Marketing Plan: Mrs. Potts Tea Party

2

Executive Summary:

The purpose of this proposal is to increase customer flow for Mrs. Potts Tea Party through the

use of marketing. Within this year it has become apparent that Mrs. Potts Tea Party is not getting

as much business as it could be. Mrs. Potts Tea Party hosts birthday, tea party themed parties for

girls. The company does everything so the parents do not have to, such as food, games, dress-up,

and entertainment. Currently, Mrs. Potts is only booking on average four parties per month;

however, Mrs. Potts is capable of hosting around twenty-eight parties per month. When parties

range from 150 to 300 dollars this means that currently Mrs. Potts is only bringing in 600 to

1200 dollars of revenue a month when it could be bringing in 4200 to 8400 thousand a month.

This shows the overwhelming need for Mrs. Potts to market themselves to bring in more

customers. This proposal contains the following:

Introduction pg. 2

Overview of marketing proposal pg. 3

o Audience Profile

Proposal pg. 7

o Benefits

o Competitive Comparison

o Meeting Agenda

Call to Action pg. 15

3

Introduction:

Mrs. Potts Tea Party opened on May 10, 2002 and is located at 264 W. 2nd Street in downtown

Mesa, Arizona.  We are a family owned and operated business, where girls and young ladies

celebrate birthdays, girl scouts hold troop parties, friends simply get together, and mothers and

daughters bond while engaging in the time honored tradition of a leisurely tea party. As the

assistant manager of Mrs. Potts Tea Party, I have created this proposal which outlines a

marketing plan to go in effect for the next year. To increase customer flow, Mrs. Potts Tea Party

needs to update their website to make it more interactive for visitors, have a Twitter and

Facebook page, post videos of our parties and Disney Princesses on our web pages, hand out

fliers mentioning sales, events, or coupons, and be present at major events geared towards our

target market such as the Arizona Kids Expo.

Overview of Proposal: Every customer who has been to Mrs. Potts Tea Party has given

us a mountain of praise for our work; however, Mrs. Potts is still struggling to bring in

customers. I propose for Mrs. Potts Tea Party to take a stronger focus on marketing their

business.

o Mrs. Potts needs to create a stronger presence on the internet through Facebook as

well as offer more interaction through their website such as deals, coupons and

events, and we should have videos of our tea parties on Youtube.

o Additionally, we need to be passing out fliers at schools and daycare centers as

well as send out direct mailers through the Mesa area to better reach our target

market.

o Finally, we should have booths set up at events such as the Arizona Kids Expo,

holiday festivals, and art fairs throughout Maricopa County.

4

Audience Profile: In this section I have outlined who my target audience is for this

proposal. These people include Charla Chilcott, the owner and creator of Mrs. Potts Tea

Party, Patrick Chilcott, the additional owner, and Christy Elmer, a fellow employee at

Mrs. Potts Tea Party.

o Charla Chilcott is the owner of Mrs. Potts Tea Party. She makes the appointments,

buys all the products we need, creates the menu, and takes charge in promotions. I

have known Charla for over three years, this past year and a half I’ve worked with

her I have helped her hire new employees, worked with her on promotions, and

helped her decide new products we should include. We have a close professional

relationship to the point that she trusted me to run the entire Mrs. Potts business

for three months while she was away on vacation. I also know her children on a

friendly basis and have been asked to do jobs for her friends. I am comfortable

enough to talk with her about mistakes she has made within the business and any

new ideas I think we should incorporate.

I communicate best with Charla on a one on one situation where it is just us in a

relaxing setting so we know it is okay for us to talk about whatever we want and

not worry about what others would hear. Her individual interests are making Mrs.

