7 Sales-Busting Mistakes Many Independent Operators Make & How to Avoid Them

How many times have you heard a restaurateur say, "Boy, sales are really slow," "There's way too much competition," or "I'm really working hard to build my sales with a number of marketing programs"?

We can blame the economy, our employees, or the big, bad chains; however, we must sometimes look in the mirror to really see what is getting in the way of maximizing sales.

For us restaurateurs, our deadly mistakes include lack of direction, poor communication with management and staff, putting too much effort in the wrong areas, and go from there. The intent of this article is to help you identify any sales busting tendencies that may be hurting your sales growth and do what is necessary to execute a successful sales strategy.

The following mistakes will keep you from maximizing your restaurant's potential for success. If any of these seem to describe your actions and mind-set, consider how you might change your way of operating going forward.

1. Lack of Focus

Regardless of the endeavor, to be a success requires a clear and concise definition of what it is you want to accomplish. The restaurant business is not a solitary pursuit, however, and you have to involve your partners and staff in this process. If you lack clarity in what you are trying to build, today is the day to define your business's mission, values and vision so that there will be a tomorrow. Without focus you are prone to becoming a victim of circumstance.

. . . (as a manager) . . . if you asked me why we did something a certain way, if I could not give you at least two good reasons for what we were doing then we would stop doing it that way. -- Jay Goldstein

Do not become paralyzed by this undertaking. Not all your goals have to be lofty. When carrying out any change you must take action and create opportunity to enjoy small victories. Let's say that you have a goal to build sales. You can start with trying to increase your per-person check average by $1. From there you could break down the process for achieving that goal into several parts.

The first part may be working with the staff to sell more beverages and that will move the check average up by around 25 cents. Your entire focus for two to three weeks will be on beverage sales and when you do meet your objective of the 25-cent increase it is time to celebrate the victory with the staff. You can buy them a meal, give them time off or have a pizza party. Now you can move on to the second part of the plan and work with them on suggestively selling additional items and upgraded selections.

The final part could be an educational series on adult beverages that will help them more effectively sell liquor, beer and wine. With each step you will recognize and celebrate the victories, and move them forward to the next step until you reach your total goal of a $1 increase, which puts you well on the road toward increased revenue and salvation.

2. Poor Communication

Second only to lack of trust, lack of communication kills more relationships than anything else. You need to practice what you preach. Like a parent, you need to demonstrate the attitude and behavior you expect from your staff. They will only raise their bar for performance as high as you raise yours.