Believe it or not, there are actually business consultants out there who will tell you that marketing is a waste of time. I say get real! If you don't market and advertise, your chance of success in coffee, tea or any other business is slim to none.

Today, everywhere we look, we are exposed to advertising. Driving our cars, we catch sight of highway billboards and city buses that have been transformed into large mobile advertisements. Subways are littered with signs, planting seeds for us to support sports teams or buy a certain brand of rum. Log onto the Web and you'll see banner and pop-up ads on almost every page. Everywhere we turn marketers are pitching us.

As annoying as this marketing bombardment may be, the reason it exists is simple: it works! Why else would dozens of companies spend more than $300 million to put up LED and computer-programmed signage in Times Square in New York City? This type of advertising continually reminds people to watch the latest sitcom, invest in the NASDAQ or buy Calvin Klein underwear.

How often have you sworn you would never eat fast food again only to find yourself tempted after seeing an ad from one of the many chains touting their latest and greatest burrito? Really, how many ways can a fast-food Mexican chain present the same product-a tortilla with rice, beans, spicy meat, and guacamole? They do it by marketing. For starters, they don't call the product what it is-a burrito-they come up with a snappy name like "chalupa." Then they hire food stylists and photographers to make this 99-cent fare look like something you can't live without-especially at a quarter of the price you would pay for it at a sit-down restaurant. If you have found yourself passing this chain and actually stopping to purchase the item, you were seduced by those marketing efforts.

Still, the reality is that some promotions work while others don't. Marketing is a sophisticated combination of being in the right place at the right time with the right
product. And it's the job of marketers to convince people to buy a particular product-their client's product.
   
The owner of a single coffee operation or small chain has a challenge in this regard. First and foremost, how do you compete with the corporate chains in your area when their advertising budgets may be 100 times greater than what you can afford?

The good news is you can compete and you can actually beat many of these chains at their own game. How? By knowing your community, offering a unique and distinct product and tailoring your promotions to your particular business philosophy. After all, you probably know your community much better than some corporate marketing director across the country.

The first step in making sure your marketing efforts work is enjoying the act of promotion rather than dreading it or feeling like it's something you cannot undertake successfully. I usually tell clients that in the coffee business, most cookie cutter concepts don't work, which greatly opens up the opportunity for creativity. Can you imagine designing the same interior and menu for a coffee operation in Hawaii that you would for a shop in Maine?

We once worked with a client who had secured a lease in a shopping plaza in a posh resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Because the location was in a hot climate, we helped him develop a very "site-specific" menu that included more cold coffee drinks than usual. In addition, we created a menu of signature drinks and named them after local mountains.

The decor was designed for those used to the Mercedes lifestyle and blended an Arizona theme with upscale creature comforts. Once open, we suggested this client ask local spas and hotels to distribute flyers and maps designed to lure customers to "The Best Cappuccino in the Entire Southwest."If your operation is a chain or franchise, you could be at a disadvantage because management, purchasing and training decisions are often made at the corporate office.

But what turns out to be a disadvantage for chains is a benefit for independents that have the power and flexibility to make their own decisions and tailor promotions to their communities. Recently, we have seen some smaller chains that realize location can directly influence how they market their concept in a given area. Their franchise agreements may have some flexibility that allows an owner to do specific marketing that is approved for their location-this is smart!

Chains have only one big advantage-name recognition. Out of necessity, they usually run their stores the same way in Manhattan as they do in Iowa. Use this disadvantage to your advantage. If you are in Iowa and bucking huge advertising dollars by the Big chain, use phrases in your marketing like "Buy Local" and "The Iowa Difference," or use humor-"Corn-fed Cappuccino," for example. Bottom line, play up the fact you are an independent!"

The ultimate goal in your coffee business is to increase sales and, hence, profit. Marketing is a proven means to this end. I often see individuals work hard during the pre-opening process. They secure a prime location, purchase the best equipment and open their businesses full of optimism. But you must remember that once the doors open, you are only halfway up the hill. At this point you can't coast (remember you are on a hill-if you coast you only go backwards). You need to peddle twice as hard as you did during your pre-opening fervor because you are now dealing with the reality of keeping your doors open.