Recently, Gifts and Tablewares Magazine asked me, as one of their retailing expert panelists, to comment on whether retailers should be targeting Baby Boomers, or shifting to Gen Xers and Gen Ys. My response includes several tips you might find helpful for selling to your customers.
Here's what I wrote...
Forget which group is the largest or has the most money... the question gift and tableware retailers need to ask is which group is the most appropriate target for the types of products you sell. Typically, younger people are not 'all that into you' if you retail tableware or kitchenware.
For most gift and tableware retailers, baby-boomers are their largest target market. That's a good thing since not only is this a massive portion of the North American population, but it's one that will inherit more wealth over the next decade. Plus, as the Gen-Xers and Ys mature, they'll want more of your products later. Meanwhile, the challenge for retailers targeting boomers is this group is becoming fed-up with the hassle-factor of typical retail shopping.
Boomers are busier than ever - especially the women who do most of this type of shopping. They spend most of their waking hours working/commuting and dealing with their 'Millennials' (20 something children who will never leave the concierge service they receive at home). At the same time boomer women are caring for aging parents. They're run ragged. In today's soft economy they may not be buying luxury; but they're still buying quality. The implications for gift and tableware retailers are several fold:
Reduce the hassle-factor for your boomer women customers. Offer easy on-line ordering. Offer to gift-wrap. Offer that you'll put together custom baskets of your goods and ship anywhere for them. Don't wait to be asked to do this; pro-actively announce it (pick up the phone and start dialing during your slow periods).Your customers' money is plentiful.Their time and energy is scarce.
Don't offer cheap junk that will end up in garage sales. Sell unique products that provide real quality and lasting value.
Hire mature employees who can relate to your target market... not students who have no interest in the products they're trying to sell.
Bottom line - your business can't be all things to all people. Targeting Gen-Xers and Ys and boomers is attracting none. Pick a lane. Forget trying to go cheap to be affordable to young people... price-wise you won't beat Wal-Mart or China. Be a specialist providing quality and remark-able customer service that your target market actually appreciates and is willing to pay for. ...................................... About award-winning speaker, Jeff Mowatt, BComm., CSP Jeff Mowatt is the bestselling author of the books, Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month (for managers), and Influence with Ease (for professionals who interact with customers). As a customer service strategist, Jeff's Influence with Ease® column has been syndicated and featured in over 200 business publications. To help professionals put ideas into action, Jeff heads his own training company and has produced 4 multimedia training kits. An award winning international speaker, Jeff is among the top 7% of professional speakers in the International Federation for Professional Speakers to achieve their highest designation - Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). For more Influence with Ease® tips, training resources, and information about engaging Jeff for your team, call 1-800-JMowatt (566-9288), or visit www.jeffmowatt.com. --------------------------- Very good advice from Jeff for all retailers - especially the part of hiring mature staff who can relate to the values of your best customers.
Your best marketing is customer service training for your staff.
Customer service is always news. Sometimes it's good news and too often it's bad news.
People talk about both extremes. When it's good news that's good marketing for you. When it's bad news that's good marketing for your competition.
You decide who you want your customers marketing for.
Enjoy this bad news customer service story from my colleague Kit Grant about the Carriage House Inn in Calgary. Apparently they wanted to create marketing for their competition. ------------------------
GRANT RANT!! by Kit Grant
It's been awhile but many have asked for one so here we go ...
**WHO KNEW THINGS WERE THIS BAD? Apparently the whole recession thing has had a much bigger impact on the hospitality business than anyone realized. We recently held our Boot Camp for speakers at a local hotel here in Calgary. On the second day we had ordered granola bars for the afternoon snack (minimum order is a dozen).
That day we had two meeting rooms and the group decided to leave the granola bars for a late evening snack since we were having pizza for dinner around 5pm. We ate in the room apart from where the break had been set up and discovered upon returning there around 7pm that the hotel had cleared out all remnants of the afternoon break including the coffee and the granola bars.
