow Pages -- http://www.yellow.com/advertise

CitySearch -- https://selfenroll.citysearch.com

MSN Local/Live Maps/InfoUSA -https://ssl.search.live.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx

Chambers of Commerce -http://www.chamberofcommerce.com/public/index.cfm

SuperPages --http://advertising.superpages.com/spportal

Better Business Bureau -- http://www.bbb.org/membership/index.asp

There are paid and free listings in these directories. Naturally, I urge you to try out the free listings first...before you pay for any upgrades. Try it for free first to make sure they work for you. To find other local directories and networks, you can search to find those that have just come online. Do your search using "location name + directories". Whenever you are filling out any directory listing from now on, be sure to take into consideration the search engines. Always

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mention your keywords, street address and phone numbers with area code, location, area names and your product names so the engines will find you for sure.

Do these three things and you'll soon find that locals or those wanting to find a restaurant like yours in your local geographic trading area, will be using the major search engines and THEY WILL FIND YOU....not your competitors!

* Do you have a blog? Yes? Great, you can use that for all it's worth. No? You better think about that again. Look at Blogger (http://www.Blogger.com) it's free; or also free: WordPress (http://wordpress.org/) (my favorite...my blog is on WordPress) to get yourself set up for free. Blogs will give you the chance to have your customers tell you via the blog just what went right...and wrong. Now you not only learn what is the "real" problem; but you also get a chance (you would never have had without the blog) to CORRECT the problem and save that customer.

People enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to communicate directly with you. You don't take up all your valuable time during the operating day. You can answer blog comments at night after closing...or in your pajamas at two a.m., or you can have a younger employee or kids in the neighborhood do it for you.

Naturally, you can choose to monitor and manage the inbound comments on your blog. If they are too negative or obnoxious, just delete them. If they are constructive and helpfullet them appear in the comments section for all to see. Note that this is much preferable to getting negative, unsubstantiated critiques on such sites as Yelp. Try to stay away from

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those types of site at all costsespecially if they approach you to pay them to.well, you know what I'm talking about, right? Always check them out, BEFORE you spend any money or time with them. (Go to Google and type in: restaurant review sites' (without the quotes) to see what results you get, then study and act accordingly, la caveat emptor'.)

* Blogs also allow you to feature your Chef (if you are a Chef-owned/operated; and/or in a market segment where you need a name Chef' because of your menu and the competitive arena where you operate.) Your Chef can now speak' to and with his guests, he can offer simple ideas, kitchen and or buying tips, and a recipe or two. He is building a relationship' with your customers. They can write (post) back and forth with him/her.

* A blog will allow you to tell your customers about new menu items, special events, promotions, items on your web site (if you still don't have a web site, at least your free blog will help; but make sure you put your menu on the blog).

Choose two key words for use at all times when referring to your blog (e.g. Roy's BBQ, or Derf's Hacienda). (I went to high school with a guy who everyone called 'Derf'. Later, I found out that Derf' is Fred' spelled backwards). So when you use those two key words in any of your blog entries, the major search engines (particularly Google with their alerts') will pick up on them almost instantly, and let those people - your customers - instantly know what's going on at your restaurant...even that night!

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Blogs are an important part of your restaurant marketing. The cost to operate a blog is next to nothing. Get one as soon as you can.

By the way, if you want to keep tabs on your local competitors, just set up Google alerts' (http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en) for each of the outlets you want to track. Whenever anything is published in the media related to those key words, (that competitor of yours), you will know. If you set your alerts up under the as-it-happens' category, you will be alerted immediately, if not sooner.

* If you want to monitor your competitors' web sites for changes (to learn if they are changing menu items, prices, operating conditions and such), use this technique: this will alert you to ANY changes (even one word!) on their blog/web site.

Go to: http://www.changedetection.com

* You can type in the exact web sites/blogs you want to monitor (e.g. I monitor several blogs and other sites of interest to me). Provided you know who they are, you're all set. You will be notified immediately when they make any change. I check my 'detected web/blog changes' each morning.

* But what if you really don't know who all the potential competition is in your trading area? Let's take a gigantic market, for example, New York City. What if you wanted to open up a kosher restaurant? You can go into this change detection site and see if they are monitoring other (in this example, kosher) sites of interest to you.

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I typed in "kosher restaurants" and bam! there was a humongous list of all the kosher restaurants in the boroughs of New York, some with web sites, most without. This is what it looked like:

New York State Kosher Restaurants

Address: www.nachas.org/BethYehuda/kosher.html

Current status: normal - monitoring

Number of users monitoring this page: 161

Most recent sizable change : Never

Most recent change : Never

Last checked for changes: 2008-03-07 17:02

ChangeDetection started monitoring: 2008-02-05 16:15

You are provided with the directory of kosher restaurants in NYC; but note that there are 161 other users monitoring this page. Why so many? Not only competitors, but customers will be smart enough to see what is changing and who is blogging too.

* This is a free way for them to know what you are up to as well. In fact, if you tell your own customer database to use this site to monitor your site and blog, you will now have an instant additional way of keeping in contact with them...at least they'll KNOW what is new at your place. They will also appreciate your telling them about this helpful site/tool in other areas of their life too. When they get an alert that your site copy or content

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has changed, it will not only inform them, but remind them to check out the newest at your site and restaurant...another very subtle form of advertising' that's FREE.

Let's get back to this example, though....

If my trading area (in this NYC example) was the Upper West Side' of Manhattan, in this particular directory I am presented with a list of 26 kosher restaurants, 12 of whom have live websites, (including a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts outlet).

The phone numbers, street addresses, kosher category, price range and last time the listing was updated are all provided. Now you can check out those closest to your existing or proposed location. You can visit them, scope them out, mystery shop' them; and for those with a web site, you will be notified whenever they change one word on their site or make any announcement on their blog.

* One final word about your competitive environment: you'll also see that this change detection' service tells you when this site or blog was most recently changed' or updated. If gives you most recent change and most recent sizable change. This is a big clue as to how active - in terms of online marketing - any of your competitors are. You will want to monitor this too.

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* But remember...if you're watching them, they're likely watching you!

* Another free way to know about any of your competitors and/or

suppliers, go to Google News (http://news.google.com/) and set up

accounts for any company you want to track. You can do this with your

best or most important suppliers and customers too.

Why set up a Google Alert on your best clients or customers? Imagine

their surprise when you email them with congratulations on being

mentioned in Nations Restaurant News, Foodservice & HOSPITALITY,

Today's Restaurant News, RestaurantU.com or Foodservice.com?

