Mary White-Cornell's Page

Hi Steve -
Thanks for the quick reply! Yes, as the economy weakened my employer eliminated the local store marketing department. They used the money to buy billboards and TV - different CEO's all have different philosophies about what produces the best ROI. I'm a firm believer in using strategic advertising and neighborhood marketing together. Local store marketing is more difficult to measure and demands constant commitment. I think sometimes operators just find it easier to pick up the phone and call their advertising rep to place an ad.

You are totally correct when you say neighborhood marketing is the most effective in building a loyal guest base. My experience has been that operators struggle with it for a couple of reasons:
1. They are uncomfortable about getting out of their comfort zone / restaurant and talking to people in the community - it is kind of like call reluctance - you find a lot of reasons why you "just can't get to it".
2. They don't completely understand which LSM promotion would work best with their restaurant.
3. They are really excited about a new promotion - but their expectations are too high and when they don't see an immediate sales bump they become discouraged and stop.

I encourage restaurant managers to make sure LSM is a part of their marketing mix by:

1. Hiring someone to implement the LSM strategies if they don't have time Even if it is only for a few hours a week.
2. Don't ever stop - decide on a plan and stick with it every month of the year - it takes constant commitment
3. Expect to see noticeable results in 6 months - probably not sooner
4. Run top notch operations - no need to drive new guests in if they are not going to have a remarkable experience
5. Get out of the office and on the floor with your staff and guests - that is where you will find amazing LSM opportunities

In the early days at Chipotle when we only had a couple of stores and no money to advertise - we produced double digit sales increases quarter after quarter using only LSM. It was pretty amazing. I saw the same type of results at my single unit restaurant as well.

What else can I tell you about LSM? If you are interested in any specific strategies and/or results just let me know I would be happy to share those with you.

Thanks again for reaching out - I look forward to a lasting connection.
Warmest,
Mary