Potts the best and most popular party place in Arizona and my interests match

hers. The more business we get the more I get paid. Our business challenges are

that we are in a secluded location that limits our exposure however Charla is

determined to support the city of Mesa and is unwilling to relocate. The objection

to more promotional planning for Mrs. Potts is the money. Charla is hesitant to

spend the money and time as well on promotions especially when last year we

5

were on Fox 10 News and did not book a single party from it. Charla is the owner

so she has the highest level of buy-in. Charla also has the greatest influence in the

business because nothing goes unless she agrees with it; all decisions are up to

her.

o Patrick Chilcott is also the owner of Mrs. Potts Tea Party as well as the chef. He

helps make appointments, contributes to menu items, as well as makes all the

food and drinks at the house. Like Charla, I’ve known Patrick for over three

years. I probably have a more personal relationship with Patrick than Charla

because Patrick is more friendly and approachable than Charla. If any of the

employees have issues involved with work they go to Patrick first instead of

Charla. Since he leaves most business matters up to Charla we usually converse

more casually such as how their son is doing not going to college or how their

daughter is making out living in San Diego. Despite how easy it is to get

comfortable with him it is best to not be unprofessional around him since he is the

one who convinces Charla who should be fired.

With Patrick, I think it’s best to communicate with him in a group setting. I feel

he’s more comfortable making decisions after hearing every side first. His

individual interests are not losing money over Mrs. Potts. Business challenges

with him are that he disagrees with Charla’s way of supporting Mesa and thinks

we should do business outside of the city. As with Charla, his objections to

promotions and advertising are potentially losing money and wasting time. His

level of buy-in is very high but not as much as Charla’s. His influence level is

very high as well since he is often the bridge of communication to Charla.

6

o Christy Elmer is an employee at Mrs. Potts. She has been there for over two years.

She works as a maid helping with dressing the guests, serving food, and teaching

etiquette. I know this individual very well, we are good friends and see each other

outside of work. We met at Mrs. Potts and hit it off really well because we share

the same work ethic as well as working at the same pace. We often share the same

ideas on hiring criteria as well as ways to run Mrs. Potts. We best communicate in

a personal setting usually outside of work on a one on one basis.

Christy’s individual interests are to get more hours at Mrs. Potts as well as have

competent fellow employees. Her business challenges are getting Charla to

approve of her ideas as well as getting more hours to work. A potential objection

to more promotions for Christy would be that she would not have much

involvement in them because she cannot be a Disney princess. Christy’s level of

buy-in is very low since she is just an employee. However, she has a higher level

of influence because she has worked at Mrs. Potts almost as long as I have and

presents herself, and her ideas, in a very mature and professional manner that

makes Charla willing to listen to her.

7

Proposal:

Overview: Mrs. Potts Tea Party is an organization that has been opened for eight years

now. We provide dress-up and/or Disney princess themed birthday tea parties for girls.

We currently reside in a Victorian house in downtown Mesa and have received

recognition for our unique idea. We offer two parties: for three and up we have a petite

tea party where a Disney princess of your choice hosts the party, the girls get their faces

painted, play games, and have a tea party. We also have a dress-up party for 6 and up

where the girls get dressed up from their choice of our over 200 dresses, get their hair and

make-up done, and have a real English tea party with a manners and etiquette lesson.

Every customer who has been to Mrs. Potts Tea Party has given us a mountain of praise

for our work; however, Mrs. Potts is still struggling to bring in customers. I propose for

Mrs. Potts Tea Party to take a stronger focus on marketing their business.

Benefits of Marketing:

o By gaining a presence on Facebook including paying the money for a business ad

on the website, we can target our audience and increase our chances of booking

parties. We can advertise to people who live near our location therefore being

more likely to book a party with us as well as reach a larger number of people

rather than just by word of mouth.

o Furthermore, the Mrs. Potts website is outdated and basic; it needs to show how

far we’ve come along since we first opened as well as show pictures of our

Disney princesses and the entire parties we offer. The website also should have a

comment section so that customers can interact and share their experience. It can

also offer coupons or discounts on parties if you book through the website. The

8

more people see the website the more likely they are to book parties when they

see what Mrs. Pott’s is all about.

o We should also have videos on Youtube of our princesses singing at the birthday

parties to show how much consideration goes into picking the right employee to

be as true to the Disney princesses as the originals. These videos will arouse

curiosity when they see Disney princesses. By posting videos on Youtube we can

put a link to the website so people can see who we are and want to book a party to

have a Disney princess at their own party.

o Again, we can also reach more people, especially a more focused audience of

children and parents, by posting fliers at schools and we can reach people closer

to the business by sending out direct mailers. Our location has us tucked away

down a small street and people just do not notice we are there; using the direct

mailers will give us exposure. Mrs. Potts should also be present at festivals where

families often frequent to again gain exposure as well as show the talent of our

employees who will be performing.