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* Every time you can graphically DEMONSTRATE that you care and have

their best interests at heart, it's another brick in the relationship

foundation' you are building with them. The same applies for your

guests/customers too. Take your top 20 customers and those who you feel

are the most important "influencers" on your list. Add their names as

Google Alerts too. Chances are you will only have to send out one email

every other day; but what a "differentiated-preemptive" way to set yourself

apart from all the others! (Remember the essence of the U.S.P.)

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Here is one example of differentiation....

* Wait a minute! Did I hear you say you didn't know who your top 20

customers are? This is incredibly important information. You need this!

Actually, it's part of the concept we now call the 80-20 rule: 80% of your

profits are derived from only 20% of your customers (Pareto's Law). In

the restaurant business, this holds as in all other categories of endeavor.

Skeptical? How about these: did you know that approximately 5% of

the sites on the Internet receive nearly 75% of all web traffic? Or the fact

that just 12 percent of the households in the United States bother to

utilize personal financial software; but those 12% account for more than

three quarters of the profits made by all U.S. banks!

Here's another way to look at it: 80 percent of the experiential value'

your customers perceive about you and your restaurant pertains to only

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20 percent of what you do! Often, it is NOT the food or service!

Do you know what that 20 percent is? If you really know, (don't just

guess' at it) what's stopping you from doing more of it? Is there

anything preventing you from replicating that 20 percent?

Conversely, 80 percent of what a restaurant does actually yields no more

than 20 percent of the total benefit' derived by its customers. Do you

have a handle on what that 80 percent is? Why not identify, reduce,

alleviate or eliminate it?

Finally, 80 percent of the good things (the benefits) derived from any

product or service -- as in operating a restaurant - can often be provided

at 20 percent of the total (read: real) cost of running that business.

Many of your guests might be willing to buy a much-reduced version of

what you are currently offering; or perhaps a stripped down version of

your product or service. For example, if you are specializing in delivery'

why not be the very best (e.g. penultimate) delivery outlet' in your town

or trading area? (e.g. "We deliver delivery!") Are there ways you can

strip down and focus just on the core' elements of providing those

valuable customer benefits, without assuming/carrying all the (perhaps

unnecessary) costs of providing them?

In order to adjust your strategy - and resultant tactics to implement that

strategy - you first must identify and segregate the 80 percent from the

20 percent in the case of each product, service, customer group,

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geographic location or other ways you may have segmented your

offerings. For our purposes here, I will focus this short discussion only

on our customers'.

Let's say you set up a system whereby you can track the purchases of

your customers. You can give each customer a special number or punch

card, or ID that they use when they patronize your outlet. Most good

POS systems are now set up to help you build and add to a database of

customer activity. You can reward them for their purchases and visits;

but the key thing is that you will be building your own database that will

begin, over time, to tell you just who is coming into your outlet most

often and tie that information to what they are buying when they do

visit.

* Now you will have a prioritized list of just who your best customers are

by various method of measurement, e.g. purchases, frequency of visit

and such. If you analyze this data, you will soon see that a smaller

proportion of your guests, account for a huge amount of your bottom

line profit. These are the folks who visit more frequently, order higher

profit items off the menu, bring more colleagues and relatives with

them; and who spread more "word of mouth" about your establishment.

Compared to others, these particular customers are the gold in your own

back yard. You need to find out who they are and track their activity in

your restaurant. Then can also 'calculate' the lifetime value of such a

customer. Boy will this ever shine a positive light on these particular

guests! Now you'll know 'exactly' who is bringing you in the gold.

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These are the guests you want to constantly reach, inform and motivate

to return over and over again; as well as bring more of their like-minded

friends along with them. Remember that the number of guest in a

visiting party and the ability to increase the size of the party from a

single or deuce to a four-top; and the frequency with which they visit

you, is one of the 5-6 ways to increase your sales...and profits.

* We don't have room for it in this eBook; but in the near future, I am

going to show you how these 20% of your customers are actually 16

times more valuable than the larger, 80% of your

customers...the ones that take up 80% of your time and energy.

By the way, that "16" number I used just above, is NOT a typo. In the

near future, I'll show you how to maximize (by 16 times!) the best

customers and how to identify, then deliberately spend less time/effort

on those less profitable ones.

* Part of knowing where you are is knowing' how you stack up with your

own customers. You can launch a survey of your customers for free by

using Survey Monkey. (http://www.surveymonkey.com/). This survey

will give you some valuable information about your customers. Just the

act of asking them' for their opinion, tells them you care about their

needs and wants, not just yours.

This research survey will give you all the answers to your most urgent

questions: who, what, where, when, how, and why they do (or

don't) patronize your restaurant.

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* Be sure to use all the tutorials and help sections of any online survey site

you use to learn the right' way to prepare a survey, particularly how to ask

questions the best way to reduce, if not eliminate, bias'. In what order to

ask the questions; e.g. never ask customers about their income or wealthorientation', unless absolutely necessary; and only at the very end of the

survey. That way, if your question puts them off' to the point where they

abandon the survey completely and leave, at least you will have the majority

of your data collected before they bailed out on you. Most people do not

want to give information about their income, possessions and the like...

who can blame them?

Later, after you've had a chance to read this book, I'd like to ask you to

take a few minutes of your time and let me know what you thought of this

book; and what you see are your most pressing problems encountered or

faced when marketing your restaurant. This information will greatly

assist us in improving our service and will help us zero in on the exact areas

where we can be of most positive service to you, our readers and colleagues

in this industry. I'll give you a link to a site where the short survey will be

waiting for you...and a special gift for taking the survey and helping us out.

Look for the link in an email; or I'll post it on the blog site at:

http://www.restaurantmarketingjournal.com

* Recent major industry surveys indicate that next to lousy service',

what really ticks off your customers is the NOISE level in the restaurant.

You might want to include a question related to your restaurant's music in

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any survey, whether online or just a simple question at the table. Talk to

patrons, ask them what they think. Remember if your target group is mostly

those 50+, for example, they will not care much for heavy metal; but be

more inclined to smooth jazz' or favorites from the 60s and 70s.

Whatever you do, don't play music just to please your staff. It's all

supposed to be about the customer, right? If your guests wanted to hear

commercial radio of any kind, they would have come in with an iPod or

satellite radio player stuck in their ears. Most folks are happy to escape'

from the noisy rat race outside, even just for an hour; so don't try to save

money by just playing the local commercial-jammed radio station...people

don't want to hear radio commercials; they want to relax a bit and enjoy

their meal.

