Doing Better Business
Hi. Welcome to Resort Marketing Vids. I’m Michael Grimm for the Resort Developers Association.
This video series has focused primarily on internet based marketing mediums so far and, largely, will continue to focus on this new medium.
Over the last two years we’ve seen social media come into play as a major marketing medium. More recently during this last year, review sites have come into play as an even bigger and more important medium.
I’m not going to tell you how to use review sites to boost business to your resort, we’ve done plenty of that in previous episodes. Instead I’m going to tell you how to keep the bad stuff off of those sites.
See, word of mouth marketing is one of the most powerful types of marketing around. But sometimes that word of mouth backfires. One upset member, or worse, guest, is like a spark of fire amongst a pile of dry timber waiting to ignite.
In today’s online world every individual has a voice as loud as yours. Every person posses powers of communication greater than any ad agency fifty years ago. Twenty years ago all you had to worry about with an upset person was that they go tell seven to ten of their friends about their bad experience. But today it’s frighteningly more dangerous. If a person is upset, dissatisfied, or just generally has a bad experience with your business, at the push of a button on a device that fits in their pocket, they can tell hundreds of people what you or your staff did. All before they even reach the parking lot.
Something you may not realize is that today people feel a sense of empowerment online. And because of that they feel less of a need to voice their concerns to a real person. They internet provides a veil of anonymity, allowing people to voice their grievances against a business without fear of being identified. It’s something I’ve researched heavily and concerns me very much for some businesses.
Anyone doing bad business will be found out very quickly and revealed online for the world to see. Don’t underestimate it though and think it only affects evil dishonest businesses. All it takes is one staff member to let a bad day affect them personally and take it out on a member or guest. I’ve seen isolated incidents turn into full blown online crusades for members. You have to consider that a large portion of your member base has plenty of free time on their hands. And when they get upset they can channel all their energy into telling the world how awful you are – even if it’s completely unjustified.
So today more than ever it’s so important to take every complaint seriously. Make people feel comfortable coming to you with their problems so that they don’t run in fear to the internet where they can vent anonymously. Let them feel heard. Empathize with them. If your staff needs it, put them through sensitivity training, or some other type of customer service training. It’s one of the few things I can guarantee will be worth every penny. Think about it, what’s your reputation worth? Remember, nine out of ten people will search your resort online before doing business with you. All it takes is one upset member or guest to influence them away from doing business with you.
So start inspecting your staff today, monitor their interactions with your guests and hold them accountable for how they handle situations. Train them to handle situations better. I’ll end with this example.
When a person goes to work at Disneyland they get hired as a character. No matter what position they’re in, ride operator, street sweeper, or Mickey Mouse. Every person is a cast member. And they are to remain in character all day long, no matter what. Whether they step in gum, a kid kicks them in the shin, or a guest swears at them. Once they’re on the job they are to always react in a professional and courteous manner. When they step through the gate into the park they cease being John from Anaheim who is having a bad day because he had a fight just before he got to work, forgot his lunch and didn’t remember to get the oil changed in his car, and become “Street Sweeper John” who always has a smile on his face and a kind word for anyone he encounters.
You’ll never see a Disneyland employee at work complaining to another employee about the last guest they just helped, or texting on their cell phone. And if you do, they won’t be around very long. They run a tight ship and keep things professional. And have a booming business because of it. They’re not known as the happiest place on earth because employees snap at the guests or tell them they can’t help them with something because it isn’t their job.
They even have a yelling room behind the fence in the employee area at Disneyland where cast members can go, behind closed doors and yell and scream and throw things to get their frustrations out. But as soon as they go back through that fence into the public area of the park where anyone can see or hear them, they are professional in every way.
So take a look around your resort and see what you can do to change the mood and ensure a positive public opinion, make your resort the happiest place in Resorts of Distinction, and keep the resort off the negative review lists in public forum.
For the Resort Developers Association, I’m Michael Grimm.