There’s a lot of angst among folks just getting started with LSM, so let’s re-focus on what is important.

LSM is about relationships, shaking hands, kissing babies, and being an upstanding member of your community. Period.

That you offer samples to overcome objections, suggest a fundraising program, offer tours to school children are just incidental. Your goal is to support the groups in your communities who will in turn support you.

“But what do I say to a school principal?” How about “hi”? Too often we go for the sale before we even have a relationship. First words: “We live in the community, we hire from the community, we rely on the community, we want to be a part of the community. How can we help?”

The school programs, emails, ads, sampling events, etc. are your media, not your objective.

Start the relationship then build on it. An honest desire to be a part of the community is half the battle. The other half, the tactics, are the fun part. But they can’t be implemented until a relationship exists.

Intown neighborhoods are usually pretty tight groups. They’re a lot like the suburbs I grew up in where neighbors know each other and when someone is sick the social network springs into action to supply meals and support.

Case in point: Dakota Blue in Grant Park. They work with a local church so that, when the church is scheduling meal drop offs to a family that has recently had a death, a birth, or a traumatic experience, they call him first.

He volunteers for the first night. He cares about them, they care about him. (Another restaurant I work with does this same thing and has received at least 3 catering orders specifically because he does this for the church.)

Six Feet Under rose to the occasion when the Grant Park Conservancy was restoring a fountain. Donate $2 and get a cut-out fountain to write your name on and post to the wall (like Shamrocks for MD). Cheesy, a little. But the local press picked it up and the local residents already knew he was doing it.

Lastly, Applebee’s franchisees report increased customer loyalty due to community involvement and events, of which the company did more than 15,000 last year. A company spokesman said that franchisees are “involved for all the right social reasons” but “we also think there’s a very strong strategic reason to be involved.”

If you’re not involved with your community, or you don’t have a local store marketing plan for your restaurant…why not?

Apparently it’s catching on. In our little in-town neighborhood, restaurants giving to charities and organizations is pretty much par for the course. It’s how things were when I was growing up (1970s), too.

But bigger and better were all the rage. “I’ll just advertise and then BAM! I’ll be printing money!”

OK, so it didn’t work out so well, and the industry is headed for a shake-out, but there are some folks who are a) making a difference in their communities and b) reaping the rewards from the exposure they get from making a difference (novel concept, eh?).

Over the next few days we’ll give a shout out to Rubio’s, Dakota Blue, Grand Traverse, Six Feet Under, Boudin, and Applebee’s.

It’s what I’ve been sayin’ for years (to anyone who would listen, really): when you care about the things that your community cares about, they’ll care about you. Being a good neighbor is good business.