Do It Yourself
Sales-Building Courses & Tools

All the tips, tools and techniques you need
to drive sales and get more customers
to your business.

What This Site Provides

17 Courses

Proven, Tried, and Tested Techniques: Our text-based courses are chock-full of proven sales-building techniques we’ve successfully used in our marketing and operations-based jobs and with the clients we’ve worked with. We use real-world, contemporary examples so you can see the ideas in action.

We dislike marketing jargon and buzz words. We’ve written these guides in plain English.

  • Annual Planning
  • Give-Back & Charity
  • Marketing & Communications Plans
  • Loyalty & Reward Programs
  • Company Culture
  • Store Tours
  • Create A Destination
  • Using Facts & Trends
  • Customer Experience
  • New Store Opening
  • Sales & Marketing Plans
  • Promotion Building
  • Social Media
  • Sampling & Demonstrations
  • Word-of-Mouth
  • Hiring & Staffing
  • Holiday Promotion

Templates & Tools

We provide the tools you need to do the work. If we mention a Marketing Plan template or a Trade Area Assessment – we’ve provided you with those tools. Everything we give you is in an editable document or spreadsheet template for you to put to immediate use.

Marketing Activities

We have 180+ marketing activities (or tactics) that take an idea, such as

  • Charity Fundraising Days
  • Gift Card Strategy
  • Marketing Holidays
  • Radio Station Promotions
  • &tc.

and we provide additional details, and ideas to implement.

“What’s Your Situation?” Tool

Enter your location age, type, and current challenge. LSMGuide will provide recommended marketing activities to consider!

Who Is LSM For?

Any business owner or operator interested in
driving sales and growing their customer base.

  • Restaurants
  • Retail Stores
  • Franchisees
  • Franchise Owers
  • Florists
  • Sandwich Shops
  • Pet Stores
  • Burger Joints
  • Coffee Shops
  • Clothing Stores
  • Wine Bars
  • Frozen Yogurt Shops
  • Grocery Stores
  • Bakeries
  • Cupcake Shops

Why Use LSMGuide?

LSMGuide puts the tools of the marketing experts in your hands. We provide proven ideas and actionable programs you can put to immediate use to drive your business.

Local Store Marketing (LSM) is about driving your business by making your location locally relevant. It’s about connecting your location to your customers, your neighborhood and your community.

Local Marketing can be cost effective and fun.

It’s not about spending big dollars on advertising campaigns. It’s the way many big, successful brands (like Starbucks Coffee Company) got to where they are today. Well-executed Local Marketing drives all areas of your business… sales, customer loyalty and employee engagement/retention.

About Your Marketing Guides

PAUL

SHANNON

JOHN

MADELON

LSMGuide has been created by expert marketers who share more than 100 years experience creating marketing and sales strategies for Starbucks Coffee Company, Whole Foods Market, The Disney Company, Panera Bread Company, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and others.

What has made us successful marketers is our core understanding of Operations. Our ideas are practical and consider the logistics of operating the business.

We have put all of our experience, all we have learned through trial-and-error and success into a tool that allows you to rapidly, but thoroughly, figure out what action to take to address the situation or challenges you’re having at your business.

What is LSM? Local Store Marketing?

Local Store Marketing, (also called Neighborhood Marketing or LSM) is marketing activities designed to help your business be locally relevant with your customers and community. Relevant in a way that helps you stay top of mind when they’re considering your type of products and services.

Local Store Marketing involves engaging your customers at the store or location level. At this local level where you can create the most meaningful connection with your customers.

Often measured by reaching existing and potential customers within a 1 to 5 mile radius surrounding your location, LSM can be much broader or narrower based number of locations (of your brand or company) near you or if you are the only location within your region. The sales and marketing strategies Local Store Marketing supports typically include:

  • Building Awareness,
  • Driving Traffic,
  • Driving Trial,
  • and Build Community

While LSMGuide focuses on LSM efforts for restaurant marketing and retail marketing, the principles apply to any business from a salon, spa, bar, real estate agent, coffee shop, tanning salon, etc. [read more]