THE DREAM IN ACTION

For a while now I’ve been writing about Foursquare customer development, sales, and business development. I’ve written about my experience as a foursquare sales rep and the challenges of selling to local venues. Now, I’d like to share some of the details of my newest project and what we’re going to accomplish.

I’m extremely excited for this project because of foursquare’s opportunity and potential to change the way business is done.  The challenge of reaching local venues is incredibly difficult and the only successful method to date has been to deploy a very large sales force. Yelp and others have used this method but in my mind traditional methods are not very exciting. What if there was a new way to sell at the local level? What if you could reach venues through their customers and create a win win experience that benefits every party? The possibility of that win win is very exciting, innovative, and exactly what we’re going to build with the Foursquare Street Team.

In the movie ‘The Patriot’, Mel Gibson builds and leads a militia to attack the British in a way that they had never seen, on the ground and by surprise. The normal sales approach has been the equivalent of the “line up and shoot at each other approach” of the pre-American Revolution British Army and what we’re going to build is a quick moving and innovative militia. This “street team” is made of up passionate foursquare users and passionate customers who want their venues to benefit from the value of being connected to customers like never before.

Our next step is forming this street team and empowering them to show venues the value of foursquare. If your an excited foursquare user, see the value of the platform for venues and users, I’d love to speak with you. We’re going to kick this effort of initially in Chicago and expand from there, so please get in touch. [ryan@renliv.com]

Here’s where we are now.

Existing Chicago Foursquare Promos

@ Chaise Lounge: Show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare and get 10% off on food.  Show your waiter to redeem!

@ Dragonfly Mandarin: Show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare and get 20% off every 6th visit!  Show your server to redeem

@ Piece: Show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare and you’re mayor and get your second pint on us! You can also follow Piece on Twitter

@ The Drawing Room at Le Passage: Show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare to the Drawing Room and get a free dessert with the purchase of an entree, small plate or drink. Show your waiter to redeem! Follow the Drawing Room on Twitter

@ David Burke’s Primehouse: Show your server that you’ve checked into David Burke’s Primehouse on foursquare and we’ll send out a complimentary chef’s choice appetizer to add to your breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can also follow David Burke’s Primehouse on Twitter

@ J Bar: Show your cocktail server or bartender that you’ve checked into J Bar on Foursquare, and receive 2 cocktails for the price of 1 before midnight.

@ Metropolis Rotisseria & Annettes: Show that you’re mayor of Metropolis and get a free brownie!

@ Meze Tapas: Show that you’ve checked-in on Foursquare and get 20% off meal with purchase of a pitcher of house sangria.

@ The Food Feastivals: Show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare and get one free admission per paid $10 admission!

@ The Hunt Club: Get a free shot with a foursquare check in, show to staff to redeem!

@ The James Hotel Lobby Bar: Show your cocktail server or bartender that you’ve checked into The James Hotel Lobby Bar on foursquare and receive 2 cocktails for the price of 1.

@ Wow Bao: Show that you’re mayor of Wow Bao on Foursquare and get a free 6-pack of bao!

You can follow Wow Boa on Twitter

@ Wow Bao – Chicago Loop: Show that you’re mayor of Wow Bao on Foursquare and get a free 6-pack of bao!

@ Wow Bao – Water Tower: Show that you’re mayor of Wow Bao on Foursquare and get a free 6-pack of bao!

In a recent project, I’ve been trying to sign-up venues here in Chicago to be on Foursquare. It’s been a fun experiment in sales and a wake up call to the difficulties of door to door sales pitches. Below I’d like to share some of the findings of the experiment and some of the suggestions that I would make to the Foursquare founders (in the next post) all based on venue feedback. These changes may make those local business partnerships a bit easier and more valuable. Also, note that I am not really a Foursquare sales rep, they are a 3 person startup and they don’t have sales reps, but if they did, here’s what that person would learn from bars & restaurants…

Realizations

1) It’s tough to get in front of the person that makes the decisions – Over and over I would get deferred to a manager that wasn’t able to make a decision on any kind of promotion. I quickly learned that I need to get the right person before I give my schpeel otherwise the time was usually a bust. However, sometimes I found it really fun to just explain the idea of Foursquare to normal employees. In one situation I found that sharing the idea with an employee lead to a glowing review of the product to the manager, which eventually really helped in that important conversion conversation.

2) Brick and mortar is still confused about how the web will help them – With the blowing up of Twitter and Facebook, the offline crowd is becoming more open to the idea that a web based solution could help them. However, it’s still very new. Even though you and I are “savvy” it doesn’t mean that the value of the internet is understood by all. This will definitely take some hand holding. In order to reach the local business masses there would need to be a ridiculously large sales force, which is why most businesses won’t be able to make the economics work. There has to be a better way to reach these businesses than the tradition cold call method. (proposed solution in the next post)

3) You’ve got to relate the future with the past – These business owners don’t want to try the new things. That’s why they started restaurant/bar businesses and not web businesses, but that doesn’t stop their entrepreneurialism from thriving, they are looking for ways to beat the competition! If you are going to make a case to them, you’ve got to relate what your trying to do with something they already see the value in. Maybe for a restaurant it’s Yelp, or maybe for a bar it’s the economics of a Monday night drink special. Either way, connecting with something they already understand and buy into is mission critical.

During my experience in the shoes of a Foursquare sales rep there were many lessons learned, these are some of the main ones. I’ve really enjoyed this project for a few reasons. I believe in the product. I don’t understand how somebody could take a sales job when they don’t truly buy into the product, it would be a lie the entire time, nightmare. Also, I love convincing people of the webs value. I do think that so many people have not yet taking full advantage of the web and I will always promote it’s use where possible. Yes I’m a nerd. Lastly, I love talking to bar/restaurant people. Their businesses are very basic and they aim to serve. Similar to the game Foursquare, bars aim to help people have a good time, and I’m into that.