Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I have a website that deals right now with local restaurants.  I want to expand to other areas in my region, and then of course, nationally.  One of the things offered on the website is the ability for the restaurants to post their daily lunch and dinner specials, and then visitors to the site can sign up for a daily newsletter, actually twice daily(once at 10:00am for lunch specials, once at 4:00pm for dinner specials) and receive this seven days a week.

Some restaurants don`t have net access, so can`t get their specials on.  Others, just flat out either don`t have time, or don`t want to.  I want to be able to offer that service to them then as well.  But, it`s just me.  I can`t promise them I`ll be "here" seven days a week, to be able to get their data entered.  As well, what would I do if let`s say I end up with 1000 restaurants all wanting me to provide the entry service, and it`s still just me? 

So, I don`t really know where to turn.  I`ve contacted a couple of data entry services, but they don`t really fit the bill.  Most aren`t open on Sat. or Sun. and they`re looking for large data entry projects, not something that would be a few entries per day to start, with it hopefully growing to several hundred or more per day in the future.

Any thoughts? Help?

Thanks!!
Shawn

 

Why don`t you just design your site so that the restaurants can enter the info themselves?  Creating digital forms online is pretty easy.  Then the info is already in the computer and can be automated to be on the site and newsletter.  Example:

DAILY SPECIALS

Name of Restaurant:
Location:
Name of Special dish:
Description:
Price:

They can.  They have their own username and password to log into the backoffice for their "site".  Some however, as I said earlier, don`t even have net access at the restaurant.  Others, either don`t have time(or feel they don`t anyway) or,just don`t want to be bothered with it.

For the ones who set their specials on a week by week basis, it`s one time a week, and they`re done.  For those that don`t now what the dinner special is until the chef tells them at 2:00pm, it`s an every day occurance.

If I can offer this as an additional service to the restaurants, for a nominal fee of course, I think it makes my site that much more attractive to them.  All they need to do is make one phone call, or jot something down and fax it in, and it`s taken care of for them.

Thank you for your reply though. :)

 

You could just hire some contractors to enter in the information, and then pay for their services by charging the restaurants for it.

You could get one of those fax-to-email services where all the faxes would end up in some general box, and each person working on it can sort the emails and enter them.

You`re looking for someone who`s got basic typing and scanning skills---so a virtual assistant would easily fit the bill. The issue will the time it takes for you to pick up your client restaurant menu specials, get them to the VA, and post it to the site.

How many of your clients know ahead of time what will be their specials? Are they cyclical, where "Monday" always has the same special? Or are they willy-nilly, spur-of-the-moment things?

I get the idea that the restaurant owners don`t want to be bothered helping themselves get more customers. They`re "too busy." But that`s the nature of many business owners, lost in their confusion over running the business versus expanding the business.

So your primary service is just that---a service. You`re selling the *convenience* of posting a worldwide notification; a bulletin about today`s specials.

The focus must be on the technology of getting a verbal statement or a hand-created drawing or list onto a Web site. It`s basically "grunt work." If you do it right, your VA wouldn`t even have to know HTML.

I`d suggest using a sort of blogging application like WordPress, where you privilege the VA to enter and update records.

Craig,

That`s what I was wanting to find out, if a VA would be the right thing to look into.  As far as the "entry" goes, there`s a backoffice portion to the site that has all the entry details taken care of.  In fact, if it`s an existing menu item, it`s a matter of finding the item, putting a lunch amount or dinner amount(price) in and putting a checkbox in the proper day.  Of course, if it`s a special this Wed, but not next Wed., then the checkbox needs unchecked for this item before next Wed.

Some places have weekly deals where they know a week in advance, some don`t know til that day.

Thanks!

 

In my humble opinion, a VA would be a perfect fit for what you need done and I`m not just saying that because I am one.     My advice when contracting a VA is to find someone whose skills not only fit what your business needs but also has a personality that matches or compliments your own. 

I am a pretty easy going person but I recently found myself in a situation where I was NOT a good personality match for the client I was working with.  I am no longer working with that client.  Personality can have a huge impact on things like efficiency and turnover when it comes to VA`s. 

Just my two cents.

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