Cant help thinking we are missing out on something?

[jane p]

We have a wonderful range marinates and lots of creative meal ideas that you cant get anywhere else?

I dont know any other butchers shop like ours. I wondered if its possible to get a celebrity in our area to get interested in us and have some meat from us and help promote us on twitter or some other way.

How would you go about this? I feel there are alot of people out there who still dont know what we can offer. We are offering lots more than the supermarkets can.

Thanks. Any ideas.

 

[jane p]

I know the singer toyah lives in the area but i dont know whether or not she likes meat.

 

[fisicx]

The problem is you are a local butcher.

People won't travel a long way for your meats and marinades so you have to go to them.

Have you tried selling your products in the supermarkets? Our local Budgens has a huge stock of fresh products form all sorts of local sources. Have you asked about supplying restaurants, the farmers markets and so on to drum up a bit of support?

 

[B&H Digital]

The problem is you are a local butcher.

People won't travel a long way for your meats and marinades so you have to go to them.

Have you tried selling your products in the supermarkets? Our local Budgens has a huge stock of fresh products form all sorts of local sources. Have you asked about supplying restaurants, the farmers markets and so on to drum up a bit of support?

I agree, it's not something I'd personally be willing to travel more than 10 minutes to get that.

Have you tried some competitions, giveaways etc at your shop? They could really boost your profile up and help get your name out there even more.

As stupid as it sounds to, with regards to your Twitter question, do you enter Theo Paphitis' SBS competition? It's businesses like yours, with the ambition you clearly have that stand the biggest chance of winning.

Good luck and all the best

 

[allsquare]

I don't know if it's near enough to your shop but apparently the hamster from Top Gear lives in a castle in Weston under Penyard, near Ross on Wye.

Then again... I'm unsure if hamsters eat meat :|

 

[jane p]

I agree, it's not something I'd personally be willing to travel more than 10 minutes to get that.

Have you tried some competitions, giveaways etc at your shop? They could really boost your profile up and help get your name out there even more.

As stupid as it sounds to, with regards to your Twitter question, do you enter Theo Paphitis' SBS competition? It's businesses like yours, with the ambition you clearly have that stand the biggest chance of winning.

Good luck and all the best

Thanks, how do we enter that?

 

[jane p]

I don't know if it's near enough to your shop but apparently the hamster from Top Gear lives in a castle in Weston under Penyard, near Ross on Wye.

Then again... I'm unsure if hamsters eat meat :|

its not too far.

 

[jane p]

I agree, it's not something I'd personally be willing to travel more than 10 minutes to get that.

Why is that? We have a customer that comes from Coventry once every 6 weeks or so and stocks up? That must be 30miles.

 

[jane p]

its not too far.

how could I try and engage him?

 

[allsquare]

Provide free sunglasses for the fluorescent signs

 

[cmcp]

Lots of butchers are selling online now. Is there a way for you to preserve the marinated meats and deliver through post or courier?

 

[jane p]

The problem is you are a local butcher.

Its not a problem its great.

People won't travel a long way for your meats and marinades so you have to go to them.

Some might.

Have you tried selling your products in the supermarkets? Our local Budgens has a huge stock of fresh products form all sorts of local sources. Have you asked about supplying restaurants, the farmers markets and so on to drum up a bit of support?

Supermarkets want sell their own meat and we do a free marinating service on the spot so that couldnt happen in a supermarket. I dont think you understand what we do. We dont sell marinates we offer a free marinating service when you buy the meat from us. Lots of different marinates choose what you want? Supermarkets sell marinate sachets but you have to pay? Anyway we want to encourage more people into the shop not send them to a supermarket.

Restaurants are hard to deal with they want everything so cheap and dont pay there and then can be hard? I think we could get more of a following if we had someone famous on twitter or something.

 

[jane p]

Lots of butchers are selling online now. Is there a way for you to preserve the marinated meats and deliver through post or courier?

Even if it could be done, the cost would be more. We sell quality at a low price. Its nice to encourage people actually to come in as well.

 

[B&H Digital]

Thanks, how do we enter that?

Follow him on Twitter, it's every Sunday (I think!) and you'll be able to see from the previous SBS winners what they said in their tweets to him (go back on his profile a little).

Why is that? We have a customer that comes from Coventry once every 6 weeks or so and stocks up? That must be 30miles.