These were not home-made ones but just the kind you buy at Costco (or for more money at 7-Eleven. They're wrapped up and can last for some time ... apparently to be re-sold over and over by the hotel until consumed or discarded.
A couple of days later when the Catering Manager was back at work I went in to see her and explained the situation asking if we could have the $24 + GST charge removed from the bill.
NOPE! I had ordered them and whether or not I used them was not her concern - I should have eaten them when delivered.
She said their contract says they can remove buffet food after two hours (really, she used the term buffet food to describe granola bars ... that was such a defensive response it was actually funny) although she was unable to show me the those terms anywhere on the agreement I had signed.
I went to see the General Manager and quickly discovered where she got her training. This "service wizard" was less than sympathetic but said he would look after it. What has he done so far? - Nada, nothing.
I'm sure in his busy world there can be nothing more annoying than an unhappy customer. Now we've used this facility before on more than one occasion. What do you think the odds are of my using it again?
It's amazing that a small hotel with arguably some of the best food in town could have it so right in some departments and so wrong in others. Who knew they were this desperate for $24?
The $240 + service fee charge ($80/day)for the screen we ordered consisted of moving a switch on the wall to lower the screen. Not once over the course of the weekend did an AV technician do this. I checked. This screen has to have been paid for many times over but it now represents a major profit centre - who would've known?
I'm no novice here - I've been conducting meetings in hotels since 1976 and I know when I'm getting the shaft.
Most people wouldn't even recognize what's happening here.
NO, I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT $24!!
It's just the principle here - somehow it just seems wrong and could have been handled so much better in light of the total bill of over $1700 plus what we spent in the dining room for three meals for 8 people.
It's so amazing it's worth telling the story to as many people as I can. Now all 13,000+ of you know about it just to illustrate how "lazy service" stories can spread so easily and rapidly because you'll hopefully tell many more.So if you've been missing that "We're going to really stick it to you" feeling you should probably consider scheduling your next meeting, conference or wedding at the Carriage House Inn on Macleod Trail.
There's nothing quite like it AND apparently they really need the money so please go and help them out. Just watch your granola bars carefully!
So endith the rant. (Kit Grant) --------------------- And look what the Carriage House Inn says about themselves on the home page of their website.
"A Calgary tradition for more than 40 years, the Carriage House Inn offers excellent customer service,impressive function space, remarkable accommodations and fantastic food and beverage. Our experienced and friendly staff will ensure that every detail or request is met with the utmost attention."
Enjoy these videos of the TV ads that feature the "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC." guys.
Terrific examples of marketing by being different from the competition with your promotion and highlighting your product differences. It's creative, bold and memorable. And have you noticed that Mac is gaining marketing share?
As good as brand x Clients speak of you in terms of being “as good as brand x”. That suggests that they see no noticeable difference between you. It’s a danger sign when your staff confides this to clients. Of course the death knoll is when you say it.
You choose to advertise where you competition is The ad rep taunts you with the words, “Your competition will be there”. Your blood boils - you immediately take the bait and sign up.
Your marketing appears to be an echo of the competition Do you design your ads while looking at the competition? Change a colour and the contact information? Might a prospect look or listen to your promotions and not distinguish between you – if not for the name?
Twins - people get you confused Clients call you by the name of your competition. A colleague introduces you incorrectly by citing your competition’s product line. You receive prospect calls for the competition and find yourself saying “No, that’s not our program.”
Your brand is indistinguishable from the competition Is your differentiation summarized in terms of colour? You’re the blue. They’re the gray. Do your slogans and tag lines sound similar to the competition?
You get locked in one-upmanship with your competition They announce a 15% price reduction and you respond with an 18% reduction (and hold your breath). You hold a donut and coffee day and they volley back with a pancake breakfast. They give away an Ipod and you consider giving an Iphone.
