I am always hyper-aware of when marketing is working on me. Are you?
I travel a lot, so I notice when things in the hospitality service work amazingly well and then try to see how they fit into the 8 Profit Activators framework. (They always do!)
Here’s one great example:
I was at the Cowley Manor Inn in Cotswolds just outside London not long ago. It’s a beautiful country manor house converted into a boutique hotel and spa. It’s a quarter to 3:00 in the afternoon, and I’m just about to check-in. I’m sitting at the desk, waiting for my keys…
When I notice, right there on the desk, a little pile of postcards with today’s available spa appointments. All the times and treatments for the day. I’m looking at this list and discovered a spot available at 3:30 for a 60-minute massage. Well, how convenient!
As I grab the keys to my room, I say to the lady, “Oh, if the spot is still available, I’ll take that 3:30 massage.”
Now, I had every intention of getting a massage during my stay there anyway. I bet I would have done it the next day or the day after. However, seeing that spot available then and there definitely tipped me over the top to do it right away. Literally, I dropped off my bags and ran down to take that massage.
And it made me think, This level of daily attention, a postcard with the list of all the spa spots available for the day, this is something that’s in front of every person checking in!
I wonder what additional spa or massage revenue they get from this one little thing? Even if just one extra person books an appointment every day, that’s a noticeable revenue increase from one simple idea.
But here’s the thing…
Some people would look at this and say, “Well… couldn’t we just use a generic flyer? Something evergreen with a list of all the spa treatments available all the time? And then just have a number to call and book. Something we could print once and reuse every day, wouldn’t this be more efficient and have the same effect?”
Well, you might think so, and you’d be wrong. That general flyer would not have gotten me to take that 3:30 massage. I might have booked one the day after, or I might have forgotten about it; who knows? The point is, I booked the massage because it was available and explicitly offered to me… right then and there.
Just like the cookies and super signatures, I talk about a lot? That’s exactly the same principle at work here, too. When you say to your prospects, “If there’s anything you need, just let me know, and I’ll be happy to help…” that’s your equivalent of the evergreen postcard from the example above.
And chances are, nobody is going to take you up on your offer. But when you make sure your every email to your prospects has a P.S. that’s explicit, with specific things they can do or buy…. Something that says, “Here are three things I can help you with right now: A, B or C. Just hit reply and tell me your pick…” those prospects who have been thinking about A (or B or C) lately will notice that and immediately respond.
And even if only ONE person responds to every email you send out and buys…what would your additional revenue look like then? Check out my conversation with Jesse Desjardins about inspiring hospitality marketing ideas at MoreCheeseLessWhiskers.com/013
