Sales down on a particular day? Is it a recurring thing? Ever thought about doing something completely different on that day?
Or maybe you want to try something NEW for your company!
I was recently at a restaurant at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Croc’s, that has turned their Sunday brunch into a truly Sunday Funday. They call it Drag Yourself To Brunch and just like the name says, it’s a drag show along with brunch. Full Bar is open along with a condensed brunch menu. Food is quite tasty and the drinks were too.
Each and every Sunday, Croc’s sells out twice a day, 11 and 2 pm, to a quite diverse group of mostly females celebrating an engagement, baby or girls day(I saw females from the age of 21 all the way to women in their 80’s). Walking in right at 11, the place was packed and was so tight that it was hard to move around. Awesome for them! I had been once before and it was also packed, but I feel like they actually rearranged and put out more tables. More Tables=More Money.
This got me thinking about how doing something out of the box on a different day can actually bring in customers that would not normally frequent one establishment or use one’s product.
Now, this case may be extreme to some, but they are still cooking their eco-friendly, green food, pouring their tasty oceanfront drinks and making a living by selling what they love. Entertaining. Whether it’s food, drinks or a drag show.
I don’t know Croc’s financial numbers or what they previously hit on Sunday’s before they created Drag Yourself To Brunch, but I’m certain they’ve increased and maybe even tripled. You have to have a reservation (shows a sense of importance and uniqueness), which most people want to be a part of. Don’t you want to feel like you are at an exclusive event? You have to spend at least 15 bucks to attend and a waitress comes around often for refills. A super quick way from Croc’s to make as much money as possible within an hour or two.
Tip: Do something out of the box to get a specific niche of new customers to use you.
I know you are thinking, but Zack, I don’t own a restaurant. Yes, I know, so Zappos would give customers socks as a token of appreciation. A gaming company could give out early access to a new level.
Remember to think out of the box. An amusement park could give some ERT(Exclusive Ride Time) on the park’s ride. You are doing this for a few reasons
1) customer appreciation
2) sales
3) marketing. and specifically at a group that may not talk about you regularly.
Make it easy for them to share their experiences with your networks. Several times at DYTB, the host said, take pictures share them on our facebook page and tell your friends.
If you don’t tell someone what to do, how will they know what you want?
In Croc’s case, they created something fun, with a unique name and were able to market it to a broad community. They made drinking early on a Sunday fun along with amazing food and basically a party for anyone in attendance.
You cannot ever stop innovating, The hype must be present, similar to when you announce. If people don’t hear about it, how are you going to get them in the door?
Stop doing what everyone else is doing. Be different and stand by it!
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