The market is growing but not for you New competitors are growing but in a different space of the market. They are avoiding your overcrowded customer space and harvesting more profitable specialized niches. You are so focused on your established but perhaps fuzzy target market that you ignore the newer opportunities and miss the rising threats. If you don’t watch out you might be blindsided. --------------
The above is an excerpt from the next marketing article for Enterprise Magazine. Read the full article by subscribing to Enterprise magazine. George Torok has been contributing a marketing column to this magazine for over a decade. -----------------
Imagine how nice it feels to hear that phrase of appreciation while you are paying for your purchase. (Giving up your money.)
Do you remember the last time you heard that phrase?
I heard it just the other day. Isn't that nice? Maybe, because I heard it not from a person but from a machine. The self-check out machine thanked me for shopping at the store. Although the person who came over to help me when I ran into a problem only gave me a look of "How stupid can you be?"
I don't like using the self-check out machine for several reasons all related to how annoying I find them. I only use them because the lines are shorter. But at least it says thank you. And that is something few people are saying as I give them my money.
Isn't that interesting? Stores are programing their machines to say "Thank you" while neglecting to train their staff to say the same thing or to show appreciation for the customer period.
Didn't they hear about the recession?
It costs nothing to remind staff to treat customers like guests (the Disney model).
Repeat after me, "Thank you". How difficult is that. By the way when you give me my change back - that was already my money - I might thank you but I don't need to.
When I give you my money to buy from your store I am supporting your job.
A warm thank you would be appreciated.
Handling me back my change while saying "There you go" is a long way from "Thank you for shopping."
Sunday September 13 is Grand Parents day. Do something nice for your grandparents.
Here is a good example of filling the valleys in your business cycles.
In the flower business you probably have four main sources of income:
Mother's Day
Valentines Day
Weddings
Funnerals
What can you do to fill in the valleys between?
Find other days or events to leverage your business. Ken Bolt of Brant Florist in Burlington, ON is a savy online marketer. Check out his website at http://www.brantflorist.com/
He promoted Grand Parents Day on his website and sent colorful reminders by email to his list. Most likely Grand Parents Day won't come close to Mother's Day for flower sales but I bet that it will be better for Ken Bolt than most others.
What creative promotions can you do to fill in your valleys?
Dominate your market by being unfair to your competition.
Make it tough for them to compete against you. Don't be unkind or mean. Just offer your clients so much value that your competition screams, "That's not fair!"
Your strongest competition these days might be the economy. My guess is that it's not treating you fairly. In my opinion the bailout of GM and Chrysler and the executive payouts are not fair. Don't believe that you need to play fair with your competition.
How can you be more unfair to your competition? Offer more value than your competition. Add some extra piece of value that costs you little but might be perceived as offering incredible value to your clients. That might be including service that everyone else charges for. It might mean offering an unheardof guarantee.
Break some "unwritten" industry rule. Every industry has unwritten rules that have evolved over time that annoy clients. That might mean online ordering, around the clock access or a simplified process. Look to technology to help you with these enhancements.
Educate the clients about the industry. This could be a variation of the previous point. By educating clients about the industry secrets you help to develop a better educated and thus more discerning buyer. You could make a list of tough questions for buyers to ask when they shop around. Those questions might catch your competition off-balance. Naturally you and your team are well prepared to handle those questions.
Form alliances with sellers of related services. Partner with other suppliers to your clients. Together you can offer a more comprehensive service and get your foot in the door with your clients ahead of your competition. You might even criticize your competition. Pepsi did this with their blind taste tests against Coke. That campaign was so successful that it firmly established Pepsi as the taste leader. The program even unnerved Coke to blunder into the mistake of launching New Coke.
Are you ready to dominate your market? Go ahead - be unfair!
It’s happened more that once. A neighbor is getting their roof re-shingled. It’s normal to hear the sound of hammers or staple guns. I understand that.
Why do we need to hear the blaring sound of a radio station? The guys doing the shingle work seem to be twenty-something so their taste in music is very different from mine. They open the doors of the truck and blast the radio so they can listen while they are hammering on the roof.
