We did it Norway

Charlie Edgeler tells Ewan Turney how he and partner Carole Slingo achieved £1m worth of sales at the St Austell-owned Norway Inn in Perranarworthal, Cornwall

How I got here

We both come from banking backgrounds. I worked for Barclays Bank for 30 years after leaving school, and Carole worked there for 22 years. We had always fancied running a pub, so when we took semi-retirement we did just that. We arrived at the Norway Inn in October 2003 and did a four-week stint as holding managers; then we were asked to take on the pub as full-time managers.

We had more transferable skills than we realised at the time. If you enjoy dealing with people, can add up and keep a cheery smile, you can follow many careers, including running a pub. We hit the £1m turnover point last year - that was a really special feeling.

My media strategy

1. Editorial copy: We don't need to advertise - we would rather get editorial copy and some pictures. Our eye-catching events, such as Norway Day, help us achieve that because there is a real story to tell.

2. Radio: When I was at Barclays, I was trained to be a company spokesman and did radio broadcasts offering give money advice. That experience means I am very confident about doing that now. I'm on Radio Cornwall two or three times a year promoting our events.

This year, we held a fundraiser to commemorate the Penlee lifeboat crew who drowned in December 1981. We have flagpoles outside and wanted to fly a flag at half-mast as a mark of respect, but needed a cherry-picker to fix one of the flags. On the radio, I asked drivers to help and offered a pie and a pint in return. Someone arrived within five minutes, and

a total of ten lorries turned up - the media is very powerful.

3. Website: We created our website ourselves last summer. It was labour-intensive, but it means we have full control over it and do not have to wait to update it. It is terribly important to keep up to date - we do that on alternate days.

My best event

Norway Day - on 17 May, this will be our third year of celebrating it. We become Norway for the day in everything from the food - serving dishes such as Kokt Torsk (poached cod with egg sauce) and Fårikål (lamb stew) - to shipping in Ringnes Norwegian lager and dressing up for the occasion. We even had a phone link with the Kings Head in Drammen, near Oslo, to hear how their celebrations were going.

We get a lot of ex-pats and Norwegian students coming in. When we told the Norwegian Embassy about it, they thought it was great and put us on the Embassy website. Through the Embassy we also wrote to the King of Norway, Harald V. He actually wrote back to wish us good luck! It's about doing something different. We're all trying to provide great food, great beer and service, so it helps to set yourself apart.

My magazine

We produce a quarterly magazine, which we send out to about 600 people who have registered on our database through tent cards on the tables. We include interesting articles, details of walks nearby and news from St Austell brewery. Our head chef Alan Poole provides a seasonal recipe. Obviously, you have to be very organised to do something like that - another skill we learned from banking. The magazine is as cost-neutral as you are likely to find because we sell ads to local companies to cover our expenses. All we have to pay for is the postage.

My gifts

We offer gift vouchers in much the same way as a large store. The scheme has proved very popular and really helps customers out. They may be worrying about what to buy someone for their birthday and you are providing them with the perfect solution. We advertise our gift vouchers using posters in the pub, including displaying them in the toilets.

We also offer gift packs of beer, which are perfect presents for special occasions such as Father's Day. Sales increased by 250 bottles in the first 20 days. Once the pub is full, you have to look at ways of increasing sales - to succeed, you have to think outside the box.

My food

We are a food-led pub so it is important to get the offer right. We achieve this through quality, backed up by service. We also offer good value. We are not Rick Stein, but nor are we the cheapest. I want people to say that they experienced good value when they come to pay their bill. People don't mind paying a few extra pounds for a quality offering.

If anything is wrong, we change it - our customer service is paramount. Happy customers will tell their friends and then you don't need advertising. Repeat and referral is vital.

My service standards

You have to lead and train staff by your own example. You say to staff: "Watch me, see how I greet these customers, listen to the language I use, pay attention to the way I describe what whiskies we have. Mirror my service."

Your staff need to reflect your own personal standards of service.

We don't let people just wander in - we meet and greet. Sometimes I go out to meet them in the car park, because they don't always know which door to use, where to sit or where the

toilets are. I describe the menu to them and what choice of chips, salad or vegetables they can have so there is no awkwardness when they come to order.

If you go that extra mile and greet them outside, customers immediately sense that you care about them.

My wakes

We get a lot of bookings for weddings, parties and christenings but also for funerals. We have a brochure called A Celebration of Life that we leave with the local funeral directors. During this very stressful time, people need assistance. This approach helps everyone - for example, the funeral director can suggest to people that if they are using a certain crematorium, they could use this pub. That is one set of customers you bend over backwards for. You don't ask for a deposit and you pull out all the stops at short notice. We have even done them in the week leading up to Christmas. Being prepared to help creates loyalty and helps repay your customers.

My inspiration

You have to be a self-motivator and a "can-do" person. There are always a million different reasons not to do something, but as the old saying goes, if you don't do anything differently, nothing will change. We pick up ideas from magazines, radio and television. You just have to keep an open mind.

My plan to grow the business

We're considering opening for breakfast. As we're on a commuter route, we already open at 10.30am for coffee. It is all about getting people into the pub, even if it is just for a coffee. Once they are in, they can see how good the rest of it is. You can show them what you are all about and nine times out of 10 they return to try it in the evening. We make a fuss of any new customers, give them a business card and ask them to check out our website. That is real marketing - talking to your customers.

My Pub

Tenure: St Austell managed

Turnover 2003: £600,000

Turnover 2006: £1m

Wet:Dry split: 30%:70%

Covers: 160 inside, 50 outside

Average spend per head: £12-£15

GP food: 66%

GP beer: 57%

Staff: 28, 14 full-time

Ales: Four, all St Austell

Awards: MA Managed House of the Year 2006, St Austell Managers of the Year 2006