March 21st marks the beginning of a new, fresh season – Spring 2021. It’s a great chance for us to retool and refocus our energy and make the most of our special opportunities in the baking industry. If we were nature, Spring would mean we’d have bright, colorful flowers; fresh, green grass; refreshingly crisp air; and weather that leaves the cold and bleak winter behind. If we were a baseball team, we’d stretch our muscles and build the teamwork necessary to compete in the World Series. But since we love baking, we have the opportunity to create our own fresh start, and we don’t even have to rely on the weather. Let’s scrub away last year and get ready for a bright, colorful, profitable new year!
Here are a few Spring suggestions focusing on the basics: Cleanliness, Service, and Quality!
BAKERY CLEANLINESS
Yes … the notion of “Spring Cleaning” really does exist, and you can make it happen. Set aside some slow time for a bakery “deep clean” that’s more thorough than your daily routine. From your display case, take out all product, racks, and trays, and vacuum / scrub / wipe all surfaces to get them really, really clean. While the case is empty, clean and polish the glass so it shines. This is also a great time to clean out-of-the-way corners of the customer area floor; behind large appliances; and every inch of your stockroom – 1) pull out all bags, tubs, and pallets; 2) clean and mop the floor, and 3) replace everything in the clean stockroom (you may want to reorganize and label while you’re at it).
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Use Spring as the perfect excuse to review customer service techniques with your salesclerks and bakers. Not only should interactions with customers be warm and friendly, but each should be viewed as an opportunity to help the customer by using suggestive selling. Always suggest a new product; a larger size; anything warm and fresh from the oven; and maybe suggest a dozen donuts for the office instead of one or two for the road. It’s a great way to befriend your customers while building your sales and profits at the same time.
PRODUCT QUALITY
Here’s where you have a distinct advantage over other bakeries simply by being a BakeMark customer. Our mixes (Donut, Bread, Crème Cake, Brownie, Hispanic, Specialty), Fillings, Icings and Glazes, Toppings and Inclusions, Flavors, Additives, Gourmet Chocolate, and Frozen products are all the very finest quality available. They have been designed and manufactured with you in mind giving you delicious flavors and textures, simple preparation procedures, and unmatched quality – all at reasonable prices and unlimited support.
AN ADDED SPRING BONUS – YOUR BAKEMARK SALES REPRESENTATIVE
A fresh start to Spring always excites your BakeMark Sales Representative. He or she has years of experience refreshing and getting ready for the upcoming year of baking excellence. This experience comes to you in-person – not from a computer program – so the advice you receive applies directly to your real bakery, your actual customer base, and your actual product offering.
Ready? Get set! Spring into Spring! And always remember: BakeMark is here to help.