I'm not that much of a meat fan to be fair, I would consider going to a butchers, but it'd have to be local as it doesn't appeal to me massively.

I'm sure you've got a lot of meat-lovers visiting your shop though, and hopefully many more to come!

 

[fisicx]

Supermarkets want sell their own meat and we do a free marinating service on the spot so that couldnt happen in a supermarket.

Even more reason to get out and go to the people. Have you asked the local supermarket if you can have a table once a month?

Have you got a stall at the farmers markets? Do you go to the town centre markets? Have you thought a bout a home delivery service?

I like marinaded meats. I buy them from the local shops. They have all sorts of flavours but I wouldn't drive to a specialty shop. And that's the hurdle you have to overcome. You need to sell the products at the places people frequent. Once you have piqued their interest then maybe you might get a trickle of new customers in the shop but you will have more success if you travel rather than expecting customers to travel.

 

[jane p]

Even more reason to get out and go to the people. Have you asked the local supermarket if you can have a table once a month?

Have you got a stall at the farmers markets? Do you go to the town centre markets? Have you thought a bout a home delivery service?

I like marinaded meats. I buy them from the local shops. They have all sorts of flavours but I wouldn't drive to a specialty shop. And that's the hurdle you have to overcome. You need to sell the products at the places people frequent. Once you have piqued their interest then maybe you might get a trickle of new customers in the shop but you will have more success if you travel rather than expecting customers to travel.

you cant travel when you are in your shop 6 days a week. We dont just do marinated meats we do other specialist lines its not just about marination. The lines we do are unique to us and the butchering is done in the shop.

I disagree that people wont travel. People have travelled miles to keep a dentist in another town or a hairdresser they like. If anyone has any idea about how to engage a celeb for twitter please tell.

 

[businessfunding]

I know the singer toyah lives in the area but i dont know whether or not she likes meat.

It's a mystery..

Sorry:redface:

 

[cmcp]

Even if it could be done, the cost would be more. We sell quality at a low price. Its nice to encourage people actually to come in as well.

Maybe you should sell quality at a higher price...

 

[fisicx]

I disagree that people wont travel. People have travelled miles to keep a dentist in another town or a hairdresser they like.

Maybe but not for a butcher. I can't understand why you are so against going mobile. If you want more customers you are going to have to go out and find them. If this means closing for one day a week while you do deliveries then that's what you have to do.

 

[Esk247]

you cant travel when you are in your shop 6 days a week. We dont just do marinated meats we do other specialist lines its not just about marination. The lines we do are unique to us and the butchering is done in the shop.

I disagree that people wont travel. People have travelled miles to keep a dentist in another town or a hairdresser they like. If anyone has any idea about how to engage a celeb for twitter please tell.

Jane...get..out..of..the..BOX!

You may have the worlds most wonderful marinated meats but unless the celebrity can see them they won't know you exist and celebrities rarely venture outside of their comfort zone. For big name celebs they have someone else buying the food for them (unless they're doing one of those, look at me, im normal and shopping in Sainsburys photoshoots).

So, you have the problem that you need to run the shop AND get out and sell at the farmers markets. Can you employ someone to do this? or get a family member to do this every weekend and get your products in peoples faces? (not literally).

People won't come to you. They don't give a damn. They're not interested. Until they SEE and TASTE the produce, then they'll be converted and it will be worth their while to venture to your shop every week.

 

[jane p]

Maybe but not for a butcher. I can't understand why you are so against going mobile. If you want more customers you are going to have to go out and find them. If this means closing for one day a week while you do deliveries then that's what you have to do.

with respect you dont knowanything about the trade/shop. To do deliveries you need to invest in a van with refridgeration by law, would cost a fortune buying it, running it etc.

 

[jane p]

Jane...get..out..of..the..BOX!

You may have the worlds most wonderful marinated meats but unless the celebrity can see them they won't know you exist and celebrities rarely venture outside of their comfort zone. For big name celebs they have someone else buying the food for them (unless they're doing one of those, look at me, im normal and shopping in Sainsburys photoshoots).

So, you have the problem that you need to run the shop AND get out and sell at the farmers markets. Can you employ someone to do this? or get a family member to do this every weekend and get your products in peoples faces? (not literally).

