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Creating a Customer Base
Choosing Your Client
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Creating a Customer Base
Continuous building process for the
caterer:
 Creating a solid customer base
 Attracting new customers
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Caterers must understand their
own capabilities.
 The production capacity of the
kitchen
 The current skill level of the
employees
 The financial goals of the
organization
Creating a Customer Base
They must accommodate
menu requirements.
 Low-scale or upscale menu
 Social or corporate events
 On-premise or off-premise functions
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Needs, Wants and Demands Event Planners

Needs Event planners act as creative visionaries for
clients.
 Human feeling of deprivation for something
 Communicate client’s needs to caterer
 Prestige, recognition and self-expression  Maintain order and organization
Wants  Negotiate prices, budget and timelines
 Always evolving Role in catering
 Central point of communication for the catering
 Defined by level of sophistication of the client team
Demands  Acts as intermediary between caterer and client
 Wants that are backed by financial resources Trends and the future
 Environmentally-friendly alternatives
and buying power
 Non-traditional family structures and roles
 Integration of social media

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Prospecting Strategies Upgrading the Event

 Needs, Wants  Making New
and Demands Customers  Professional suggestions enhance a
 Customer Contact  Food-Tasting Events client’s perception of value.
 Customer  Publicity  Enhance food and service by tweaking the
Solicitation  Advertising client’s original plan.
 Reputation  Business Cards  Professionalize the event with specific
 Current Customers  Portfolio shops, photographers, etc.
 Service  Professional Sales
Organizations Staff

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How the Caterer Provides Assignment

Protection
Caterers have the option to • You are hired as a consultant to assist a local start-up
catering company in your area. Your task is to
decline work. develop and present a detailed prospectus plan for
 Ask for references or do a them to use in acquiring new clients for their
background check. business. Write a prospecting plan and prepare a
 Know income level of the client. sample proposal.

Protect the profit margin.

 Look for the next niche up.
 Research the market.

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Proposals
• Communication tools used to inform and
educate prospective clients
Thank You
• State what the caterer can do for them during
the event to exceed their needs
• A basic proposal:
– Spells out every detail to be done by the caterer
– Fixed costs, food costs and labor costs
• Creativity and imagination will help deliver
a competitive edge when presenting a 12
proposal.

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