Want a good Fall? Start now.

School starts on Monday, Labor Day (catering) is a month or so away, and there is still a month or so left of summer to get visibility, get involved, and sample your wares at summer events. It's a busy time, but a plan will help.

First, be sure you have the right objective. I'm hearing a lot of "I need new customers" and I'm seeing a lot of ad folks and service providers coming around saying "we reach X number of people - new customers will be pounding your down your door". But that isn't what the numbers show. The numbers say people are dining out less, they're less confident about the future. The numbers say that some ticket averages are going up at the same time customer counts are going down (makes sense if you think about it - hard-core customers spend more money, they're the ones left).

The evidence says Frequency of Visit should be your first concern. See now? You're halfway there already.

Now it's time to plan. School is headed back into session and, if you haven't already, get to them now - and again in September.

There are still plenty of summer events out there where you can sample, sponsor, coupon, or support the community. Find them. Schedule them.

If catering is your gig, you've got Labor Day coming up. Make sure you match your audience to your objective though. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to sell catering to people who don't already love you.

Lastly, if you haven't already done so, check out The CommonMan Group discussion list. Get ideas, give ideas, discuss what works and what doesn't. I find that coffee companies have more ideas for BBQ restaurants than they do for themselves, and vice versa. It's a great place to get advice from others who are in the same boat you are.