Here is the next exercise' for you in putting together your restaurant

marketing.

* Ask yourselves: "why do (or will) people come to my restaurant?"

Write down all your own answers on a note pad; then type and print this

same question (only the question, not your answers) on a clean, blank

page, photocopy it and give one page to each of your staff. Ask them to

give it some thought, and answer this question with as many answers as

they can determine... before they punch out for the day. (Don't give

them overnight to "think" about this. They might confront this task as if

it's a test' and talk to each other later on the phone. You're after

spontaneous, unrehearsed responses, just like those taking a survey.)

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Were you able to really explain why people come (or should be willing to

come) to your outlet? If you can't answer this question, how do you

expect your staff to do so? What did your staff say? Is there any matchup between what you thought and your employees thought?

How do you think your customers would answer this question? Would it

be the same as you? Would your customers answer this question the

same as your staff? Is there any disconnect' or problem here?

If you think or believe one thing and your staff or customers see a

different set of reasons, you really need to get to the bottom of what your

customers think and feel. (Remember the surveys you conducted with

your customer base? What did they tell you?)

* Realize that the customer is now driving the ship; they are in charge.

Only those restaurants that deliver a positive experience for their target

group will survive in the future. Remember that locked room with you

and your customers? Only those restaurateurs who build and maintain a

positive relationship with their guests stand a chance of survival today.

* If you have questions that others can't answer for you, or you desire

anonymity, check in with a restaurant industry forum, or ask the question

of www.YahooAnswers.com or check out asking questions at

Amazon.com's new service, called: Answerville. Someone out there will

have come up against a similar situation; they will send you an answer to

your question. If that doesn't work, send it to me. I'll answer it or try to get

the answer for you ASAP. (You can email me directly at:

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roy@restaurantmarketingjournal.com )

* If you have extra space or a separate meeting room; or just are real

slow on one night of the week, try offering your location as a "meet-up"

location for a local group of like-minded enthusiasts. Go to

www.meetup.com and see the vast number of different groups of people

who seek each other out and get together - usually at a local restaurant

- to meet and discuss their mutual interest, hobby, occupation, or

concern. This is a chance to pick up some extra revenue; and to impress

a new group of potential regular customers who might tell others about

your restaurant. When I randomly chose and entered the category:

gourmet cooking', I found 78 different meet-ups taking place just in the

Beverly Hills area of L.A. alone. These groups ranged in size from a low

of 42, to a high of more than 1, 000 members in any individual meet-up

gourmet cooks group!

* If you want potential customers out there to be able to quickly access

the information on your web site, e.g. your menu for instance, you

should look into using: www.beammeinfo.com BeamMe' is a simple

button that providers can place on their website so that users can save

that information and have it instantly sent to their cell phone. Instead of

having to print out the information such as the location or the menu,

event, etc. or instead of having to look around for a pen and paper, users

can just click on a button and get all of the information they need, where

ever they are at the time. This is another of the many ways you can allow

new customers to learn about your restaurant; and make it extremely

easy for them to find you and patronize you.

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* Are you a member of your local Chamber? You should be! They can really

help you. They have more knowledge of your local trading area than anyone

else does; and it doesn't cost much to join. Think of it as an investment' not

an expense; also remember to check with your tax accountant. I believe you

can write the cost to join the chamber off your annual income; but check

with your own accountant first.

* The same goes for your local chapter of the restaurant association. To

be in this business and not be a restaurant association member is a

mistake. Just the networking exposure and access to assistance from

others is invaluable.

* To find out where your customers live in your trading area, put up a

map on the wall and ask guests to put a colored push pin into the map,

indicating where they reside. In time, you'll find out where your best

customers live. Now you know how to reach them with either direct mail

or a local newspaper (check the paper's circulation and/or the zip codes

where the co-operative mailing e.g. Val Pak, Money Mailer, is dropped).

* By the way, while you are asking them to help you with that colored push

pin, ask them to opt-in' (knowingly join) to your list of email addresses.

This is a good way to build your emailing list.

Just using this simple method of having the guest put a colored push pin

into the map generates valuable information. If you track and log in this

data, you can also find out who they are; where they live; how much they

Page 70 of 88

spend with you on average, how often they visit (hence, you could also

calculate the approximate or relative lifetime value' of each customer).

The key thing is that you are building a picture of who, what where,

when, how, and why your customers patronize your restaurant.

Remember that data base to identify and segment out those 20% of your

customers who are most profitable to you? This will help you do this; and

assist in developing and adding to your database for this purpose. You'll

get the answers to questions such as:

Who are my customers? (Describe everything you know about them)

Where do they live, drive from, work and play?

When do they patronize me: time of day, day of the week?

How do they hear about me? How do they feel about my quality,

service and prices? How often do they come to eat?

Why do they patronize me? What are the things I do well or they like

the best that keep them coming back for more?

Many restaurateurs hate marketing.' They see it as strong-arm

tactics, or hard-selling, or pushing themselves on folks. They refer to it

as the M-word'. That is not marketing. Nobody wants to be sold; but

people like to buy. Your job is to make it as easy as possible for your

guests to buy. Start seeing that marketing your restaurant' is just as - if

not more important than - the physical restaurant itself.

* Everything you do to put that money in the till and keep the lights on

every day is called MARKETING.

Page 71 of 88

If you want a definition of what restaurant marketing is, here's mine

again: "all the tasks that investigate, create, design, build, implement,

measure, sustain and monitor the environment where the sale can take

place."

I know you're asking: "how will I get any of these things done?

What do I mean? Simply put, if you have one of these resident geniuses in

your neighborhood or household, work out a proper

arrangement/agreement for them to do what you need: build a website,

conduct in-house or online research, maintaining your presence with the

Web 2.0 sites; write the postings for your blog; and whatever else you

need. In return, instead of cash, you can barter with them for free' meals at

your restaurant in return for the services they provide you.

If you can't find a resident genius, or someone who will work for food, then

you might consider: Hire A Helper. I fully understand that you're busy

trying to run your own restaurant business. You don't have the time or the

expertise to do this stuff. If you don't have a son or daughter, relative or

close neighbor who can help, then check out www.hireahelper.com.

