The Wizard Times

Business Owners: How do your employees represent you? Top Ten Qualities Guests Expect
by Clay Campbell

I live by Kentucky Lake in Marshall County Kentucky. Tourism is the #1 industry here. The visitors that come here leave behind over 100 million dollars each year in the cash registers of the area businesses. The 41 lodging facilities including resorts, bed and breakfast places, motels, cabins and hotels get a good part of that 100 million.

The Marshall County Tourism Department sent out an article in their monthly newsletter stating the top ten qualities guests expect when choosing a lodging facility for a vacation. These top ten are according to the Cornell Report. Since I own a tourist attraction, I was very interested in the article. It stated that these ten would determine whether or not you would have repeat business. These are not listed by order of importance because each one is important to the guest.

Top Ten Qualities Guests Expect

Friendliness
Quality of Service
Attentiveness
Consistency
Efficiency
Professionalism
Neat appearance
Distinctive Personality
Personal Recognition
Genuineness

I say, not only lodging, but restaurants, tourist attractions, and all businesses should offer up these Top Ten to their customers if they want repeat business. In fact when a visitor feels they do not get these ten, their vacation next year will be somewhere else.

My wife and I are typical of most people. We have a tendency to go back to the same places for vacation over and over if we are treated right. We go back to the same restaurants and the same motels and visit a lot of the same attractions if we are treated right.

There are a mirade of choices available for the consumer today. It is so easy for the visitor/customer to go somewhere else. If we want repeat business, we should adopt the Top Ten Qualities Guests Expect and make them an integral part of our daily routine.

10 Ways Retail is Changing
Part Two in a Three-Part Series
by Roy H. Williams

Hidden Profit Centers are the new Markup
Low-cost providers such as Sam´s Club and Best Buy are selling "in-store exchange" policies at the cash register to supplement the manufacturer´s warranties they don´t honor. In other words, you can´t take a faulty purchase back to the retailer if there´s a problem – you have to contact the manufacturer directly – unless you bought their "in-store exchange" policy.
"Hard-to-find" items are no longer hard to find.
Just Google it.
A huge in-store selection can be counterproductive.
When buying locally, a shopper confronted with too many choices can go into analysis paralysis. Successful stores stock only those items that represent the best value for the money. And they make sure never to run out of those items. The best stores stock only what´s hot. They may offer just one vacuum cleaner, but it´s the one that everyone is buying.
Traffic is in decline
because comparison-shopping is in decline. A customer who used to go to 3 or 4 stores to gather information is now going to just 1 or 2. When a customer goes to just one store, second place is the first loser. Donât be number two on their list.
Intrusive visibility is more important than ever.
Intrusively-visible locations are destined to become even more important as media fragmentation continues. But don´t confuse visibility with mere traffic count. Seeing you is altogether different than driving past you.
Hype doesn´t sell anymore.
The effectiveness of artificial urgency is in sharp decline. People are no longer naive. Companies that were built on high-impact ads are finding their dwindling, traditional customer base won´t respond to anything but high-impact offers and new customers won´t take them seriously. These stores are closing their doors and no one is noticing.
Attention spans are shrinking.
Too much to do, too little time.
Clarity is more important that creativity.
Web surfing has taught us to quickly appraise whether information is relevant to us. The most effective ads are short and clear.
Details matter.
Quirky and cute ads were effective in the 90´s because they made corporate America warm and approachable. People still like these ads and may even compliment you on them, but they´re no longer driving traffic. Buying decisions are increasingly based on logic. Give customers a no-loopholes warranty and a story that rings true and they´ll respond.
Speed is essential.
Customers don´t complain when you waste their time. They just don´t come back.

Yo. Wake up. It’s a brand new day.

Marketing to Employees - Five Strategies to Attract & Retain X & Y Workers
by Craig Arthur

"As business owners, we now need to create a business that is attractive to both customers and employees."

When I speak with business owners about their "Limiting Factors to Growth," finding and retaining good people is always in the top three.

Last week I was invited to a presentation titled “Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce,” by Rhonda Thorburn, the regional Director for Kelly Services, Australia. As a rough guide, below are the year brackets that determine the generations.

Silent Generation: Born between 1922 - 1945.
Baby Boomers: Born between 1946 - 1960.
Generation X: Born between 1961 - 1980.
Generation Y: Born between 1981 - 2000.

How to attract and keep good people is a growing problem for all businesses, across all industries, especially so when we talk about Gen X and Y. So how do we specifically attract and retain these younger employees?

The below *Five Strategies from Rhonda´s presentation will help set you on the right path. (*Edited from the Kelly Services white paper titled Five Ways to Connect with Generation X and Y Workers.)

Think "High-Tech"
Make sure your company invests in the latest technology. Gen X & Y want the latest and greatest. Provide it and benefit from high productivity and dedicated employees.
Create Fun Environments
Add entertaining elements to work environments, eg. chair massages and spaces with lounges for social networking. Celebrate birthdays and recognize achievements. Offer work contests with high-tech rewards such as MP3 players, Mobile Phones and Laptops.
Investing in your company socially will help create a fun work environment that not only attracts Gen X & Y, but also enhances productivity, quality, customer service and job satisfaction.
Leverage Relationships / Get Personal
Gen X & Y value friends and work mates of their own generations. They are the perfect resource for word-of-mouth recruitment for new employees. Educate them about the kinds of workers your business is seeking. Offer incentives for their part in the process.
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Build relationships with these generations by talking with them, showing you care, and making yourself available to hear their concerns. And never forget to thank an employee for doing a good job.
Embrace Workplace Flexibility
Develop an accommodating environment. Provide employees with opportunities for job changes, internal mobility and flexible schedules. Don’t micro manage. Give them room to grow and make decisions.
Studies show that three out of four Generation X workers pick the place they want to live before they find a job. This means your company may need to follow talent.
Expand & Enhance Training Opportunities
Gen X & Y thrive on developing their work skills and knowledge. Most opportunities are seen as stepping-stones to something better in terms of their career. Provide learning opportunities by expanding e-based learning modules.
Create work "teams" or pair older workers with younger workers to prepare them to take over when necessary.

Does some of that sound too much? It may have in the past, but things have changed.

As business owners, we now need to create a business that is attractive to both customers and employees. Creating a work environment that nails these five strategies will appeal to all generations and all genders, not just X & Y´s.

As my business partner Michele Miller says, "Everything is Marketing."
Marketing to employee´s is a new arrow you must place in your marketing quiver.

"Never expect what you don't inspect!"
Clay Campbell

Perhaps now would be a good time to have a complimentary meeting with a Wizard of Ads Partner. Links to their websites and blogs are listed down the right side of The Wizard Times. Hundreds of their articles with free insightful advice can been seen at www.americansmallbusiness.com 2009 would be a great year to attend a class at the Wizard Academy 21st Century Business School in Austin Texas. What is the Wizard Academy?

See you next week.

Clay Campbell
Wizard of Ads

PS. Need help to attract more customers and grow your business?