Pizza Today - July 2023 - 16

Building Blocks
Sales Fix
Everything
Nick Bogacz
Founder & President
Caliente Pizza & Draft House
Early in my career, I had the
epiphany that more sales would
fi x everything. Th e challenge,
however, is fi guring out how to
consistently increase revenue. My
sales philosophy is comprised of
three main concepts, and each
one drives hundreds of ideas and
tactics. Over the next few months
with this column, we'll delve into
each one.
Th e three primary concepts
are: new sales, more frequent
sales and sales growth from
existing customers. In this article,
we're going to focus on new sales.
I'm sure along your path as a
pizzeria owner you've encountered
at least one salesperson who
was trying to sell you the next big
thing that will change your business.
But how do you know what
products and services to choose?
More importantly, how do you
know what's going to work?
When going after completely
new sales there are so many
options to employ. I like to fi nd
something that works for me
rather than take an old idea that's
been used before and beat it to
death. First, I begin by deciding
what medium I want to use.
I like to think of building sales
like building a house. You must
lay the foundation before you
16 / PIZZATODAY.COM / JULY 2023
can put the walls up, the roof
on, etc. I never like to use just
one medium. I like a broader
approach.
Let's look at direct mail, for
example. If you want to take the
fi rst step towards gaining more
customers, you may begin with
direct mail. Once you've made
that decision, my fi rst step
would be to line up at least fi ve
companies and have them pitch
me their spiel. I want them to
sell me on why they're unique
and worth pursuing over their
competitors. I'll then compare
and contrast the companies. I
don't always pick the cheapest
option - I try to envision
how they'll help my business
the most. Th e more you talk
to each company, the more
you personally learn about the
subject. So, you pretty quickly
become knowledgeable about
your options, and that allows
you to make an informed decision
about the product you'll be
engaging and adding into your
business practice.
Keep in mind you should not
just buy a service or product
and expect the salesperson
to take care of the rest. You
need to monitor it for results
and optimize it to your liking
and needs as the campaign
progresses. When the results do
start to come in, it's important
to track them and utilize the
data in a way that will inform
your future choices in terms of
spending.
Once you feel like you have
a solid grasp on a particular medium,
hopefully the additional
sales generated will have given
you more dollars to use towards
even more marketing. Th is will
enable you to pursue other
strategies and tactics that will
enhance your existing marketing
eff orts.
In the next installment we
will look at ways to increase
sales through securing more
frequent purchases.
@caliente_pizza
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - July 2023

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