People won't come to you. They don't give a damn. They're not interested. Until they SEE and TASTE the produce, then they'll be converted and it will be worth their while to venture to your shop every week.

I know celebs dont do their own shopping
Farmers markets there is alot of selling criteria at those not tomention themeat has to be sold from refridgeration by law.

Cant we employ anyone no we cant, dont know anyone and there is an issue of trust with a stranger plus you would have to be taking a hell of alot of money on the stall to pay someone etc and fullfil all the criteria for selling meat. We also do butchering and alot of that needs to be done in the shop. There are no other family members in the business either.

Its ok thinking outside the box so to speak but the responses need to be workable.

 

[fisicx]

with respect you dont knowanything about the trade/shop. To do deliveries you need to invest in a van with refridgeration by law, would cost a fortune buying it, running it etc.

Sigh....

Jane, you have started any number of threads over the years asking for help and every time someone makes a suggestion you block the ideas.

The butcher where my parents live travels all over the place. He only opens the shop two days a week. The rest of the time he's out and about making money. He takes orders online, uses skype, twitter and facebook and gets all the orders in for the following week. He has got out of the box and invested in his business.

You are not going to generate any new business using your current strategies. You have to go out and find new customers. Even if you could convince a celeb to visit the shop and buy a dragon burger, how is this going to help?

You can buy a second-hand van for well under £10K, you could recoup that in a year if spent all week delivering while your other half prepares the meat.

 

[MASSEY]

Follow him on Twitter, it's every Sunday (I think!) and you'll be able to see from the previous SBS winners what they said in their tweets to him (go back on his profile a little).

Well even if they did win his little compo, what good will it do?

 

[jane p]

Sigh....

Jane, you have started any number of threads over the years asking for help and every time someone makes a suggestion you block the ideas.

The butcher where my parents live travels all over the place. He only opens the shop two days a week. The rest of the time he's out and about making money. He takes orders online, uses skype, twitter and facebook and gets all the orders in for the following week. He has got out of the box and invested in his business.

You are not going to generate any new business using your current strategies. You have to go out and find new customers. Even if you could convince a celeb to visit the shop and buy a dragon burger, how is this going to help?

You can buy a second-hand van for well under £10K, you could recoup that in a year if spent all week delivering while your other half prepares the meat.

As i said with respect you dont know anything about the trade. I dont mind ideas but they have to be workable. We dont even sell dragon burgers and I am not able to drive. I think maybe website advice is your best bet or whatever it is you do.

 

[Esk247]

As i said with respect you dont know anything about the trade. I dont mind ideas but they have to be workable. We dont even sell dragon burgers and I am not able to drive. I think maybe website advice is your best bet or whatever it is you do.

Well that limits everyones help then.

Why don't you see what these guys are up to: http://www.wellhungmeat.com/

They're in the same line of work!

 

[KernowQueen]

We dont even sell dragon burgers...

well there you go! you've missed an opportunity, i'm sure they'd be a Roaring success...

wonder if they'd be a bit chewy though?

 

[matth]

wonder if they'd be a bit chewy though?

Thats Wookie burgers you're thinking of...

 

[fisicx]

As i said with respect you dont know anything about the trade. I dont mind ideas but they have to be workable. We dont even sell dragon burgers and I am not able to drive.

the meat is irrelevant. If your husband drives then you stay in the shop and he does the deliveries. Or you learn to drive.

All you are doing is putting up obstacles to building the business. I'm currently working with a group of local shops, we are planning a mobile service collecting and delivering a range of products. We have got a van and support from the parish council. We are investing in our village.

Stop making excuses and open the box. There are loads of ways to generate new business but they all involve going to meet your potential customers.

 

[adbox]

I'm not sure if it's the same in the UK, but there are plenty of stories about people using Twitter to leverage celebrity interaction here in the US. Are UK celebrities all on Twitter?

Also my buddy works at a high quality meat cheese and fish distribution store. They leverage sales with wine tasting events, beer tasting events, and shrimp boils. They also collect peoples emails and serve a weekly newsletter letting people know when the quality stuff arrives, eg: sushi grade tuna and choice cut steaks.

On a successful wine testing event night they will sale 1K + in product. They don't charge for the wine tasting events and beer tasting events cost 5 dollars. The servings are portioned.