Why?
Don’t they realize that they are marketing?
I make a mental note of the company name and resolved not to hire them.
If you and your staff don’t care about offending me and my neighbors – I don’t want to hire you.
When I meet with my clients I don’t walk in with a boom box and play my music while we discuss whether they will hire me.
If you are my neighbor you have the right to enjoy the music that you like. You don’t have the right to inflect your music on me.
If you are a contractor you have the right to do your job. You don’t have the right to assault me with unnecessary noise that I might find offensive.
If you are a contractor, you pay your workers to work – not to be entertained.
If you want to find any more business in this neighborhood you better be nice to the neighborhood.
I bought new running shoes today. If you examined my old running shoes you might wonder why I needed new shoes. The old shoes looked in near perfect condition – just a little scuffed. If you are not a runner that would be a perfectly normal response.
When I was a child my dad bought me new running shoes whenever my toes were sticking out of my existing running shoes. It didn’t matter that the tread on the bottom was worn down or that pieces of the rubber were torn off – either from natural wear or on purpose. Both shoes had to be exposing my toes to justify replacement. A new pair of running shoes cost $12.
Today my new running shoes plus three pairs of socks (on sale) cost me almost $200.00. I didn’t blink at the price. In fact I never asked the price of the shoes until I got to the cash with my credit card out and ready to pay.
So what are the lessons here?
I bought new shoes because my knees were starting to hurt when I ran.
Pay attention to the signals that things are going wrong. It’s easy to ignore the little changes. Very seldom will you see a Tsunami until it is way too late. Don’t wait for the Tsunami.
When someone really wants something they don’t care about the price. I want to run every week. I do not want to wait until I find shoes on sale.
Pain is a motivator to buy aspirin. Be very clear on the aspirin that you offer to your clients.
Change is uncomfortable. I want not to change. I want to run every week like I have for years. I want to get the same shoes from the same store when I need them. Running once started is a habit. It’s a drug. Feed my drug habit and I will continue to buy from you. No crack user shops around for a better deal.
In the five million channel universe how many channels are you broadcasting on? It's a long way from the days of less than a dozen TVchannels broadcasting in black and white to audiences without remote controls. People had to get up from the couch and turn the dial to change channels. It was easy to hold their attention.
To get noticed and reach your market today you need to be sending your message on more than one channel. Not every channel but at least a few. Some channels of marketing that you might use: direct mail, sponsorship, networking, telemarketing, special events, trade shows, client meetings, info-seminars, award programs, newsletters...
You might promote through the media on TV, Radio or in print. You could advertise or leverage public relations.
You have many choices online. You can choose from websites,blogs, ezines, YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and more.
You don't need to be everywhere. But your clients and prospects need to believe you are everywhere.
Strong relationships To maintain strong relationships with your clients you need to connect with them on several channels. Why? Because having a multiple channel relationship makes the relationship stronger.
For example: If you talk to people only by email - that is pretty cold and one dimensional. It's very easy to dismiss such a relationship.
Count the hooks Imagine how difficult it would be to stop doing business with you if you call your client regularly, send him informative newsletters about the industry, sponsor his daughter's soccer team, promote on the local radio station, mail post cards from across the country, contribute to the industry magazine, attend the association convention and are godmother to his youngest son.
Those are a lot of strong hooks.
How many hooks do you need? One strong hook might be okay but why risk it? I suggest that you have at least three strong hooks to hold your clients to you. And have some secondary hooks to sweeten the connection for them. Then they will see you everywhere and keep doing business with you.
"Next to a lifetime of experience this is one of the most practical marketing books I have seen. I know you wrote this book for small business - but big business could learn a lot from it too." George Cohon Senior Chairman of McDonalds Canada and McDonalds Russia Author of "To Russia with Fries" -------------------
In this video interview with Seth Godin, Virgin CEO Richard Branson talks about the importance of a good PR person to make sure people know about your business.
