Introduction
The Learn More to Earn More (LM2EM) principle is based on the idea that by providing hospitality staff with perfect product knowledge—about the food and beverage items they sell—organizations can double their sales over 1-5 years. The core of this principle is supported by the Law of Requisite Variety: the more knowledge staff have about the products, the better they can manage the variety of guest needs and preferences, leading to increased sales.
The Law of Requisite Variety and Product Knowledge
The Law of Requisite Variety states that to control a complex environment, the system (in this case, hospitality staff) must have enough variety (knowledge) to match the variety of the environment (guest questions, preferences, etc.).
- Let’s define:
- K = Product Knowledge (how well the staff knows their food and beverage items)
- G = Guest Variety (the variety in guest questions, preferences, and needs)
- S(t) = Sales at time tt
If K (knowledge) matches or exceeds G (guest variety), the staff can effectively control the guest experience and drive sales. Mathematically, we express this as:
- If K = G, sales are optimal.
- If K > G, sales increase further because staff can anticipate and exceed guest expectations.
- If K < G, sales drop, as staff struggle to manage the variety of guest needs.
The LM2EM Formula
The goal of LM2EM is to achieve K = 1, or perfect product knowledge. This results in the staff confidently handling any guest variety, leading to significantly increased sales. The simplified formula to demonstrate sales growth is:
Where:
- S_0(t) is the baseline sales level.
- S_{LM2EM}(t) is the target sales level after implementing product knowledge training.
By educating staff to have perfect product knowledge, we predict that sales can double over time. For example, if current sales are $100,000 per month, after implementing LM2EM, sales could grow to $200,000 per month.
Why Perfect Product Knowledge Matters
Research from the hospitality industry supports the impact of product knowledge on sales:
- Restaurants and bars that implement beverage and food training programs see a 15-25% increase in sales in the first year.
- Staff with better product knowledge can upsell more effectively, resulting in higher average check sizes (often by 30% or more).
Conclusion
By achieving perfect product knowledge through high-quality training systems, hospitality organizations can double their sales within 1-5 years. The Learn More to Earn More (LM2EM) formula is a simple yet powerful framework that shows how investing in staff knowledge directly translates into revenue growth.