I just returned from a marketing consultation trip to Nashville where I met with two restaurant owners. One restaurant is a Chinese Buffet that opened about three months ago and is having trouble gaining customers. The other is a Mexican store and restaurant with a long history of great food, however they have seen sales slump due to the economy. Wiregrass Advertising, Inc. was requested to provide marketing consultations with each establishment and provide some ideas for improving business.

The Chinese restaurant is managed by a young man in his early to mid twenties. He had managed a different Chinese restaurant before being tapped for this position. Currently the eatery's income is about 1/3 of their budget. The evening I spent with him I only saw 6 customers eating. As we sat down, the manager expressed his concern about the cost of any ideas I brought to the table. I assured him that I had some ideas that would not cost him any money, but that he should be open to all ideas. During the discussion he made many excuses, and, unfortunately, seemed very unwilling to make any changes. I expect the business to close next month.

Mr. Andreas, the owner of LaCabana Mexican Restaurant in LaVergne, Tennessee, was much more receptive to my visit. He had already made some improvements to the building prior to my arrival. We talked more about changes he could make to the store to improve sales. On entering the store I looked around and wandered the small aisles and then watched as customers came in and purchased. The typical customer entered the front door, walked to their right and picked up tortillas, then crossed to the cash register, paid and exited. Few customers went beyond mid-point of the store.

The store was too small for shopping carts, but he had shopping baskets for his customers. The baskets were to the left as customers walked in and out of the way. My first suggestion was to move the baskets to a location immediately in front of customers as they walked through the door; a location where they could not be over looked which would encourage people to pick them up which, in turn, would encourage them to buy more products. Next, since tortillas are his biggest seller, I recommended he move them to the very back corner of the store to force people to walk the aisles so other products would be viewed and purchases encouraged. In addition he needed signs hanging from the roof pointing to specials and items on the shelves throughout the store. Mr. Andreas listened intently to these and other recommendations. He was excited to have some help and anxious to start putting the suggestions into action. I believe Mr. Andreas will survive this downturn.

By the way, If you ever want a great, authentic Mexican burrito at a great price, visit LaCabana in LaVergne. Be sure to to tell Mr. Andreas, "Hi" for me.

Most business owners do not have marketing degrees. Nor can they afford a marketing team. Yet marketing can be the very thing that decides the success or failure of a business. Most of the time the marketing strategy is haphazard and poorly implemented. The end result is lower than necessary sales and money wasted. Sometimes it results in the total failure of the business.

With a little bit of marketing help, direction and inspiration a mediocre business can be turned into quite a success. Over the past twenty years I have worked closely with many businesses and watched their mistakes as well as their victories. I have also watched many businesses who took my advice thrive and grow while other businesses chose to go their own path and failed.

Small business seems to be my company’s niche market. It could be everywhere, but I have noticed it more here, in south Alabama, that when business slows the first budget to be cut is the marketing budget. I have never understood that. It goes against everything I was taught in college as well as everything I have seen for twenty years.

I am sold on marketing. Not because I am in the marketing business, but because I know marketing works. But not just any marketing. A good marketing plan is a strategy. It is a game that, when well played, nets the winner a special prize. The looser looses all.

That “game” is what I love about marketing. Even when I play board games with my family I get very bored (pardon the pun) unless the game has strategy. I find myself always in the future. Planning. Strategizing. Scheming. My wife calls me a visionary. That is exactly the type of person you need for a marketing person. And guess what? My company and I are for hire as strategic marketing consultants. Contact us today.

It has been a busy week here at Wiregrass Advertising, Inc. with the completion of three websites! First is Ronnie's Men's and Boy's Wear. They have two stores, one in Dothan, AL and the other in Cowarts, AL. Ronnie's specializes in supplying clothes for big and tall men. No matter what size you are, Ronnies can supply your clothing! Visit Ronnie's Menswear at www.ronniesmenswear.com to view their latest specials.

