Braciole, Not Always Italian

By David Byrd

We ordered Thai food for dinner Friday (soup and two entrées). It was very good. Saturday we decided to eat the leftover Thai (it was really good). So, Sunday was my only day of cooking. I decided to make a dish I had in Buenos Aires Argentina six or seven years ago. I remembered how to make it but I had to do some research to get the name. In Argentina it is called Braciole with Ham and Cheese. Typically, braciole is known as an Italian dish composed of a flank steak that is covered in an herb mixture, rolled up and tied. It is then braised or roasted. In Argentina it is a pair of slices of round steak that are pounded until quite thin. Ham and cheese are placed between the slices. This beef sandwich” is then seasoned, breaded and fried (I suggest pan frying to ensure that the meat slices do not separate). This dish is a carnivores guilty pleasure. Although similar to chicken fried steak, the addition of the ham and cheese change the taste significantly. For that reason, the recipe of the week is Braciole with Ham and Cheese. Enjoy!

Friday, I discussed the Pareto principle (named after Vilfredo Pareto and always Italian) or 80:20 rule and how you might apply it to your business. I thought it would be useful to suggest various actions one could take after ranking your customers into top 20 percent, middle 60 percent and bottom 20 percent.

First, do not spend any time or money on your bottom 20 percent. Some even recommend hoping they will move to your competitors as this group can be costly to your bottom line.

Next, do focus your marketing efforts on the middle 60 percent. This group is profitable and worth an investment of time and energy. This is where you want to add new customers and work toward moving them into the top 20 percent. Marketing efforts are effective with this group and should include incentives, reward programs and, the dreaded discount. Your marketing strategy should be developed around growing the middle 60 percent.

Finally, the top 20 percent are probably spending all they can with you. There is little to no more up selling or expansion possible. Consequently, the key word here is support.” You do not want to lose customers in your top 20 percent. Personalized/targeted support is what they expect given their level of investment/trust in your business. Retaining these customers is critical. Most companies assign specially trained support personnel to address the top 20 percent to quickly cure any problems or issues.

Using the Pareto principle to identify customer segments, trends and behaviors is an excellent use of time and can lead to continuous business process and sales improvement.

David Byrd is vice president of marketing and sales for

Broadvox
, and is responsible for marketing and channel sales programs to SMBs, enterprises and carriers as well as defining the product offering. Prior to joining Broadvox, David was the vice president of Channels and Alliances for Eftia and Telcordia. As director of eBusiness Development with i2 Technologies, he developed major partnerships with many of the leaders in Internet eCommerce and supply chain management. As CEO of Planet Hollywood Online he was a pioneer in using early Internet technologies to build a branded entertainment and eCommerce website company partnered with Planet Hollywood. Having over 20 years of telecom sales and marketing experience, he has held executive positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sprint and Ericsson.