Here is what they say about this site where you can get the help you need:

Hire A Helper is an odd-job board of sorts aimed at college students. Hire

A Helper allows anyone to sign up to add information about their services

and work ethic. From there, locals can search for helpers in their area for

services such as lawn mowing, moving, cleaning, computing,

miscellaneous jobs a desperate college student might do to make a quick,

honest buck. Then, the employers will receive a quote from the helper, and

Page 72 of 88

browse information about their services and even see past reviews of

work they have done in the past. Wait for the helper to contact you, and

once you have reached an arrangement, the funds for the specific project

will be taken out of your account. Once the worker has successfully

completed the tasks, you award them with a confirmation code' which

they can use to transfer and access the payment into their bank account.

The helper receives 85% of the payment and the rest goes to Hire A

Helper.' That's how they make their revenue for providing the platform

for you and the helper to meet and agree to get the work done.

* Did you know that it usually takes six times more money to get a new'

customer than to keep the ones you have? Doesn't this tell you to

concentrate first on those you have...kept them particularly happy?

Spend your money keeping the ones you have first, then and only then

spend scarce resources on getting some new ones; but it's better if you

spend smarter not harder...figure out how to do it for free! And don't

forget the 80-20 rule: 80 percent of your customers only account for

20% of your bottom line profits; while the much smaller (in number) 20

percent... produce the majority...80 percent of your profits! Figure out

who they are; concentrate mostly on them.

* I mentioned this concept earlier in this book: are you familiar with the

concept of the "lifetime value of a customer?" Have you calculated

yours? Use your own records and those push pins and work out how

much an average customer is worth to you. If you can, calculate how

long they stay a customer (if you don't know, ask them!). Now

mathematically calculate how much they are each worth...that will also

give you a relative idea of the importance of each one of them. Don't do

Page 73 of 88

anything that drives them out your door, unhappy. Make sure your staff

know the relative value of each guestit changes the perspective they

might have; especially when the guest is being grumpy or hard to please.

* If you don't really know or make an effort to get to know your own

customers, or for some reason, you practice this hiding-in-the-kitchen,

not knowing your own customers-syndrome'... take a look at what it can

do to your business. Here is a true story I wrote recently about such a

restaurant in Brisbane, Australia (The mouse that roared)

http://fohboh.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1411008:BlogPost:59146 I

think you'll be shocked by what you read!

* Use email marketing: it's your best bet and costs the least. If you build

a solid list of your customers, you can communicate with them using

email. Email will allow you to inform them about your blog, upcoming

events, promotions and such. Ask your college student doing your

computer work about getting some of them on RSS feeds for your blog.

To learn more about emailing and opting in, read Seth Godin's classic

Permission Marketing. Learn more here:

Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers by Seth Godin (Hardcover - May 6, 1999) Buy new: $25.00 $16.50 116 Used & new from $3.95 Get it by Thursday, May 22 if you order in the next 13 hours and choose one-day shipping.

Page 74 of 88

(129)

* So how do you build your list? There are many ways, but let's start

with some of the obvious:

1 You will start by answering the unspoken question: WIIFM?

(What's in it for me?)

2 You need to put yourself in the shoes of your own customers and

find out what they want, need, desire, are prepared to return and

pay for...

* Imagine if you split out your emailing list and sent a special email

invitation to the females on your list...about the Ladies' Night Special

meal and drinks that you're having next Tuesday evening. Ask them to

print out the email (it's now a coupon) for a special glass of wine or

dessert. Ask them to bring a girlfriend and they both get a free surprise.

* One of the first things you will do is sit down and work out a tentative

editorial schedule' for your e-mailings. With a supplier like

getresponse.com or aweber.com, you'll acquire what is called an autoresponder, which allows you to pre-load a dozen (or lots more, 52 if you

want!) messages in advance; setting it up so the auto-responder will

send out the exact message to the precise list you want, when you want it

to go out. This will save you hours and reduce your cost to have the high

school/college young person doing it. Once it's written, you can easily

automate it.

Page 75 of 88

* If you have your own blog, you can now inject videos of you and/or

your Chef showing how to cook a special dish. You can now have audios

of discussions, reports of local events, cross promotions with other noncompeting businesses, anything either audio or video or both will now

easily go on a blog. If you want to really learn more about how to place

audio and/or video into your blogs; or even how to set up your first blog,

check out my friend and colleague, Sherman Hu at

www.ShermanLive.com. He simplifies for business owners how to use

audio and video effectively for their online marketing. You can also learn

how to set up your blog for business at Sherman's other website,

www.WordpressTutorials.com.

* One of the first things to do with either your e-mailings or your blog is

to conduct a brief survey and ASK them what they need from you. The

customer will always tell you what s/he wants. Just ask. Most blog

formats, especially Word Press, have what are called plug-ins' that

quickly allow you to add a survey feature to your blog

* Now you can ask them to go to Google Alerts so they will know almost

instantly when you post a new offer or bit of news on your blog...Google

will pick it up and send that alert (remember Roy's BBQ Shack or Derf's

Hacienda?) and send it to your best target group: those same customers

who are supporting you with their patronage and loyalty.....those in your

20% of guests who bring you 80% of your profits.

* Now that you have a pretty good emailing list, do a cross-promotion

with another local non-competing retailer (not a food service

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operator). You mail out her offer to your list; she mails your offer out to

her list. You both win. So do your customers; and you both have the

good chance of gaining new customers...and adding new names to your

emailing lists. You should always be thinking of building your list.

* People love pets...especially cats and dogs. You can cash in on this love

for animals by working with those who specialize in rescuing pets or

helping to shelter them when they need help. These rescues and shelters

are mostly all non-profits. The cost of pet food and shelter is not staying

level. Just like our own food costs, theirs keep rising, so they are in

desperate need of help.

Your restaurant can help and get the benefit of being loved by animal

lovers for doing so. You can find out who in your area is a member of the

National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals

(http://www.naprp.com ). Here are two examples of cross-promotions

you can do in conjunction with your local pet rescue, shelter, or ASPCA

outlet. The first one is called: Host a Yappy Hour!

If your restaurant, caf or bar has outdoor seating areas, consider

hosting "Yappy Hours." The Doa Ana County Humane Society in Las

Cruces, New Mexico holds these monthly "interspecies interactions"

from April through October.

The humane society says that the regular events not only are an effective

fundraiser, they also are a "friend-raiser" that gives them an opportunity

to inform people about the programs and activities at the organization.