Another website completed this week was Snead Tractor, LLC in Centre, AL. Snead Tractor sells new and used tractors and should be your first stop when looking for tractors, farm equipment or lawn mowers. This website is chock full of opportunities to meet your outside needs. Browse Snead Tractor's used and new tractor and far equipment inventories, order parts and accessories for lawnmowers, tractors and farm equipment and build your dream tractor package. Visit Snead Tractor at www.sneadtractor.com.

A rather neat site that we completed this week is the Jeffersonian Populist Council. Don't let the name scare you off. Over the next few weeks this site will become THE place to go for any research paper or to aquire general knowledge of speeches by notable people in U.S. history, founding documents and the U.S. Constitution. Can't remember who said something? Search the site and find it. Visit the website at http://www.jeffersonianpopulist.com

I blogged on this topic before, but it was in advertently deleted. I wondered if I should leave it deleted, but frustration on this topic has finally overwhelmed me once more. There's an old adage that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. This is never more true than in the marketing business.

There is a psychology to marketing. As a matter of fact, 99% of marketing is psychology. A good marketer designs your ad so that it appeals to your target market and promotes your desired response. In over 20 years experience in marketing I have seen dozens and dozens of ads and websites, from a marketing standpoint, destroyed by our clients. This is one of the most frustrating aspects of our work. I don't get frustrated because I see countless hours of design and development going down the drain. I get frustrated because the client expects me to produce an ad or website that will work in the market and the client has just destroyed that opportunity.

Last summer we began working on a website that was specifically geared to a target market as specified by the client. The first layout was immediately trashed by the client who then designed his own layout, look and marketing aspects and told us to "Do it." Of course, I informed him that the layout he was providing was not geared to the target market and therefore would not work. As happens most of the time, despite my best attempts to be diplomatic, the client took the advice personally and became upset. We followed orders and completed the site, however, in my mind, I gave him 6 months to come back for a site redesign. I was wrong. He held out for eight months. But, yes, he did come back stating the site was not getting him business. He also said that several people had told him that they did not like the website. The reasons listed were the same ones I told him last summer.

Recently we were asked by two clients to design ads to be placed on a website. Again, the first proofs were trashed and all of the marketing psychology was removed at the client's request. Again, one of the clients became indignant and told me I should take lessons from another local ad agency because they knew what they were doing. Nothing against the other agency, but I know them personally and also know that they are graphic designers with no marketing background or experience.

I could go on and on listing examples, but I think you get the picture. So, I finally decided I would start a "Stupid Club." I am the head member, my staff are all associate members. Except for Holly. She's the smart one. Now instead of getting frustrated when a $20,000 marketing degree and 20 years experience are trashed by a client who has no marketing or psychology background I just remember that I am a member of the Stupid Club. Hey, we're accepting new members. Would you like to join too?

South Alabama experienced the rare treat of significant snowfall yesterday. I told the employees they did not have to report to work and recommended they spend the extra time with their families. Like many youngsters who have grown up in this area, this snowfall was my son's first real opportunity to experience the joy of snow. Following my own advice, we had a great time together starting with a snowball fight. I had forgotten how cold snow is when it gets down inside your shirt! We ended the day with a pretty well-built snowman with red coke bottle top eyes, carrot nose, cowboy hat and black mouth set to one side giving our "man" a sarcastic look.

I told a client the other day that our office hours are Monday through Friday, 9-5, but as the business owner my office hours are totally different. More like 8-7 Monday through Saturday, plus Sunday afternoons between church. I believe proper priorities should be God, Family, then Work. As any successful businessman knows, it is easy to let Work become the first priority when deadlines loom and work has to be completed. Our Pastor has quoted a statistic many times that the average time a father spends with his children is only 37 seconds per day. Yesterday's snowfall was a welcome opportunity to right the priorities, to spend some family time that will remain in our memories for a long time. I hope you spent time with your family too.

• Is Your Web Master a Graphic Designer, Website Designer or Web Developer?
• A Comparison of Southeast Alabama Website Design Companies
• Marketing Consultation Update
• When Websites Don't Work
• Marvin Salter Construction's New Website
• Definition of Internet Terms

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