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Savoring the Flavor of Success

Food

Posted By: Aaron Van Gossen | March 21, 2010 | No comments

“You can’t have the BB without the Q”

That’s the motto of Jonathan’s Q BBQ™ sauce, a product of Q Products, Inc.- a company started by a 20 year-old college student working on a class project. Jonathan Soares took his mother’s Honey BBQ sauce recipe, perfected it, and from there developed his own Hickory Teriyaki and Spicy Cajun flavors. Knowing he had a good thing on his hands he did what any enterprising young man would do- he built an empire! (Well, maybe not an empire, but he’s doing damn good for himself.)
Jonathan had a vision of his sauce taking its place in the growing specialty foods market. With his life savings of $10,000 he embarked on a marketing campaign to get his sauce in stores. Jonathan began networking and building relationships with marketing chains, club stores restaurants and more. He was passionate and persistent.
In an interview on ‘Fox Business – Happy Hour’ he admitted he literally knew nothing about marketing. “I was so naïve” he said to Fox’s Cody Willard and Rebecca Gomez, “I just picked up the phone and made it happen.” Jonathan pounded the pavement, even going so far as camping out in front of a grocery store to get the manager’s attention. He called, sent e-mails and followed up on e-mails just to make sure that they were always aware of him, never forgetting he was out there. The secret, he said, is just being tenacious and never giving up. He contacted stores twenty, thirty times until he got a meeting, and “That’s when I would close. Let me get in front of you, try my samples and give me a yes or no, right on the spot.” But “The biggest thing” he said “is being patient and respectful.”
One of the major keys of the continued success of Q Products lies in Jonathan’s marketing and branding tactics. Some of his campaigns include: direct/interactive marketing, store level promotions, viral advertising, social network marketing (like facebook), persona branding, along with national television, radio and public relations campaigns. These methods have harnessed the technology and innovation of the 21st century, positioning Q Products light years ahead of their competition.

**To learn more about where to find Jonathan’s Q sauces and marinades, check out the website. BBQ fans- I PROMISE I would never steer you wrong!! (hahaha that was a beef joke)