Page 77 of 88

People pay a $6 donation to attend and the events typically draw about

70 people and their pets (which are leashed and vaccinated). Naturally,

you'll gain some good vibes for helping out with the fund-raising; plus

you may introduce' some new friends to your menu offerings too.

Another idea is to consider borrowing this cool idea from the Bradford

County Humane Society in Ulster, Pennsylvania.

* The shelter's most successful fundraiser is its "Eat for Pete" event

that it does with a local restaurant. Every year the Humane Society

selects a dog and names him "Pete". They photograph Pete and put him

on posters around town encouraging people to eat out at the

participating restaurant(s) on a particular evening. The slogan says that

patrons can "Eat for Pete and all the other animals at the shelter so they

know where their next meal is coming from." Your restaurant can

spread the word by telling Pete's story in your blog, at your web site, on

table tents, or just by having the staff tell the story when customers ask.

You can do many different things to let your customer base (email them,

post it on your blog) know they should come out to the restaurant on the

night they are dining for "Pete's sake"

That night a portion of your restaurant's proceeds are donated to the

shelter. The shelter also puts donation jars in the restaurant and

information cards on the tables that describe their programs. Get a local

pet food purveyor, or a pet store to chip in with you and donate pet food

to the shelter or to help match what you collect from your customers and

the meals they eat that evening.

The restaurant and the shelter get a lot of publicity and of course, after

being "spokes-dog" Pete gets a new home. Don't forget to have a good

Page 78 of 88

photographer on hand to take pictures and videos of the fun that night.

The local press should be informed, send them a couple of good photos;

and be sure to post the photos on your blog the very next morning!

* Here is another idea for generating publicity and good will for your

restaurant; and lots of people getting exposed to what you have to offer.

This is especially true if you are a chef-owner, or have a chef who is

interested in community involvement...and what chef worth his sea salt

wouldn't be?

* CIA graduate Chef Matt Cohen owns the New South Caf in

Savannah, Georgia. Cohen's great success has rippled outward in many

directions, including the non-profit arena. Cohen understands that

giving is receiving; the secret of his success lies in his strong desire to

give back. Since opening his restaurant doors in 2006, Cohen has been

involved in an extensive amount of charitable work, donating his time

and talent for many good causes. In doing so, he quickly realized there

were more non-profit organizations in the region than there were days in

a calendar year. In order to gain a little more control over this aspect of

his business, Cohen went to work to create a fun and easy way to raise

money.

In 2007, Cohen launched his own "Cooking for Charity" campaign. He

targeted the Savannah hospitality industry, creating the first charitable

giving drive of its kind in the area. "Cooking for Charity featuring Chef

Matt Cohen" consists of independent fundraisers hosted by Cohen and

his Executive Chef Scott Gordon. The New South Caf paired up with a

different non-profit group each month, hosting a fundraiser on their

behalf. Each event consisted of private cooking instructions provided by

these award-winning CIA alums, along with a wonderful meal. Proper

Page 79 of 88

cooking techniques, how-to's, and cooking basics were taught to guests,

who then got to feast on the gourmet cuisine which had been prepared

right in front of them. Participants received a certificate of cooking

instruction at the completion of the cooking class.

Cohen's campaign also included special appearances for charity

involving the donation of his time and talent at many non-profit events

around Savannah, raising money for important causes such as the March

of Dimes, the Second Harvest Chef's Table, and Chocoholic Frolic for

breast cancer research. In all, Chef Matt Cohen contributed over

$30, 000 in 2007 through his Cooking for Charity campaign.

You can imagine what this has done for his New South Caf!

* Before we wind this book up, I want to make one more reminder about

how you can build profits. This may seem like a no-brainer; but it bears

repeating one more time: The ONLY WAY you can increase your

profits-the bottom line-in this (or any) business: is to...increase

sales and reduce costs...at the same time.

We're going to give you one more great idea to get more business; but

first a few words about all the other myriad ways of increasing your top

line. Obviously if we put them all in this one free book it could be a few

hundred pages long; and you wouldn't read it.

By now you have the basic foundation of how to set up your own

strategy' (your USP) following the four steps of the Underground

Umbrella system; and some, but by no means all, of the tactics you

will employ. You can never have enough tactics, ' particularly if they're

Page 80 of 88

free of charge. In the near future, we're going to give you dozens!

Therefore, the other information we will be sharing with you in the near

future...for sake of a name'...let's call it More Restaurant Marketing

for Free'... is chock full of dozens of different ways to increase your sales

through Restaurant Marketing...for Free. Each of the methods given in our

future information services, will cost you nothing or at least next to

nothing...ridiculously inexpensive for any restaurateur.

This e-book you're reading is just the beginning.

* You should start frequently checking our blog *

Restaurant Marketing Journal.com.

www.restaurantmarketingjournal.com

We'll be adding tons of tips, techniques and ideas for marketing your food

service outlet each and every week, sometimes every day!

One more thing: remember at the beginning of this book, I mentioned

Survey Monkey.com and a short survey I would appreciate you taking? You

Page 81 of 88

would really help us if you took just 5-8 minutes or less now... to answer a

few easy online questions and give us your thoughts on (1) your major

problems in the industry and what kind of help you need and want; (2) as

well as your opinions on how valuable (or not) this e-book has been for you.

* Simply click on this link: http://www.restaurantmarketingjournal.com

Once we have the survey up, instructions for taking it will be there. It will

only take 10 minutes at the very most; we sure appreciate your time. If you

take the survey, I have a special thank you' gift. When you're finished with

the survey, there will be a place where you can enter your name and email

address. If you do so, I will send you a complimentary copy of a special

proprietary report I'm working on right now.

Thanks for your help....

* Now here are more great ways to increase your sales. The first one ties

in with the idea of your menu, your web site, your blog and your email

marketing.

It's a relatively new site called: http://MenuPix.com

Here is what they say about their own special site: "it's a database of menus

from different restaurants available in the largest cities in the US. The site

is very easy to use, as you can search for restaurants in your area or by kind

of cuisine, and take a look at the menu before arriving in the place and

feeling disappointed and obliged to stay. Using the service is free both for

searchers and restaurant owners.

Page 82 of 88

This type of site is popping up everywhere these days. Don't be afraid to use

them; but be careful and read how they operate first. Some of them are just

trying to stir up some controversy while others are genuinely trying to offer

a positive public service. Go to the following search engines to find those

you might want to use for your restaurant: www.Google.com

www.Ask.com

www.Yahoo.com

www.MSN.com

or my all time favorite: the many search engines in one....

www.Copernic.com (download the basic agent version...it's free and likely

all you need). If you'd like a search engine that really ferrets out what

you're looking for, I recommend you give Copernic a try. I've been using

it since the late 90's; it's never let me down.

