I recently re-read Thomas Friedman's wonderful book, "The
World Is Flat," and one of the things he hits hard is the
need to do business in the "real" world, in the world and
markets of today. Too often, we try to do business the way
things were "in the old days" or even last month when we
designed our new marketing campaign. Too often, it doesn't
work our well.
Phillip Humbert shared, "The Conference Center at Green Lake (where I did my World
Class Life conferences for 15 years) is a good example. For
40 years they had a great thing. They had a steady, loyal
customer base, a tremendous physical plant, and a marketing
engine that ran on auto-pilot. Then things changed.
By the 1980's, their customer demographics changed. Their
physical plant was aging and no longer suited the new
customer base. The customers they had always counted on
wanted more "impressive" locations, and they had no
installed marketing systems to replace those lost
customers. They nearly went under.
They tell me the secret of their success was two-fold:
1. They invested millions in new accommodations and
technology. They up-dated the guest rooms, added another
golf course, and began marketing aggressively to both their
traditional customers (never forget your base!) and to
organizations and groups they had never considered before.
2. They "installed" a new attitude! They had always been
friendly, but they began making sure every guest (every
single, particular guest) was treated graciously. It
required new employee training, new incentives, and new
metrics for measuring success. And it worked! Today, their
customer base is larger than ever and revenues are hitting
records, year after year.
One small example of the changes they made: they added a
shuttle service from the nearest airport. For the cost of a
van and part-time driver, they added thousands of visitors
per year!
Most readers run much smaller enterprises, but
what are the comparisons in your business? Where do you
need to up-grade in 2015? Where do you need to show your
customers that they are center of your world, your reason
for being in business? New marketing materials, new
technology, and new attitudes can make all the difference.
World Is Flat," and one of the things he hits hard is the
need to do business in the "real" world, in the world and
markets of today. Too often, we try to do business the way
things were "in the old days" or even last month when we
designed our new marketing campaign. Too often, it doesn't
work our well.
Phillip Humbert shared, "The Conference Center at Green Lake (where I did my World
Class Life conferences for 15 years) is a good example. For
40 years they had a great thing. They had a steady, loyal
customer base, a tremendous physical plant, and a marketing
engine that ran on auto-pilot. Then things changed.
By the 1980's, their customer demographics changed. Their
physical plant was aging and no longer suited the new
customer base. The customers they had always counted on
wanted more "impressive" locations, and they had no
installed marketing systems to replace those lost
customers. They nearly went under.
They tell me the secret of their success was two-fold:
1. They invested millions in new accommodations and
technology. They up-dated the guest rooms, added another
golf course, and began marketing aggressively to both their
traditional customers (never forget your base!) and to
organizations and groups they had never considered before.
2. They "installed" a new attitude! They had always been
friendly, but they began making sure every guest (every
single, particular guest) was treated graciously. It
required new employee training, new incentives, and new
metrics for measuring success. And it worked! Today, their
customer base is larger than ever and revenues are hitting
records, year after year.
One small example of the changes they made: they added a
shuttle service from the nearest airport. For the cost of a
van and part-time driver, they added thousands of visitors
per year!
Most readers run much smaller enterprises, but
what are the comparisons in your business? Where do you
need to up-grade in 2015? Where do you need to show your
customers that they are center of your world, your reason
for being in business? New marketing materials, new
technology, and new attitudes can make all the difference.
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