In most cases, marketing is a hit or miss attempt at selling products or services. Selling services to restaurants can get especially tricky while treading the line of utility and relevance. Therefore, while all the other general marketing guidelines apply, a marketer needs to take it a step further when selling services to restaurants.
The food services industry opens the door to discovering not only B2B clients but also direct sales customers. It is a versatile and evergreen industry.
If a business has figured out a way to fill an existing gap, this article may help market their product to achieve higher revenues than anticipated. Read on to know the nuances that will help you in selling services to restaurants and break into the food services niche.
Four Steps To Getting Your Products Into Restaurants
An action plan is a must when dipping your toes into the B2B marketing space for restaurants. A good one always comes with a few different steps. So here are four steps to ensure your journey of selling services to restaurants is relatively simple.
#1. Figure Out The Best Fit
The key to nailing your marketing tactics is to build a client’s persona that best suits the product.
Most new establishments are highly apprehensive about approaching more prominent brands when starting their marketing journey. However, if that is a better fit than a small mom-and-pop shop, the smarter idea is to get in touch with the more established brands.
Inversely, start marketing to several smaller businesses might be a great idea, even if the product is novel. After all, establishing a local reputation is crucial to large-scale popularity.
#2. Build A Network
Networking is the most crucial aspect of marketing. Reaching the correct people makes or breaks a business. Every business has an existing client network. Therefore, an intelligent way to work through this barrier is to reach out to this network.
However, many businesses also struggle with finding a suitable client base. In such a case, opting for a restaurant email list can be a game-changer. These lists contain vital information that helps curate personalized content. Moreover, the segmentations can make it far easier to find relevant businesses.
#3. Focus On Your Client
Connecting with the people you’re speaking with on a human level is critical. Therefore, when selling services to restaurants, it’s vital to keep the spotlight on them. Find out what the client needs and start there.
The key to a good pitch is not to be overly promotional, especially in the initial stages of communications. Remember to approach the entire interaction from their perspective. Nevertheless, use your own experiences as a businessperson to create your pitch.
#4. Get To The Point
Restaurant managers and owners today less time to waste on marketing exercises. Hence it is rather important to keep the pitch to the point and short.
Introduce yourself and set the premise in the first 20 seconds. Thereon, introduce the product and ensure that the establishment can visualize the product in their kitchens. The restaurant will refuse to place the product on its premises if they can’t see its profits. So, emphasize it exceedingly well.
Dos and Don’ts when pitching to Restaurants
Close to 90% of start-ups fail due to investment issues and the inability to sell to the right people.
Therefore, when approaching restaurants, coming up with the right pitch is of extreme importance. However, this alone can be a painstakingly detailed process. This is also the stage where most people tend to falter.
Here are a few dos and don’ts when creating a pitch for selling services to restaurants.
#1. Do Your Research
Businesses want to know that the pitcher is familiar with their brand, market segment, and competition. They should not be required to give out information that is easily accessible online.
#2. Add A Personal Touch
Insert personal details into the pitch. If you’re talking to a big chain like Applebee’s or Olive Garden, discuss occasions when you may have visited the restaurant and what you enjoyed about the cuisine and the décor.
Since marketing professionals embrace constructive criticism, you can include some of your own too. Using this, segue into how your product may help.
#3. Don’t Complicate The Pitch
Respect the client and remember to keep the pitch simple and accessible even when selling services to a restaurant that’s been around for a while. Use simple terminology but keep the appropriate jargon in place.
So keep the pitch simple but don’t come off as ignorant.
#4. Be Creative With The Presentation
Think back to Shark Tank. The most creative pitches are the ones that get the attention. And the only way to stand out from a crowd is to offer an innovative and out-of-the-box pitch.
Try giving them a live demonstration, but preface it with a fun skit. Keep the classic PowerPoint presentation but add pizzazz to it in the form of artwork and videos that might be relevant. Creativity is key, even in the most technical businesses.
Parting Words
While it comes off as an overwhelming feat, nothing is too hard when businesses break down the marketing process into the abovementioned steps. Find the right businesses, help the client visualize the product at their establishment, and do it succinctly.
Moreover, keep avoidable mistakes at bay. Making an impression is of utmost importance when selling services to restaurants. Furthermore, build a network that will allow you to penetrate this corner using data lists with pertinent information.
Most importantly, keep researching and building your brand to stand out!