Because many businesses are doing just the opposite. They are cutting back on their marketing and taking a wait and see approach. Some of them are even hiding and dropping out of sight.
By being bold in your marketing you can leapfrog ahead of those cautious folks. This is the lap where you push while they hold back and you will leave them in your dust.
According to Global Trends Expert, Warren Evans, "Most markets will look very different when this recession ends." The lineup of players might look like the whole team got traded.
The last thing you should be doing right now is snoozing.
Be bold. Be daring and take the offense. Offer more value to your best clients. Differentiate yourself more clearly. Take a strong position on a nagging issue in your industry. Be more vocal and visible in the marketplace. Be willing to offend your competition and undesirable clients. Talk about the big elephant in your industry that everyone else is ignoring. Do the thing that your competition is unwilling to do.
Consider this - the reason we have a recession is to remind people that the way we were doing things wasn't working.
Those who want to survive must change. Those who will win big are those who make drastic changes. There are plenty of naysayers, whiners and profits of doom. Here's your opportunity to be a market leader.
Why is that a dumb name? Because as any high school physics student knows, momentum is equal to mass times velocity. That means you can increase momentum by increasing your mass (weight) or velocity (speed) or both.
In layman’s thinking momentum is usually associated with continuously moving forward. Ships come to mind. A super tanker has much more momentum than a tug boat even if they are both moving at the same speed – because the super tanker has more bulk. More bulk (even if that bulk is dead weight) means more momentum. For that reason the super tanker takes more time and distance to steer. Inflexible companies are often compared to the super tanker. Momentum is not necessarily desirable.
Picture Fat Albert, of The Bill Cosby Kids Cartoon show, striding slowly down the street. Now imagine Jughead, of Archie Comics, walking beside him at the same speed. If Fat Albert weighs in at 300 lbs and Jughead tips the scales at 100 lbs – Fat Albert has three times the momentum of Jughead.
Fat Albert has more momentum because he weights more than Jughead. Now imagine them both sitting in a chair. Velocity is zero. Fat Albert has more momentum than Jughead because it is more difficult to push him out of the chair than it is to move Fat Albert. Is that the picture that Weight Watchers is trying to paint?
One of the rules of modern marketing is to put the benefits in the headline. For example, SlimFast is a better headline that Weight Watchers. People want to be slim. They don’t want to watch their weight.
You might ask, “Why has Weight Watchers been so successful as a business?” Because they were one of, if not the first in the “weight loss” business. And when you are the first in your market you tend to be the market leader until you mess up a lot. The first in any field enjoys a head start on the competition. But that might not be enough.
Make enough mistakes and you get bypassed by smarter runners. Look at how Toyota bypassed General Motors and Hyundai is sprinting through the pack. General Motors still has more momentum because it has more bulk – more assets, more employees and more debt than the leaner car companies. And when GM crashes the momentum it has will leave a huge crater of destruction. Is that the image that Weight Watchers is trying to create in the minds of its prospects?
What is Weight Watchers suggesting with their “The Momentum Plan”? Are they saying that you will have more momentum with this plan? You just keep moving at the same pace and keep adding mass so that you have more momentum just like Fat Albert (Hey, hey hey!).
Do the customers of Weight Watchers really want more momentum?
Write head-snapping profit-driving headlines in seconds. Stop wasting hours or even days agonizing over a good headline. Why settle for good when you can choose from 100 commanding headlines? And generate these headlines in a few heartbeats. All you do is answer four simple questions about your offering, hit go, and stretch for just a few seconds. And like magic you can select from 100 killer headlines that are guaranteed to out-draw your previous results by at least 30%. You know the importance of a powerful headline. If your headline doesn't grab your reader - you have lost that sale. Download this amazing program that will write headlines for you in 17 seconds or less… (read more)
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I liked it so much I bought the resale rights.
Go ahead and check it out. I guarantee you’ll love it and more importantly improve your marketing results.
