Restaurant Masterminds

No, I’m not talking about my wife…..or the small cinnamon sugar sopapilla, I’m talking about the past few days in Albuquerque. I had such an awesome experience…our new members and guests were Great! The
excitement kicked up at our Monday morning meeting and the momentum of success carried us through the day with some fabulous guest speakers….Everyone was able to pick up at least one “golden nugget” from each speaker…I swear I get more pumped up every time I go! Tuesday was filled with “eww’s” and “ahh’s” over some of the most amazing success stories I have seen in a long time, and tears of joy as resolutions to some long time issues were resolved. Dick and I are both proud that so many of our members are succeeding in this economy, topping numbers from the previous year. I can’t wait to get started with all our new members…get your seat belt on cause your in for the ride of your life.

I just wanted to make this short and sweet, if you weren’t able to make it to the meeting and hear how Frankie P. turned his $500 Sunday lunches into $2000 lunches with just one great marketing idea, then I hope you all can make it to our next exciting meeting in Baltimore, we’ve already set our goals that need to be accomplished in the next 90 days…Will you be there to take that next step to reaching your goals and desires?

Remember, tough times don’t last, tough people do!

Your Marketing Guru!
Ben Martinez

No, I’m not uttering my years of playing baseball, I’m telling you that I’m ready for you in ‘09!

The other day, I was flipping through the hundreds of channels on our TV with my wife. I heard her saying stuff, but kept my finger pressed on the “up” and continued to channel surf…..then, at one point, I started to really listen to her (I know it doesn’t happen often, but this time I did!), and listened what she was REALLY saying. It made me realize that my work for Independent Restaurant owners is exactly what is needed….let me explain:

As we went through the channels, I heard my wife say, “Oh hey, that’ the decorating program, where this guy comes into people’s house and turns their grungy living room into a spectacular room for everyone!”…..Hmmm……so a decorating coach. Not two channels later she said, “Oh Ben, have you seen this before? They build these incredible cakes and they are judged. They tell the others what they could do better to win the next competition and some tips for making really awesome cakes”…….so, now you are saying there are a group of folks coaching a baker to success. I just couldn’t wait for her next interruption of channel surfing….and not five channels later and I hear, “Watch this guy, he can help us make our front yard more appealing to people who drive by”…..so now we have a landscape coach.

Do you get the picture? We’ve got ourselves a coach for everything.  And running a restaurant by getting help with marketing or systems or whatever, is really no different. How many shows now are based on needing coaches? Even Oprah could be classified by some as a “coach”…..well, okay, pushing it, I guess, but really, think about that…..Dr. Phil, helps coach those who need life style changes. The Iron Chef coaches cooks and wanna-be cooks around the world into making the best meals. Why is it that we struggle with making a decision as to whether or not to be a part of group, when in reality, the phrase, “the more the merrier” is a solid representation for most business owners. As a coach, I am thrilled to pick up on everyone’s excitement when they enjoy the marketing pieces we put together, but even more so, the conversations that are developed as we sit around creating the next strong marketing piece.

So, for 2009, why not step up to the plate and tell your coach, ‘I’m ready to play’.

From the Desk of the Marketing Guru,

Ben Martinez
Restaurant Masterminds, Coach