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| --by Michael S. Finn Great Customer Service Great customer service equals great sales performance. Some may think that is quite a leap. How does bringing someone an ironing board in a timely manner improve sales? Watch and see. Let me start with how bad or indifferent customer service can hurt sales. I stayed at a timeshare resort a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful property with a full amenities package of pools, Jacuzzis, tennis, play areas and a great restaurant- a place anyone would be proud to own a timeshare. What more could I ask for? How about a little compassionate customer service? Since I now travel with my eight-month old daughter, I need some. Have you ever tried to feed an infant on a chair in a lobby or change a diaper on a sink in a public restroom? Then you know how advantageous it would be to check-in a couple hours early. My family and I arrived early in the day, around 12 noon, to take advantage of the nice day and spend some time at the pool. When I approached the front desk to see if I could check-in early I was told that their policy is "no early check-ins, period". I first asked if the room was clean and I was told, "that does not matter". I then asked that they check with the manager to see if my unit had been cleaned and if so I would appreciate being able to check-in. That request was about to be denied when thankfully an acquaintance of mine who happens to run the development side of the resort stopped by the desk and helped me out. The front desk representative was not happy about going against the policy and having to open up a room early. By the way, not only was the room ready, they had the keys clipped to my registration card. The next morning my daughter had fallen asleep at 9:30 AM, checkout was at 10:00 AM. I didn't want to wake her as she had had a restless night so I called the front desk and requested an 11 AM checkout. I was flatly refused. I then spoke with a manager who also was determined to maintain policy. I politely asked her how many checkouts they had that day. I was told 60. I then asked if they were going to clean all 60 rooms at the same time. The manager was not impressed with my math skills. Anyway, I woke my daughter and checked out on time. I have been in the business for 15 years, but I thought maybe I was naive and that there was some secret reason it made sense to not accommodate a customer when it was well within the management's power. I checked with several resort managers I know and it turns out that there is no secret reason and according to them anarchy will not prevail. It makes good business sense to bend a rule every once in a while to satisfy a customer. The best sales departments in the world are part of an entire sales philosophy that permeates throughout the entire organization. In our industry, as much as if not more than any other business, sales drives success. This being the case why would companies limit their ability to sell? Many companies rely solely on salespeople to sell timeshares. This is not only short sighted but detrimental to a total sales philosophy. Occasionally I would indulge in a beer after work. One evening our friendly bartender told me how a guest in the corner was asking him if this timeshare stuff was a good deal, which of course he knew enough about the product to give them an enthusiastic nod and sent them to an in-house sales executive. Now if he were not aware of our product and just said I don't know, we would not have a good prospect to talk to the next day. We have to face the fact that many people will listen to a bartender before a salesman. But take heart-- they will probably listen to us before a politician. And yes, the bartender got a higher tip than normal. The point is that everyone at your resort should have enough sales knowledge to sound informed and send people in the proper direction. This was a direct example, but there are many other indirect examples. Good customer service/sales presence may be a housekeeper that gave a guest extra towels without a credit application or a front desk clerk that delivered an important fax in a timely fashion. These are the reasons why an average resort with a good sales department can become a huge success with a total sales force. |
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More Finn | Home Michael S. Finn, RRP,
writes an insightful bi-weekly column regarding issues of ethical and profitable sales & marketing. Read his bio here |
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