It has been a couple months of hard learning. I have had some hard days at work in the past, but I cannot recall them with the clarity I have taken from January. I had some pipes that froze. Then, upon thawing, two shower fixtures blew out of the wall. Soon after sealing off those rooms, the pipes came undone from their fittings and flooded the crawlspace below up to 12 inches.
There was water damage in two motel rooms that required some special cleanup. After two weeks of intensive babysitting, the rooms are once again up for use, and in better shape than they were before the freeze. I will remember one overarching thing from that experience - never quit. Never give up. Throwing up your hands results in absolutely nothing. Rather than walking out, and accepting defeat at the hands of Building 2, I stuck it out, addressed the issues as they arose, and won out.
Questions
So what if business is excruciatingly slow? What if the bills are piling up? What if cash just is not flowing . . .
Well . . . what are you doing wrong? What are your reviews saying? How are you handling your customers? How are you handling your phone calls?
Do you know what you are doing?
Can we assume it is your fault? Absolutely. I understand. The zeal is gone. That rush of having your new position has been ground into a fine powder, and shot into the wind. That rush of owning your own business has passed as the weight of the responsibility comes crashing down on you. On top of all the issues you have experienced over a difficult, slow, and long winter, you have to put up with the customer.
The Customer As Animal
So who are these people? I worked 12 years in retail, 3 years in sales, 16 years in customer service, and I sympathize with those workers. I sympathize. But does that stop me from being a typical customer? No! I have often felt the hypocrite but I began to understand something as I observed myself being a typical customer. I understood how hard I worked for my money, and how much I sacrificed for such small compensation. I understood that I had expectations that needed to be met with anything I chose to invest in.
So it was going to be my way, or my way. I want to get out of the product the green I put into it, and that includes the shopping experience. Anymore I am incredibly picky.
And that is the customer as animal. He or she is driven by value. So how do we define value? How do we define quality? A set of very intuitive marketers chose to define value and quality not as what you put into the product (i.e. your rooms, rates, curb appeal, customer service, cleanliness, etc.). What the customer defines as value or quality is what they get out of the experience.
Aye. There's the rub.
Parameters Of Value
Did you know that curb appeal can both increase the sale price of a piece of property (by 6 - 10%), and the time it takes to sell it? According to super realtor Linda Rodenhi (2012) a well staged property takes 50% less time to sell than an average listing. So what does this have to do with marketing a motel room? Earlier in the text we argued that curb appeal is not so important. It is, because it ties in with the earlier observation.
If people see cars parked in front of room they get a subconscious affirmation that staying at your motel is safe. They feel safe. With so many people around the probability of trouble lessens. Curb appeal reinforces that sense of safety by suggesting to the customer that the place is well cared for. If the lawns are mowed, the parking lot clean, all the lights working, and the front office clean and inviting - the caretaker, the manager, is doing his or her job well.
A feeling of safety is an experience. A sense of security is an experience. If, when your customer goes into their room they begin to breathe easy, that is an experience. Lately one of my reviews read that the curtains did little to hold back the daylight, and that the sunshade had holes which to him, rendered that instrument pointless. That's an experience.
So how do you sell an experience to someone who is looking for a motel, but is driving by? Think on it. You have to catch their eye. Does that mean you need a dancing fool out there flipping a sign? Not necessarily. Even I have begun to ignore those $5 pizza guys (and give little to no recognition to other businesses doing it). First is curb appeal. How nice does the place look? Do some drive bys and get their impression. Second, which parking spaces are most visible? Fill those first. Park your own car there if you have to!
Third, designate entryways and exits clearly with welcoming signs. Make sure your OPEN sign is clearly seen. Try some shrubbery! If it's winter, keep that snow piled neatly and clean. (That's a tough one). That person has less than three seconds to decide whether or not you care about your place. What is going to give them the impression that you do? What feature will show them that this motel is well cared for?
Finally, when they step foot in the office you are so happy to see them! You could not be more thrilled that he or she is here, and that they have chosen to spend the night in your motel. Welcome them, talk them up, find out where they are from, what brings them here, and where they are going. Tell them a little about the place.
