Mar
2
Your thought for the day:
Seth Godin http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/three-things-you-need-if-you-want-more-customers.html
tells us we need to have three things in order to attract new customers:
In his blog he says that any business seeking new customers must have three things:
1. A group of possible customers you can identify and reach.
2. A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution.
3. A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.
Let’s think about this in the context of your hotel.
Seth Godin http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/three-things-you-need-if-you-want-more-customers.html
tells us we need to have three things in order to attract new customers:
In his blog he says that any business seeking new customers must have three things:
1. A group of possible customers you can identify and reach.
2. A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution.
3. A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.
Let’s think about this in the context of your hotel.
A group of possible customers you can identify and reach.
In the hotel industry these days, with all that the internet can offer, reach is easy. You simply plonk your room inventory on some of the several hundred extranet websites available to you and off you go. You can reach lots of people that way. Mind you, so can all your competitors.
There’s also the problem that you can’t identify these possible customers. Until they book, you have no idea who they are or where they come from. You’re not even sure about what they really need.
Identifying possible customers means knowing something about them. Lots of hotel websites offer to take your email address. I have given my email address to dozens of hotels and hotel chains. Only one of them ever sends me a newsletter and even they haven’t bothered to find out anything about me or what I want. I’ve never booked with them.
You need to have permission to reach out – or people need to know about you – or you need to generate word of mouth.
A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution.
Have you ever thought about your hotel as the answer to a problem? If you are the solution, what IS the problem?
Have you tried asking anyone? Of course, if you haven’t identified any possible customers, it’s kinda tricky to ask them questions.
You need to learn about your possible customers and what they’re looking for.
What could the problem be? How can you offer a solution?
A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.
If they don’t want to come and stay in your part of the world – they’re not possible customers.
If they don’t want to come and stay when you’re quiet – they’re not your customers.
If they don’t want to pay your carefully thought out, value-driven prices (either because they haven’t got the cash, or you haven’t created enough value in your products) – they’re not your customers.
You can’t sell people something they can’t or won’t buy.
Hotels are often quiet on Sunday nights because people need to be at home, preparing for going to work on a Monday.
No amount of price dropping will change their mind, because they are simply not in the market. That’s right – price dropping does not stimulate demand for hotel rooms. No it doesn’t.
If you are the answer to their problem and they have the cash, they’ll spend the cash.
If you’re yet another hotel with a trouser press in every room, using “locally sourced” produce whilst only being a few minutes walk from an ideal location you’re not solving anybody’s problems.
Are you?
In the hotel industry these days, with all that the internet can offer, reach is easy. You simply plonk your room inventory on some of the several hundred extranet websites available to you and off you go. You can reach lots of people that way. Mind you, so can all your competitors.
There’s also the problem that you can’t identify these possible customers. Until they book, you have no idea who they are or where they come from. You’re not even sure about what they really need.
Identifying possible customers means knowing something about them. Lots of hotel websites offer to take your email address. I have given my email address to dozens of hotels and hotel chains. Only one of them ever sends me a newsletter and even they haven’t bothered to find out anything about me or what I want. I’ve never booked with them.
You need to have permission to reach out – or people need to know about you – or you need to generate word of mouth.
A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution.
Have you ever thought about your hotel as the answer to a problem? If you are the solution, what IS the problem?
Have you tried asking anyone? Of course, if you haven’t identified any possible customers, it’s kinda tricky to ask them questions.
You need to learn about your possible customers and what they’re looking for.
What could the problem be? How can you offer a solution?
A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.
If they don’t want to come and stay in your part of the world – they’re not possible customers.
If they don’t want to come and stay when you’re quiet – they’re not your customers.
If they don’t want to pay your carefully thought out, value-driven prices (either because they haven’t got the cash, or you haven’t created enough value in your products) – they’re not your customers.
You can’t sell people something they can’t or won’t buy.
Hotels are often quiet on Sunday nights because people need to be at home, preparing for going to work on a Monday.
No amount of price dropping will change their mind, because they are simply not in the market. That’s right – price dropping does not stimulate demand for hotel rooms. No it doesn’t.
If you are the answer to their problem and they have the cash, they’ll spend the cash.
If you’re yet another hotel with a trouser press in every room, using “locally sourced” produce whilst only being a few minutes walk from an ideal location you’re not solving anybody’s problems.
Are you?
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