It is important to practice the marketing opportunities listed above so that Mrs. Potts Tea

Party can continue doing what we do so well. Mrs. Potts Tea Party makes it easier on

parents because we provide the place for the party so you do not have to worry about

clean up as well as keep your children entertained while learning new things. At the rate

Mrs. Potts is going now we will end up going out of business. We only do about one

party a week every month and that is if we are lucky. The costs to keep up the house and

provide for the parties cannot be covered with so little business. This should not be the

case considering how many birthdays happen a day, our schedule should be full doing

9

seven parties a weekend; one on Friday and three on Saturday and Sunday. Mrs. Potts is

the only party place in Arizona that gives such a special and personalized experience for

our customers we should be getting the business we deserve so we can continue to make

people happy for such an important celebration.

However, it will be difficult to convince the owners of Mrs. Potts to carry out these tasks

due to small funding. Mrs. Potts Tea Party is a small local business that has remained

under the radar for eight years and money is tight. We have enough to continue running

the business and paying the employees but barely any extra to pay for things such as

Facebook ads and direct mailers. Although, if we used personal money to pay for these

things the benefits would surely pay off. We are already a great business whose products

can speak for themselves once exposed. The customers we do have continue to do parties

with us until they are too old to keep doing so. All we need is to expose ourselves to a

greater audience and we will get more traffic. Furthermore, we have connections through

the city of Mesa as well as our customers who we could always network with to get what

we need such as gaining so many fliers and/or direct mailers for a free party. It’s a big

step for our small business but it’s one we need to take to keep Mrs. Potts Tea Party alive.

10

Competitive Comparison:

Mrs. Potts Tea Party is a place that provides the best party experience in Arizona. We do

birthday tea parties for girls with a Disney theme. We have our dress-up parties for ages six and

up where the girls get to dress up in one of our dresses, get their hair and make-up done, and

have a real English tea party. We also have a petite party for ages three and up where a Disney

princess of your choice hosts the party leading games, face-painting, and a tea party. However,

despite our great services, Mrs. Potts has had a hard time drawing in customers because we are in

such a secluded area that not many people know about us. As an employee, my initiative for Mrs.

Potts is to increase marketing of our business. I propose that we update our website to make it

more interactive to draw parents and children to it, to increase our presence on the internet by

being on Facebook, Twitter, etc., and to participate in fairs, functions, and expos that are family

oriented. An analysis of other businesses that have had success through new marketing strategies

include:

A success story using social media to increase business, found on Rick Burnes article, “5

Surprising Social Media Business Success Stories,” is a start-up business in Boston called

Idea Paint. Their product allows you to paint on walls to create a dry erase board. To

market their product Idea Paint started a company blog where employees post videos,

photos, and stories of customers using their product while also posting them on Facebook

and Twitter. This allowed Idea Paint to directly interact with their customers and reach

out globally. The results of their strategies led social media to be Idea Paint’s largest

source of traffic and leads (Burnes 1). Although Idea Paint provides a very different

product from Mrs. Potts, this example shows how using social media can draw customers

by being able to have more personal relationships with them. In addition, Idea Paint made

11

their blog more interactive to draw people in. By allowing customers to post videos and

photos and relating stories, the customers feel more intimate with the company and enjoy

being present on the internet. Even people visiting the blog who are not customers will

feel more intimate with the company after seeing personal uses of their products.