* Now that you are blogging and posting to other sites as well as your

own, you should be monitoring (remember step #4?) just what is said

about you online. I have several Google Alerts in effect at all times. I've

explained some other uses for them earlier in the book; now see how

they work in this example. I set one up for the Cheesecake Factory

(restaurant); the location in Marina-Del-Rey in Los Angeles. Each time

something appears with its name in it, this is what I receive almost

instantly:

Page 83 of 88

Google Web Alert for: Cheesecake Factory Marina-Del-Rey

The Cheesecake Factory, Marina del Rey, CA : reviews The Cheesecake Factory, Marina del Rey, CA : reviews, (310) 3063344. Get Ratings, Reviews, Photos and more on Yahoo! Local.

All I have to do is click on the blue highlighted ink and I get the message.

This could be a competitor, supplier, key client, friend or just one on

yourself.

* I have one for myself and whenever I am quoted, referred to or make a

post myself, I usually know about it within minutes. Here is an example of a

post I made at www.Fohboh.com/2008, the restaurant industry's major

social networking site. I made a comment on another member's page, and I

received this notification by email within seven minutes, (you can use RSS

too if you're set up for direct feeds).

Google Blogs Alert for: Roy MacNaughton

Roy MacNaughton left a comment for Lisa Marovec Roy MacNaughton Roy MacNaughton left a comment for Lisa Marovec. - http://www.fohboh.com

This as-it-happens Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

Notice the highlight above in yellow. I am drawing your attention to the

fact that I had elected to be informed as-it-happens' in real time.

* Finally, one more free service you might want to look into:

www.UserOverview.com This is a service that lets you obtain insight into

what your own visitors to your web site think about your site and you. This

Page 84 of 88

is what they say about their unique service: "do you know what your

website users want from you? Are they satisfied with your services and

products? (e.g. your menu and other information on your web site?)

UserOverview.com can easily help you get these answers. You build a

survey for your website users and visitors. Integrate it into your website

with a small chunk of code (similar to Google Ad Sense); and you're done.

(Remember that college or high school kid? Get them to do it for you).

At the end of the survey taking, you are able to view reports and

responses. Obtain user feedback about your website, products and services.

User feedback is always important to web site owners. It's always the web

user who decides what s/he want. Their feedback will help you to serve

them better. You'll also receive valuable and relevant comments from the

users to enhance your restaurant's food and services. If you want to build

and operate a web site that works for your restaurant, one that everyone

wants, the best way is to simply ask your site visitors exactly what they

want." If this makes sense to you and your operation, simply click at:

www.UserOverview.com

* There is a wealth of "free ware" online these days, and if you have the

time to search around a bit, you can find almost anything you need at no

cost. Here is a new site that organizes this information properly. It's called

www.Freewaremarks.com . This is what they say

about their site: "There is a wealth of freeware available online for just

about any type of application imaginable but up until now, it has been

difficult to sort through it all and find the best programs available.

Freewaremarks.com is the first user-generated freeware list that aims to

Page 85 of 88

become THE site where people go to find useful software and read what

others have written about it. Anyone can register and start posting their

favorite freeware along with their comments and anyone else can add a

comment to the posting allowing for constantly updated opinions. So if

you're looking for some applications that are free, this might be one of the

best places to look; plus you can read what others think about the software

too, before you download it to your computer.

OK, this really is it this time: the end of this particular book's list of

concepts or ideas that can help you market your restaurant...at little or no

cost. I've only just scratched the surface

* This is just the beginning!

If you like what you've read here - and these tactics and concepts are

relevant and valuable to you - you're going to love our blog; then the secret

Underground Umbrella restaurant site, coming very soon. I can't

even give you the domain name; that might give some of the secret away;

but I can tell you thisyou should make sure you're on the special

announcement email list, so you'll be told about it the day we launch this

new site. You can register and be on that list right now, in advance, by going

to the blog at: http://www.restaurantmarketingjournal.com and clicking

where it says: "Free Marketing Tips". Make sure you're on that list, so you

get the scoop as soon as we launch!

At the blog, we're going to be adding content almost every day. We're not

going to take up your valuable time with who has been appointed where, '

Page 86 of 88

or the latest statistics on the big chains and suppliers'. The only thing you

will read here is "how to market your restaurant...mostly for FREE." Much

of what you'll see here will be new, fresh...and often, totally proprietary

information. We're going to take decades of restaurant marketing

experience and combine it with the very newest techniques from Internet

Marketing' and Web 2.0' to provide you with the most cost-effective ways

to reach, inform, motivate and sell your most profitable customers over the

long term.

This is all about you and your family being able to survive this economic

downslide and the deluge of market changes now upon uswhile still

operating in this hyper-competitive arena.

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there

is no path and leave a trail." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Page 87 of 88

Afterword

If you would like to grit your teeth and read some of the recent articles

about the so-called "recession and restaurants", click on any of these links

below. It doesn't make for happy reading; but it is the reality of what we're

up against.

1. Restaurant's Triple Serving of Recession

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/09/news/economy/restaurants/?postver

sion=2008040912

2. Steak & Ale Files Chapter 7, files for bankruptcy

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/29/news/companies/bennigans_bankru

ptcy.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes

3. Bennigan's Files Bankruptcy, closes stores overnight

http://www.rimag.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6582558&a

rticle_prefix=CA&article_id=6582558

4. Does Recession Spell Doom for Restaurants? (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/business/30count.html?_r=2&ex=

1364616000&en=43f7a29fc5455d1e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&

oref=slogin&oref=slogin

5. Restaurants: State of the Union (Portland, Oregon)

http://www.dailyblender.com/2008/03/18/restaurants-the-state-of-the- union

6. Restaurant Face Changing Habits

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.sh

owArticleHomePage&art_aid=78811

7. Recession Diet Bankrupts Restaurants and Retailers

Page 88 of 88

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/07/30/recession-diet-bankrupts-

restaurants-retailers

8. Recession Jolts Bay Area of San Francisco

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/05/30/FD230192.DTL

9. Help For Independent Restaurants?

http://www.foodservicecentral.com/article.mvc/PEOs-Help-Independent- Restaurants-Weather-The-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

10. Hard Times are on the Menu at Restaurants-USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-03-02- restaurants-economy_N.htm

Where can I find pre market data that shows the initial price rise in a stock with time of day or a graph with
such information? I have watched one company buy another and an offer announced on a given day and before the market openned, the price of that stock had already moved to the buy price or the worth of that buy. Somewhere along the lines, some body(s) had to buy shares to raise that price level. I am assuming this happenned in pre market trading although Yahoo charts would show it all happenned at the beginning of regular trading. Scottrade shows it happenned before market trading and I would assume it happenned from the time the news was made aware of on that platform. I would just like to be able to look at a chart and see what time the offer was made to raise the price of that stock and that it corresponded with the "non insider" information made available to the general public.

