What is Lead Generation?

• Lead generation is creating a consistent flow of business and income for your coffee shop with minimum effort and costs.
• Lead generation is knowing that your coffee shop is fully booked everyday of the week for the next year. Rather than unlocking the doors every morning hoping and praying that someone will pop in for a meal or a cup of coffee.
• Lead generation helps you to plan your future and takes the uncertainty out of running your coffee shop.
• Lead generation helps you to build a product worth selling, namely your coffee shop, because you can rest assured that the new owner will make money since it is fully booked for the next twelve months and you can sell your coffee shop for a far higher price than you would have been able to without the reservations.

Coffee shop advertising works well but the magic happens when you make your advertising efforts pay off in as many ways as possible by using every opportunity in your coffee shop to turn your client or clients into reserved return visitors.

Step one: When customers make a reservation at your coffee shop for a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, product launch or any other occasion make sure that you get the following from each member at the table in a way that is fun.

• Full Name
• Postal Address
• E-Mail address
• Telephone Number
• Date of Birth

As an example, have a lucky draw for a meal at your coffee shop at a suitable time during the event in return for their personal information. When you hand over the prize to the winner ask everyone at the table if any of them have special events coming up soon that they would like to reserve right now, be quick and efficient so that you do not disturb the ambiance.

Step two: Take some pictures of everyone at the table, if you cannot do it yourself make sure that you have a staff member or friend that can assist you with the task.

Most people are very thrilled when they are the centre of attention but do ask your patron if you may place these pictures on your Facebook or other social sites that you belong to.

Step Three: Confirm with your patron if he/she would enjoy publicity in your local newspaper for the event that is celebrated at your coffee shop, instead of just placing your ad as usual in the paper call your newspaper agent with this story, he/she will be eager to give you bigger space at the normal price. Your clients will love you for it since you are over delivering on value for money.

Step four: Print pictures of the event and post it to each attendees postal box, inviting them once again to book their next event big or small at your coffee shop.

Step five: Make a follow up phone call asking the client if they have received your note with their picture in the post and if he/she have enjoyed the article about them in your local newspaper. This is also the time to ask if you may e-mail them your special offers in the future and once again ask if they have an event big or small that they would like to make a reservation for now.

This method of coffee shop marketing and advertising works magnificently and it has proven itself in various industries such as insurance, real estate and every industry that is commission driven, a coffee shop is exactly the same you have no guarantees that someone will visit your shop amongst the thousands that are available. Create your own security and your own certainty with minimum cost and a little bit of effort.

Warning:

Within six months of practicing this strategy you could appoint someone to do it for you because it is a full time activity that must be kept in place, you cannot start it and then stop because it has become part of your image of what your coffee shop offer. It is now a part of the menu, taking it of the menu can ruin your reputation and your business.

Brand value is very much like an onion. It has layers and a core. The core is the user who will stick with you until the very end. Edwin Artzt