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Date: 23 May 2007 10:48:51
From: bernie
Subject: Update on Jack Denver's advice.....
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....which was posted in a previous thread wherein I asked about
buyers of green coffee. He suggested somewhere that adding items such as
filters, cones, cleaners, etc was the thing to do. Hummph. I ordered
cases of french presses, filters, cones, cleaners, etc. Put out some of
the travel mugs that had been hidden away along with hats and t-shirts.
Dang. Now I have to order more. They sold. Anyway, thanks, Jack, for
the reminder and gentle push. Your apron awaits.
Bernie
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Date: 24 May 2007 13:13:36
From: Calvin
Subject: Re: Update on Jack Denver's advice.....
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On May 23, 11:48 am, bernie <bdig...@zianet.com > wrote:
> ....which was posted in a previous thread wherein I asked about
> buyers of green coffee. He suggested somewhere that adding items such as
> filters, cones, cleaners, etc was the thing to do. Hummph. I ordered
> cases of french presses, filters, cones, cleaners, etc. Put out some of
> the travel mugs that had been hidden away along with hats and t-shirts.
> Dang. Now I have to order more. They sold. Anyway, thanks, Jack, for
> the reminder and gentle push. Your apron awaits.
> Bernie
Specialty coffee people are always trying to upgrade their customers
and I think one of the best ways to do that is making things like
presses, kettles, cones and vac pots more available. These strange
looking things - to newbies - can only lead to your customers asking
good questions that may start them on the path to getting the most out
of what you offer. You customers aren't going to ditch the Mr. Coffee
if they don't know that there's something better.
One of the bean retailers I sometimes go to in Chicago has a simple
display of one each of most of Bodum's coffee line. Don't
underestimate the power of lust and envy. I know it is always tough
to not walk out with something new. :-) Jack is certainly spot on
when he says that they won't buy it (from you) if you don't sell it.
Also, selling it means more than just having it.
Calvin
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Date: 23 May 2007 15:15:05
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: Update on Jack Denver's advice.....
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I'll send you the address where you can mail my consulting fee.
Woody Allen (who I normally wouldn't rely on as a source) once said that
eighty percent of success is just showing up. I don't know if the percentage
is that high, but I do know that you can't tell how well something will sell
unless you try to sell it first (who could have predicted that Americans
would someday gobble up raw fish?). I was prepared (especially since it
wasn't my money and I've never laid eyes on your shop or your customer base)
for your merchandise to gather dust, but I'm awfully glad that it's selling
well.
It wasn't exactly rocket scientist advice to recommend selling coffee
filters alongside roasted coffee but sometimes we all need that little push
to overcome the inertia of doing the same thing today that you did
yesterday. You don't want to destroy whatever made you good in the first
place but if you feel that you need more revenue I would keep throwing stuff
up against the wall and seeing what sticks.
That's why your pastry idea sounds like a good one if you can achieve the
revenues to justify an in-house capability. Again, the key is selling what
people actually like in your local market, not what YOU think they should
like. Luckily with baked goods it's relatively cheap to experiment with
different end products since they are basically all made of the same raw
materials. BTW I wonder how Mexican style pan dulce would go over in your
market? For those not familiar with it, these are generally a lightly
sweetened yeast type dough (like an individual size brioche) often with a
streusel topping - there are many different shapes, sometime the streusel is
colored with cocoa or other colors and applied in a decorative pattern (I
guess using a stencil), sometimes there are fillings like pineapple jam,
etc. The menu of different pastries seems to be quite ritualized with every
single Mexican bakery I've ever been in basically selling the same thing,
like they are all working out of the same recipe book or attended the same
baking school.
"bernie" <bdigman@zianet.com > wrote in message
news:46547074$1@nntp.zianet.com...
> ....which was posted in a previous thread wherein I asked about buyers
> of green coffee. He suggested somewhere that adding items such as filters,
> cones, cleaners, etc was the thing to do. Hummph. I ordered cases of
> french presses, filters, cones, cleaners, etc. Put out some of the travel
> mugs that had been hidden away along with hats and t-shirts. Dang. Now I
> have to order more. They sold. Anyway, thanks, Jack, for the reminder and
> gentle push. Your apron awaits.
> Bernie
>
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