| You are on a city bus, train or a plane going | | | | up a meeting over coffee and talk about what is |
| somewhere and you strike up a conversation with | | | | important to them before you ever tell them what is |
| the person next to you. You find out they plan a | | | | important to you. Tap into their wants and needs |
| major meeting at least once a year that you would | | | | just like you do your customers. Treat your |
| like to have at your hotel. You tell them this and you | | | | employees like volunteers that could be gone |
| get the business. Is there anyone out there reading | | | | tomorrow if you don't give them what they need to |
| this that thinks this is highly unethical? Besides me? | | | | be successful (guidelines, expectations, training, |
| I think this is unethical because that same person has | | | | resources, score boarding and more care than they |
| been using your competition for many years now | | | | have ever gotten from any employer). Now you are |
| and you did not know it. Long ago you could have | | | | starting with people that truly care and want to |
| had this event at your hotel, providing for your | | | | succeed....things that are hard to impossible to teach. |
| employees and their families; providing for the hotel | | | | You educate your staff on how you compare to the |
| ownership so they could have afforded to invest in | | | | competition. Some have better amenities, some have |
| needed capital items; helping your brand grow | | | | better locations....but none....absolutely none of them |
| stronger each booking at a time; making it easier for | | | | will have a greater desire to make that guest happy |
| lenders to say yes to investments needed to keep | | | | and loyal. Nobody will be able to take that from you |
| your hotel competitive and the list goes on to your | | | | or copy it. It is something you are constantly defining |
| vendor partners, community and so on. | | | | and refining. |
| It begs the question "how happy or unhappy has the | | | | All of your employees will know that the customer is |
| client been at your competition?" Would that person | | | | not a dollar sign or an American Express card. They |
| have moved to your hotel much sooner if you would | | | | are real people that want to be recognized and felt |
| have bumped into them, sat next to them, or better | | | | connected just like all of us do. You see them as real |
| yet...you planned to meet them sooner? Sitting here | | | | people with real needs and real challenges that you |
| right now you do not know who they are or who | | | | can help them with. Here is an example of what I am |
| they work for but you plan to find these kinds of | | | | thinking here: you have a "policy" (doesn't that word |
| opportunities each and every day. If you don't do | | | | give you chills?) that your clients sign an agreement |
| that now, you certainly should. There are many | | | | to use your sleeping rooms and meeting space. |
| people who are counting on you to provide for them | | | | Several days before their planned event the meeting |
| and the truth is some of these employees counting | | | | planner has something happen to their chairman and |
| on you don't even know who you are, or what you | | | | featured speaker for the day and they have to |
| do or how much power you possess to impact their | | | | cancel. |
| livelihoods, but man they need you none-the-less. | | | | By the letter of the agreement they owe you for |
| In one of the fifty stories I tell in my new book, | | | | the applicable charges. Instead, you not only void |
| "Ethical Theft", I would go up to a meeting that | | | | those charges or maybe give them a total credit for |
| would be breaking at my competition and I would | | | | the same function in the future, but you call on that |
| approach the person closest to me and ask them | | | | chairman in the hospital with a huge card signed by |
| who the person in charge is. He would point out the | | | | every employee in your hotel. You offer any help |
| person to me and I would wait until that person | | | | that you can to the chairman's family and fellow |
| would finish whatever they were doing before I | | | | workers. You mean it and it is real. On a happier |
| would approach them with my business card in my | | | | note, you tap into your client's hobbies and interests |
| hand. I would say something like "this is not the right | | | | and give them a gift. It could be a book, an article or |
| time or place to go into this, but I wanted you to | | | | connecting them with someone of similar interest. |
| know that I would love to have this meeting at my | | | | Real people serving real people. Ritz Carlton wants |
| hotel. Could I please make a call on you after this | | | | ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen. |
| meeting is over this week to talk about it?" 85% of | | | | For the rest of us just being real people serving real |
| the time this person would either think or say I was | | | | people works. |
| crazy. I would say "I don't know if I am a little crazy | | | | Net net, when you and I are old and grey and we |
| doing things this way, but I what I do know is that I | | | | are sitting on our front porches telling our grandkids |
| am more confident in my hotel to do a better job | | | | some of the cool things we saw and did, I promise |
| for you....that's why I do it." | | | | you it won't be about the financials. It will be the |
| If it is a sales meeting that is taking place I have | | | | about the human interest stuff. The things you did |
| often been brought into the meeting room after | | | | and they did and the things you accomplished |
| everyone has returned from the break and sat | | | | together with your staff. Measure the worth of your |