What do you think your associates are saying about you? The people, companies and groups that you are connected with say a lot about you. And it's not necessarily what they say in words. It's more about what being associated with them says about you.
"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." Japanese Proverb
If we don't know you then our first impressions will likely be determined by the company you keep.
If we don't know you well our opinion of you is influenced by who you associate with.
Even when we think we know you our opinion can be swayed by our opinion of the people around you.
This works both ways. Some connections lift you up and some put you down.
Clients Your clients speak to your credibility.Are you bragging about your impressive clients? If your clients are well known then drop their names into conversations. If the company names are not well known then mention the industry. Of course be sure to get and publish testimonials from them - whether they are known or not.
Suppliers If you are a reseller, then your product lines and suppliers can lend you credibility. This is one reason for the power behind franchises.This is why IT consultants are proud to boast that they are certified by Microsoft, SAP or Cisco. Meanwhile no one admits that they were audited by Anderson.
Memberships Your certifications, awards and memberships send messages about you. It talks about the things you value and the institutions that respect you. Being a member of a group that is known for high ethical standards or leading edge education can help your own image. The events you attend showcase the type of people with whom you want to be associated.
Community Your community work and support for charities reflect your character and community values. Sponsoring these groups suggests that you care and therefore might be a decent person to do business with. Everybody is watching and judging you and your crowd. Pick your crowd carefully.
Another installment from public speaking whiz Peter Urs Bender, this time with the adept co-operation of speaker and educator George Torok. Expanding on the themes of Secrets of Power Presentations and Leadership From Within, this new release focuses on marketing your business. Secrets of Power Marketing seeks to apply the techniques and methods of the first two books in a practical way to the project of marketing ones business. The result is a lively book, with a streak of practicality that reveals itself in an impatience with hoity-toity notions of marketing that have little impact on the bottom line.
Of particular interest to HotLink readers is the comprehensive "Strategy Three" dealing with media relations. Included in this category is self-published media such as newsletters, and timely insights on getting the most out of the "New Media". Torok and Bender have a clear understanding of the effect a media spot, especially a media interview or article, can have on your marketing plan. As with all their strategies, advice is clear, no-nonsense and effective.
A great feature of Secrets of Power Marketing, which it shares with Bender's previous works, is the plethora of ideas it provides, lists of them, which can be tailored to your specific needs. Appendix A; "101 Power Marketing Ideas," is an army of catch-phrases, concepts, tags, lead-ins and inspirations, ready to leap into action at the reader's behest.
The characteristic charm and accessibility readers expect from Peter Urs Bender is here in droves, with pithy quotes, anecdotes illustrating key ideas and charts and tables depicting multi- layered concepts.
Secrets of Power Marketing is not for everyone. Its brashness may not suit the more cultivated type of business, and the forthrightness of its marketing style is definitely tailored to small or individually owned businesses. The graphics, always somewhat enigmatic in Bender's books, are truly mysterious in this attempt. Nonetheless, the boundless enthusiasm and obviously field-tested wisdom of Bender and Torok make Secrets of Power Marketing a worthwhile investment for any organization.
Buyers want guarantees. If you want to pry the money from the reluctant hands of your clients you must make them feel good about their purchase. You must help them overcome their fear of buying. You need to reduce the risk. How can you reduce the risk for your clients?
One of the best ways to demonstrate your good faith and understanding of your clients' needs is to offer a guarantee.
Buyers expect guarantees. But a standard guarantee might not be enough to convince a prospect to buy from you. If your guarantee is only as good as the competition - it's not giving you the edge. It's just saying that you are as bad as the competition. You need to offer a guarantee that catches attention and scares your competition.
For example: Domino's Pizza built its success on this guarantee, "Fresh hot pizza in 30 minutes or it's free."
Hyundai offers a powerful guarantee. If you loose your job within one year of your purchase or lease of a new Hyundai you can break the deal and return the car at no extra cost to you. That's smart because it addresses the biggest concern on workers' minds.