Furthermore, according to Burnes, another company with success using social media is

Neenah Paper. Similar to Mrs. Pott’s issue, Neenah Paper was having a harder time

bringing in new customers. Realizing that most of their customers were graphic artists

who spend most of their time on computers, they needed to be on the internet. Now

Neenah Paper has a sales team that interacts with potential customers via Twitter when

before these interactions needed to be done in person. Although Mrs. Pott’s customers are

not graphic artists, they are moms who are always on the computer especially when

searching for birthday ideas for their kids as well as the kids themselves who are on the

computer more than any adults. By gaining a larger internet presence we can reach out to

more potential customers and interact with them via the web that takes out the trouble of

having to meet face to face but can still see what Mrs. Potts is all about through our

photos, videos, and chats.

12

Meeting Agenda:

Meeting Purpose: The purpose of this meeting is to discuss marketing tools and

strategies to increase customer flow for Mrs. Potts Tea Party. During the meeting we will

discuss the benefits of increasing our presence through the web including a Facebook and

Twitter as well as updating our website to enable more interaction. We will discuss the

possibility of posting videos on our web pages of our Princesses singing and face painting

to highlight the talent of our employees. We will also discuss getting ads and/or articles

in publications of our choosing that we see will best fit the image of Mrs. Potts. We will

also discuss more family oriented events we can be a part of. This meeting is a way to

highlight simple yet effective ways to market Mrs. Potts in a way that appeases the

owners and fellow employees.

Private Meeting Outcomes:o To highlight the importance of marketing to Mrs. Potts while demonstrating how

it can improve customer flow and image.

o Demonstrate the value of any time and additional spending needed for marketing

to gain faith from owner, Charla Chilcott, who is hesitant towards the

effectiveness of marketing.

o To gain support from the owners and employees on this endeavor because

interaction between potential customers and all of us at Mrs. Potts is important to

fully show what Mrs. Potts is about through our marketing tactics.

13

Desired Meeting Outcomes:

We will go over all possible marketing endeavors as thought up by me, Leah Boles,

assistant manager. Honing in on specific publications and events we will be featured

in.

Hear from both owners, Patrick and Charla Chilcott, for their ideas and/or doubts

towards the proposals as well as any feedback from the employees present. Any

feedback or other ideas will be greatly appreciated to help towards the success of

these marketing proposals for Mrs. Potts Tea Party.

Review which actions we can start working on immediately and which ones need

more planning and the amount of time needed and the budget for each action to

obtain success.

Next Steps:

Begin creating a Facebook and Twitter page for Mrs. Potts Tea Party and decide who will

be in charge of updating them and how often.

Have the re-designed Mrs. Potts Party website running by January 7, 2011.

14

Marketing Actions for Mrs. Pott’s Tea Party Agenda

November 13, 2010

Meeting Attendees:

Charla Chilcott, Owner Patrick Chilcott, Owner Leah Boles, Assistant Manager Christy Elmer, Employee Christina Martin, Employee

Meeting Location:

Mrs. Pott’s Tea Party Tea House- 264 W. 2nd St., Mesa, Arizona 85201

Meeting Agenda:

Saturday, November 13:

10:00-10:30 a.m. Tea party. Employees encouraged to grab snacks and tea as well as

time to mingle.

10:30-11:30 a.m. Walk through the proposed marketing actions, highlighting their benefits

for Mrs. Pott’s.

11:30-1:00 p.m. Q&A- Answer any questions and discuss any further ideas or concerns.

This time is also to be used to discuss our next steps.

15

Call to action:

I will be asking all Mrs. Potts employees to contribute to the marketing tools discussed

previously. The value of my initiative is that it will help us reach out to more potential customers

thereby increasing our revenue. By marketing, Mrs. Potts can reach more people in Arizona who

have yet to hear about us due to our seclusion. Although our current location is a great spot

because it is the exact cottage look we are going for, the house is in Mesa tucked away in a

neighborhood where there is very little traffic. Because of this, it is imperative that Mrs. Potts

Tea Party gets their name out there using different methods such as the internet and going to

events across the state to promote ourselves. Our services are great enough to pull in customers

from Queen Creek and Avondale but with so little customers now it is hard for our wonderful

services to reach others just by word of mouth. Therefore, we need to market ourselves to push

our excellent parties to the public.