Lombardi's Italian Grill - Essay Example

Lombardis Italian Grill In the modern competitive market, a marketing strategy is essential for the existence and successes of any business. Effective marketing strategies consists both the short-term and long-term plans that a business needs to implement in order to achieve success. Lombardi’s Grill is a medium-sized Italian restaurant located in a small but busy shopping centre. The restaurant sells full-course meals to its customers. This paper will therefore analyze Lombardi’s Grill marketing strategy according to Case Study #8.1. Although Monica has proved to be a competent manager, her competence is not fully reflected in the business.

This is because the business is experiencing slow growth resulting from reduced sales. The case study also indicates that Monica has identified the problems in her strategies (Perreault, Cannon, and McCarthy 65). After identifying the weakness in her strategies, Monica is considering making some improvements to increase her sales. Monica’s business is doing better than average although it has not achieved perfection. The need to change her immediate marketing strategy indicates that her business is not doing according to her expectation.

The need to adopt new strategies also indicates that her sales are below her target.2. Monica is currently operating under a moderate marketing strategy. This is because the strategy lack sufficient tools and hence it is incompetent. However, her current strategy is in accordance to the four P’s of management (Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy 25). Monica located her restaurant in a strategic position that is convenient to the customers. The restaurant is located in a strip mall that is next to a major highway.

Monica also conducts her business in accordance to the second P of management. This is because she ensures that all her food items are sold at a moderate price to all customers. At the beginning, Monica used to buy three quarter page in the local dailies to promote Lombardi Grill and its products. Although Monica had acknowledged the need to advertize her products, she did not use an appropriate media. Monica could have advertised her products through the radio in order to reach many people. The main customer of her food products are the local people and therefore the business could have done better with a direct sales approach and a strategic location. 3. Monica considered several strategies that she could have applied in order to improve the performance of her business.

Joining a franchise chain was one of her possible development strategies. Monica conducted some research on the internet to establish the viability of joining a franchise. From her internet research she realized that through a franchise, her business is capable of achieving annual sales worth $500,000 - 1$ million. Although these figures look attractive, Monica should not join a franchise. This is because by joining a franchise, she will be required to use someone else’s strategies and hence she will lose her independence.

Monica will also not be in control of the attractive annual sales package since the figure will include loyalties and salaries that the franchise will expect from her. Joining the franchise will also hinder her business from achieving originality and strong brands. It is therefore not reasonable for her to join the franchise at this point.Work CitedPerreault, William Cannon, Joseph and McCarthy Jerome. Essentials of Marketing 12th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.