A travel company offered this guarantee. If it rains on your vacation we will offer you another vacation at no extra charge.
Don't offer an empty guarantee. The newspaper has a guaranteed delivery time of 8:00 am. I asked the representative, "What happens if the paper is not delivered by that time?" Guess what she said? "Nothing." In other words there is no guarantee.
A guarantee must have two parts. There must be a measurable parameter and there must be a reward or restitution to the client when you don't measure up. For the guarantee to differentiate you it must be bolder than the competition and it must address a principle fear of your clients.
Tell me about your bold guarantee and I might post it on my marketing blog along with a link to your website.
It costs nothing except your attention to the words that you and your team use with clients and prospects - and with each other.
Three relationship enhancing phrases
Please, thank you and you're welcome. These words seem to be missing in action.
Have you noticed that many business owners and managers are not paying attention to the words that their staff uses? Powerful leaders have fostered revolutions with their choice of words. You can shape warmer relationships by using the magic words.
How would you feel as the client in these examples?
Please
The bank teller stated, "Swipe your card and enter your PIN." It sounded like a command - not a request. The word, "Please", was sadly missing. I dutifully complied.
Thank you
You made your purchase and paid your bill. The seller neglects to say "ThankYou". You wait for your change and without thinking you respond with "Thank you" after the seller gives you your change while saying, "There you go." If you thought about it - you would realize that you just thanked someone for giving you back your own money. Yet the seller never thanked you for buying from them. Who should be thanking who?
You're Welcome
You thanked someone. What do you expect to hear? How about, "You're welcome."What do you hear? "No problem."What's the difference? The first is a positive, cheery and encouraging comment.The second is negative, diminutive and dismissive. Imagine the difference between a doormat that says "Welcome" and one that says "No Problem".
If you want to build warmer relationships use these three simple phrases.Please - thank you - you're welcome.
You might not start a revolution but you'll stand out as extraordinary!
Tell me how this marketing tip helps you. PS: Forward this tip to your associates. PPS: Thanks for your comments and feedback.
------------------- Feedback
"The overall convention evaluations were all glowing and members left on an emotional and educational high! Based on a 10 point scale with 10 being the highest score the overall rating for all sessions was 8.44. The score for your session was 9.35. We appreciate all the time and energy put in your presentation. Thank you!"
Susan Fenner PhD, Manager of Education & Professional Development, IAAP --------------
Most of us have had horrible experiences at hotels - especially hotels that claim to be first class and then treat customers like dumb sheep. Ask me about the Marriot in Halifax if you want to hear a horror story.
Sometimes it is the poor design of the hotel, more often the arrogant policies of management toward customers and most often poorly trained staff.
Recently I had an exceptional experience at The Rosseau - a JW Marriot in Muskoka, Ontario.
The wilderness setting in Muskoka was gorgeous. The new building was incredible. The room was
But what really impressed was the attitude, behaviour and personality of the staff. You can tell when staff has been well recruited and well trained.
When we arrived the doorman introduced himself and asked our names. By the time we reached the second person - he called us by name and introduced himself. While at dinner the servers checked in with us several times. At breakfast the server noticed that my omelet was under cooked. She eagerly offered to get me a replacement and apologized for the inconvenience.
When I checked with others at the same conference they also confirmed the amazing attention to detail. We agreed that it was the little things that made the difference.
The Rosseau - A JW Marriot - top of the line experience.
Marketing expert & bestselling author, George Torok, offers marketing insights, tips, and strategies on branding, networking and personal marketing to business owners, marketing professionals and the marketing challenged. Your comments are welcomed.
About Me
Name: George Torok
Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Co-author of "Secrets of Power Marketing".
Interviewed over 400 business leaders as host of the weekly radio show, "Business in Motion" on 93.3 CFMU.
Marketing specialist and executive consultant.
Executive speech coach and presentations skills specialist.
I am available for media interviews and speaking engagements.
Call 905-335-1997 or email George@Torok.com