Get the answers...

Are Electronic Communications Networks / ECNs for Stock Market open 24/7 or is there times when they r closed?
I am looking at GM stock charts on Nasdaq after hours but it does not show the date . I am thinking the chart is showing Wednesdays data since normal trading ended early plus it likely was closed for Christmas. I will propbably have to wait for Pre-Market data. Is there other times when institutional investors do not have access to ECNs?

Get the answers...

Where can I find historical financial data that can be imported into excel?
I know that yahoo finance allows you to download most indices, but im talking about a broader range of things (forex, pre-market data, commodities, bonds, treasuries..etc). I'm not concerned with it being free, I'd actually prefer paying assuming the data would be a little more accurate. any websites that offer premium data?? Thanks.

Get the answers...

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The New Retirement: Revised and Updated: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life

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iMoney: Profitable ETF Strategies for Every Investor

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The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America

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Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power

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Companies on a Mission: Entrepreneurial Strategies for Growing Sustainably, Responsibly, and Profitably

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Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

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The Alpha Masters: Unlocking the Genius of the World's Top Hedge Funds

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Life-Altering Choices Graduates Encounter: Money, Relationships, Time, & Values

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Everyone's Money Book on Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds

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The Disposable Male: Sex, Love, and Money: Your World through Darwin's Eyes

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I, Steve: Steve Jobs in His Own Words (In Their Own Words)

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Money is a Verb!

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Everyone's Money Book on Financial Planning

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The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams

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Values - Not Just For the office Wall Plaque: How Personal and Company Values Intersect

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The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse

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Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies

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Money Magazine June 2011 - Fix Your Money Mistakes ++Summer Travel Deals+++New Ways to Invest for Income

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The Wall Street Journal. Guide to Starting Your Financial Life

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What Color Is Your Parachute? 2012: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

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CNN Money Magazine (ISSN: 0149-4953) (December 2009 - Cover: "Make Money In 2010", Volume 38 / Number 12)

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Money (CNN) Magazine (January/February 2011 - INVESTOR'S GUIDE 2011, Special Investing Double Issue)

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The Great Divergence: America's Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do about It

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How to Make Real Money Selling Books Without Worrying about Returns: A Complete Guide to the Book Publishers' World of Special Sales

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The Smartest Money Book You'll Ever Read: Everything You Need to Know About Growing, Spending, and Enjoying Your Money

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Money Magazine July 2011 - Manage Your Money Faster Better Cheaper ++Andrew Tobias+++Retirement Checkup+++more

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The Ultimate Safe Money Guide: How Everyone 50 and Over Can Protect, Save, and Grow Their Money

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Everyone's Money Book on Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds

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How to Make Real Money Selling Books Without Worrying about Returns: A Complete Guide to the Book Publishers' World of Special Sales

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EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches

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Everyone's Money Book on Financial Planning

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CNN Money Magazine (ISSN: 0149-4953) (December 2009 - Cover: "Make Money In 2010", Volume 38 / Number 12)

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Financial Fiasco: How America's Infatuation with Home Ownership and Easy Money Created the Economic Crisis

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Everyone's Money Book on College

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The Great Divergence: America's Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do about It

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The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition)

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Foreclosure Survival Guide,The: Keep Your House or Walk Away With Money in Your Pocket

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It's Just Money, So Why Does It Cause So Many Problems?

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Vodou Money Magic: The Way to Prosperity through the Blessings of the Lwa

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The Financial Physician: How to Cure Your Money Problems and Boost Your Financial Health

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The Wall Street Journal. Guide to Starting Your Financial Life

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Free Money "They" Don't Want You to Know About

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Fixing the Money Thing: A practical Guide to Your Financial Success

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Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It

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Money Without Matrimony: The Unmarried Couple's Guide to Financial Security

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The Smartest Way to Save: Why You Can't Hang on to Money and What to Do About It

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Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis

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Best places to live 2009 - Comparison tool - from MONEY Magazine

Add more cities to compare: Choose a city at left to add it to the list above. Repeat to add more cities.

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Only on AM – MONEY Magazine reveals list of the 100 best small ...

Reporters for MONEY magazine recently spent months combing through information about America's small towns (those with populations of less than 50,000) to ...

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Money (magazine) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Money (magazine) ... Boomerang · Chilevisión · CNN Chile · CNN en Español · Glitz* · HLN · ...

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Best Places to Live 2011 - from MONEY Magazine

MONEY Magazine's annual ranking of the best places to live in America. See the top 100 towns, plus an online-only database with stats for more than 1,800 U.S. towns.

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More Money - Money Magazine's personal finance blog

Have you found a way to save money on health care? MONEY magazine would like to hear about it. Despite recent government efforts, health care costs are ...

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CNNMoney - Business, financial and personal finance news

The world's largest business website, CNNMoney is the online home of FORTUNE and MONEY magazines, and serves as CNN's exclusive business site.

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Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: 1-25 - from MONEY Magazine

MONEY Magazine's annual ranking of the best places to live in America. See the top 100 towns, plus an online-only database with stats for more than 1,800 U.S. towns.

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Best Places to Live 2009 - Top 100: 76-100 - from MONEY Magazine

CNNMoney's Best Places database of 1,800-plus U.S. cities includes towns with populations 8,500 to 50,000 with satisfactory education and crime scores, where income ...

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Personal finance advice, ideas, tips and financial planning ...

Personal Finance and retirement advice, tips, and information from Money Magazine.

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Money Magazine: News & Videos about Money Magazine - CNN.com

Money Magazine: Want to invest in a startup? updated: Mon May 07 2012 09:33:00. Just got off the CNN Express, the mighty bus I ride to some of the less ...

