What is a business model?

Image you wanted to open a restaurant.  You know you need staff, premises and a kitchen... what else? Building a business model enables you to discover the needs of your clients before you re-fit and are ready to open your doors.

We have all been to a restaurant and been forgotten, or our food turns up cold, over cooked etc.  the toilets are disgusting, the skirting boards are grotty, the walls need painting and so on.

Building the Business Model

Close your eyes and imagine you are sending a friend out to dinner, you want the perfect evening for them... it might be something like this:-

Beautifully decorated, spotlessly clean restaurant, viewable kitchen so the diners can see its clean and well run.

Sillitoe Business Solutions offer advice and services on: Customer service, business solutions, advanced business intelligence, business models, business development, training, business thinking, business synergy, business advice, marketing advice.

Shopping list for design of the restaurant would be as follows:-

Clean front end, stainless steel kitchen, staff white uniforms and hats. Fantastic modern and extremely clean toilets (checked EVERY hour without fail).

A waitress that believes in exceeding customer’s expectations. A electronic gadget to take orders that buzzes the table number back at them 15 minutes after order taken (no diners ever forgotten).

Coates taken as people arrive, napkins placed on the diner’s laps and chairs pulled out for them to sit.  5 and 10 minute checks when food has been served to check all ok, soft mood lighting and music.

A children’s pack, free 1st drink incentives, have a meal with us and get in half price at the local night club/theatre/etc afterwards, payment at the table.

Marketing the restaurant:-

Voucher if they visit again within 6 weeks, e-mail address and mobile number taken (competition to encourage a free meal to the winner if they participate on a survey) offering a discount scheme with the local gym and keep them updated with changes of your menu,  information of events in the restaurant.

Home delivery, number recognition service: hello Mr. Smith, thank you for calling our restaurant how can we help you today? :)

Discounted taxi service - offer a cheaper rate for to and from your restaurant to clients homes as a bonus.

So why are so many restaurants not offering a service like this? Good question!  Its not about what you can sell, it’s about how can you care, nurture and serve your clients.  If you are able to orientate yourself into the customer "Zone" you begin to understand your potential client’s needs, concerns and requirements.

Business models are achieved by running through in great detail the whole business process and "feeling" what the client feels, placing strict procedures in place from these to ensure everything the client desires is catered for.