"We are 20 minutes from ____ national monument. It's a great place to go for a really breathtaking experience." "Our motel has some character, depending on which room you are in. We are less a motel and more of an experience." - Oh really? Well what does that mean? As soon as they step into your room that will be affirmed. Your place really does have character. How quaint! Not bad for the middle of the desert, eh? Hand them expectation that you know will be fulfilled, and you will direct their experience. Little experiences like holes in the sunshade will seem a part of the character of the place, rather than an inconvenience.
In The Office
In the office is where you will get that experience going for the customer. Find out before telling them the price if they qualify for a discount. If they do, great, if not - make one up! Make them a deal. "I tell you what, if you would be kind enough to write me a review online (like tripadvisor, or google) I will knock $5 off the room." Why?
Testimonials. A testimonial tells the person that others have been here, done that, and had a good experience.
Or you can reverse it. You can share the TJ Motel with the guests, tell them what you have available, let them know it has character, and that it's more of an experience than a motel. You can tell them that it has wood ceilings, little kitchens, and cool old wood doors on the bathrooms, and when you have them in an excited anticipation - name the price. In a small town the motel prices are often spectacular anyway, so you will hear no complaining, just an eagerness to get the room key and see what you have talked about.
This requires a shift away from average customer service, and delves into the realms of "What can I really accomplish in this place?" Every situation is an opportunity to experiment with what you can do to alter the customer's experience. Today I introduced myself before getting underway with a big reservation that had been postponed for three weeks. I put aside my anxiety at having 8 big guys crammed into 50 square feet of office, and talked and smiled with all of them. I did not act in a rush, but rather in a mood that told them I will get this done right.
They had asked for extra keys, and were bombarding me with questions while I was trying to write up the receipt. It happened that one of the extra keys had to be fitted to a fob, and that would take a little extra time and a specific tool that was not available. When they walked out they did so with thank you's and smiles. I made sure they knew I was at their service. I checked with them a few minutes later outside as they unpacked their cars, and each was thrilled with the room.
Now imagine the opposite side of the coin. I had given a rough nod to the customer when he walked in, began immediately writing him up, was outwardly irritated at both the request for duplicate keys and the fact that 8 big, smelly, sweaty guys filled every breathable space in the office, and then ignored them outside as they frowned in my general direction. How then, do you perceive their experience?
Here is what would likely happen. They would begin looking for something negative in the room, find it, and it would be all my fault. That would go back to the superiors, who would take note of the negative experience, and likely begin shopping somewhere else for motel rooms for their men, who are to be in the area five days a week through June. Imagine the lost revenue. Let us say that, before tax, you made $900 off of that one transaction. It's mid-March and they will be here through June, checking in every Monday, and leaving Friday morning.
$900/4 rooms/4 nights = $56.25 per room per night
$900 * 14 weeks = $12,600
Your ignorance and irritation, should you choose to feed it, will cost your business $12,600 in business with that company. That does not take into account the lost revenue for word-of-mouth from those same dissatisfied customers. A strange, and wholly believable trait of the human race is their focus on the negative. If, for example, someone has a positive experience, they will share that experience 1 time in 10. In other words they will keep fairly quiet about it.
However, if they have a negative experience they will share it, frequently with people they do not know, 9 times out of 10. Think about the implications.
Conclusion
Marketing does not have to involve a huge investment. Often the best marketing you can do costs nothing. The secret is to be proactive, imaginative, and take the place of your customer. Remember that they are individuals as complex, and emotionally charged as you are. Be sincere in providing those good experiences. Be sincere when it comes to listening to them, serving them, and charging them up for a positive experience. Excitement is contagious.
I know that is difficult. I know that. They tell you to fake it 'til you make it. Fake it, but with sincerity, because the source of your revenue is not the wallet, it is the person. And that person is the source of more revenue. Your efforts to welcome them and help them will be acknowledged. Your lack of effort will be more acknowledged. Keep that in mind. Now dream up your ideal desk clerk, take on the persona, and be that person. There are no bad consequences, and you will learn a lot about people, and about yourself.
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