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Written in the wind

Being horny and dumb is now ubiquitous. It could be democracy’s finest hour. Or we could be screwed. History will tell, but I suspect it’s the latter. We have two reports. Three, if you count the yellow copter. If you hang around people in their twenties and thirties the way I do (they’re hot), you ...

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SERIES: Top 5 Ways To Gain Financial Margin – 1

Welcome to the latest series on the wildly popular JosephSangl.com – “Top 5 Ways To Gain Financial Margin” Financial margin is something we all want and need in order to stay focused on the far more important things in our lives! #1 – Reduce interest rates on existing debt This escapes many people b ...

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Perception and Identity

Bevin Ross.Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross.Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross.Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross.Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross. Bevin Ross.Bevin ...

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CNN Money

Select a job category ... No CNN/Money.com editorial staff contributed to or were involved in the production of ...

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CNN Money

Ex-Goldman director set for insider trading trial; Zuckerberg gets married one day after IPO; Facebook's modest debut; HP considers cutting 25,000 jobs.

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Job Search - CNNMoney.com

7,026+ jobs available on CNNMoney.com. ... Business Development / Executive Recruiter: Rad Staffing: Minneapolis, MN: May 04

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January jobs report: Hiring ramps up, unemployment falls - Feb. 3 ...

The U.S. economy added 243,000 jobs in January, marking the strongest job growth since April.

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Best Jobs in America 2010 - Salary and Job Market Information ...

Best jobs in America. Money Magazine ranks careers on salary and job prospects

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Job Search - CNNMoney.com - CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World ...

Product Manager: Flextronics: Minneapolis, MN: Apr 04: Multek Flexible Circuits, Inc., (Sheldahl brand products) is a leading global developer and manufacturer of ...

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Best Jobs in America 2011 - Jobs Helping Others: Public School ...

Best jobs for saving the world The pay may be low (and the stress might be high), but in these jobs, you can feel confident you're helping others.

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Best bets for jobs in 2011 - CNN.com

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Best Jobs in America 2010 - Top 100 - Money Magazine on CNNMoney.com

Money and PayScale.com rate the top 100 careers with great pay and growth prospects.

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Where the Jobs Are - CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather ...

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Retirement Savings Calculator - CNNMoney

Use our retirement savings calculator to see how quickly you'll be able to meet your retirement goals.

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Retirement Calculators - CNNMoney

How much money will you need for retirement? Find out with our retirement calculator.

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CNN Money Retirement Calculator - Best Retirement Calculators

CNN Money Retirement Calculator. This is a good, basic retirement calculator. The CNN Money calculator handles both you and your spouse. You enter the information on ...

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Are retirement calculators reliable? - CNNMoney - Business ...

One reader questions an online retirement calculator that told him it will be easy for him to retire with enough money.

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Retirement Investing: Get your asset allocation right - Calculator ...

Find the best asset allocation for your investing style and needs.

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Retirement planning tools - Jul. 27, 2011

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Retirement Planning and Savings Plans - Retirement Calculator ...

Retirement planning strategies and retirement advice, including retirement calculators to help you retire faster, 401k tips and more.

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Retirement Calculators: Get a retirement plan - Money Magazine on ...

Retirement calculators that help you craft a retirement savings plan.

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Calculators, Estimators, and Planners - Real Estate, Retirement ...

Savings and real estate calculators and tools from CNNMoney.com

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How much will you need for retirement?

Determine how much savings you will need to retire using our retirement calculator.

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Affordable Home Calculator from CNNMoney

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Real Estate News - Home Prices, Mortgages and Loan Calculators ...

Real Estate news on mortgage rates, loan refinancing, home sales and housing market tips from CNNMoney. Real Estate calculators for loan refinancing, mortgage ...

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Mortgages, student loans, car financing and CD rates at CNNMoney.com

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CNNMoney - Business, financial and personal finance news

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Mortgage Refinance Calculator - CNNMoney

Use our mortgage refinance calculator to see if it makes sense for you to refinance.

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Cnn Money Mortgage Calculator - Real Estate Investing Information ...

Web Links: cnn money mortgage calculator. Mortgage Payment Calculator - CNNMoney - Use our mortgage calculator to determine what your monthly house payments will be ...

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Calculators, Estimators, and Planners - Real Estate, Retirement ...

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High speed mortgage payoffs - Aug. 1, 2007

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Online Calculators - Suze Orman internationally acclaimed personal ...

College Calculators CNN and Money Magazine College Calculator http://cgi.money.cnn.com ... Smart Money Mortgage Calculator www.smartmoney.com/calculator/real-estate/mortgage ...

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Mortgage Payment Calculator - CNNMoney

Use our mortgage calculator to determine what your monthly house payments will be, based on price, down payment, taxes and insurance costs.

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Calculators, Estimators, and Planners - Real Estate, Retirement ...

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Living News - Personal Wellness, Love Life, Work Balance and Home ...

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The cost of living - CNN.com

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Cost of Living: News & Videos about Cost of Living - CNN.com

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Cost of Living Calculator: Compare prices in two cities - CNNMoney

Thinking of moving? CNNMoney shows how far your salary will go in another city with our cost of living calculator.

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Salary.com survey: Where paychecks go the farthest - May. 23, 2005

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Pride aside, it really doesn't matter how much you make, just so long as it goes a long way where you live.

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Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: Town details: Hanover, NH ...

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Comparing Cost of Living | Use CNN Money Calculator

My condition gets inflamed when people who live in this perfectly good mid-sized metro talk about "the big city" as though it is so superior. ...

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Cost of living: Does $250,000 make you rich? - CNNMoney.com

The White House says you’re wealthy if you make $250k a year. But what about cost of living? You would need $545k in New York to maintain the same lifestyle that $ ...

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World's most expensive cities led by Tokyo, London - Jun. 14, 2004

Those three cities ranked as the most expensive in the world, according to the latest annual cost-of-living survey released Monday by Mercer Human Resource ...

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Pre Market Data News

Sunday Night Futures

There are no major economic releases scheduled for Monday. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart speaks in Tokyo on monetary policy at 5:15 AM ET, and at 8:30 AM, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index for April is scheduled to be released.

Look Ahead: Sunday Night Futures

This will be a busy week , but there are no economic indicators scheduled for release on Monday. The spotlight tomorrow will be on Greece and the Eurogroup meeting.

Look Ahead: Futures Down

There are no major US economic releases scheduled for Monday (consumer credit for March will be released at 3 PM ET). The discussion on Monday will mostly be about the elections in France and Greece, and what they means for the euro zone economy.