| down. The leader of the session would announce | | | | clients or potential clients not just by the small |
| what I just did and would ask if any of them would | | | | meeting they can give you today. Measure them |
| be willing to do that....sometimes a hearty applause | | | | over the course of the next ten years or more of |
| would follow. I said 85% kept an open mind, the | | | | small meetings. Measure how much they will say |
| other 15% would think that I was nothing short of a | | | | about you and your operation and how loyal they are |
| river pig and would not want to have anything to do | | | | because you communicated care and then delivered |
| with me....probably a bunch of accountants. If I could | | | | it every single employee experience at a time. With |
| bat .850 and impress 85% of the people I first meet | | | | this kind of culture you will kick the snot out of your |
| then those are pretty good odds that I can live with. | | | | competition who wants to focus on plasma TV's and |
| If I can liberate business from my competition then | | | | free internet service. You will be well on your way to |
| that client was not as loyal as they needed to be | | | | fostering loyal clients. |
| and it was just a matter of time before they sit on a | | | | Another story from my book before we wrap it up |
| plane with someone someday and decide to move | | | | this week..."A Salute to Industry". I would approach |
| their business elsewhere. Is that stealing? Or is it just | | | | our top six clients and tell them that we have been |
| fast forwarding the process a bit? If you can steal | | | | thanking them for far too long now and it was high |
| from your competition, then they deserve to lose it. | | | | time we helped them improve their profits as well. I |
| If someone steals from you, then shame on | | | | would explain that we wanted to dedicate a space in |
| you....you deserve it. Same goes for employees too. | | | | our hotel for them to advertise their products and |
| So when does loyalty begin? What happened to just | | | | services. We would calculate how many guests would |
| satisfying people? I was a speaker at a conference | | | | walk past their exhibit over the course of a month |
| several years ago where we asked the audience to | | | | and the number would be quite impressive....it even |
| open their wallets and count how many "loyalty | | | | surprised us when we first calculated it. So for 30 |
| programs" they belonged to. The average was 8 | | | | days there would stand an attractive display behind |
| programs per person and in some cases they | | | | velvet ropes, a sign telling our guests who this client |
| belonged to several competing programs at the | | | | is and how they can contact them if they wanted to |
| same time. Satisfaction is not the goal, loyalty is and | | | | hear from them. |
| it can't come in the form of just a marketing | | | | At the end of the month when it was time to take |
| program. It has to come in the one on one dealings | | | | their display down for the next client, we would have |
| with each and every one of your employees. Each | | | | a cocktail and hors d' oeuvres party around their |
| and every one of them from the person who | | | | display. We would take an 8X10 photo of the event |
| answers the phone to the person who fixes the | | | | and mount it in an attractive frame and mount it on |
| toilets. If they are that good then your guest and | | | | the wall where the display would be for posterity. |
| your customer will know that the people running that | | | | We would also send a similar photo to that company |
| ship are geniuses. You have figured out that flat | | | | for their use (pr, company newsletter, annual financial |
| screen TV's and free internet are cool things to | | | | statements). We were in essence thanking them for |
| have, but the deciding differentiator in how you drive | | | | their business by helping to provide them with |
| loyalty lies within your greatest asset....your people. | | | | business as well. Now, for the remaining six months |
| Many talk a good game here, but very few deliver | | | | of the year we would ask POTENTIAL clients to |
| like they should. | | | | advertise their "wares" in this Salute to Industry area. |
| So, what are some of the things that you can do to | | | | We would have a reception around their display at |
| communicate and show that you desire | | | | the end of thirty days and they would see a wall |
| loyalty....better yet, that you want to earn their | | | | with pictures of our happy existing clients. We would |
| loyalty? Well, it starts with that first sales call. That | | | | now be on a fast track to liberating more business. |
| sales person needs to care more than their | | | | What was normally dead space in our hotel became |
| competition does. If they have to fake it, or invent | | | | a real profit and social center of attraction. I would |
| it, or pretend it....then they are the wrong salesperson | | | | sometimes be passing by that area and see an |
| or they work for the wrong hotel (maybe both). You | | | | unknown guest looking at it and picking up a brochure |
| can't fake caring and you can't fake wanting to earn | | | | to learn more about that company. I would approach |
| your customers loyalty. As a leader, see talent | | | | them and tell them who I was and tell them the cool |
| anywhere and everywhere you go and when you | | | | things about our clients or hopeful client's product or |
| spot it...steal those people. Have a value proposition | | | | service. A real person having a real conversation with |
| ready to go for that potential superstar employee. | | | | a real person who had real interest. How cool is that? |
| Chances are you can't steal them on the spot, so set | | | | |