If you Can’t Dance to this Music??
So its TIME to dust this off and get it out there. The current economic environment, regulatory roll backs and corporate tax rates make this, quite possibly, the best environment for the Hospitality industries that we will ever see again in our lifetime. SO DON’T SQUANDER IT. Don’t look back in six years (like you may have done before) and say, “I knew I should have done X”. Don’t be that guy. Get off your ___, put on you big boy pants and do some business. The following may help you focus.
#1 Ethical Sales will cure most other issues. Lets be clear, its all about sales. Sure, someone has to decide when to order more copier paper and yes, it is sad that Rick’s father is dying from cancer and that the swim up bar at the pool has a cracked sink; yeah those things must be dealt with BUT don’t let life’s distractions cloud your vision of what the goal is. Don’t stay busy all day doing things that don’t show up on the bottom line of the quarterly sales report. AND, don’t let your managers do it either. Is it coincidental that record setting sales figures seem to make it much easier and more pleasant to deal with life’s issues? I think not! SO & THEREFOR, never, ever let your management team get bogged down in stuff that has nothing to do with sales. NO, no excuses; just don’t let them do it. Try this for 3 months and watch what happens.
#2 Shift the focus of the time you spend with managers. With sales reps, you’d (hopefully) spend your time digging into the details of their sales production. But with your sales managers, you must dig into the details of their management. For example, in a review with an individual salesman (Bob), you might say, “ Bob, Lets review your 30 day sales efficiency”. But with a sales manager, you would say, “How are you working with Bob given his 30 day sales efficiency” Or rather than asking, “How could Bob have done better?” you instead should ask, “How could you have managed Bob to do better?” Make your managers answer these questions. Make them study and be accountable for their answers. This will bind the team and give them ownership of the process.
# 3 Know that you’ll teach by example, whether you want to or not. When you’re managing all phases of a project or development, you’re probably not real concerned that the kitchen staff sees you out of your professional dress when you snitch a cup of coffee on your day off. But when you’re managing managers, you and your behaviors, dress, habits, language etc., matter 24/7. REALLY. What they see, and so perceive of you, is what you are going to get back – and that can be good or bad. If you’re delegating effectively, providing useful and regular feedback, conducting useful check-ins, hiring wisely, and fairly holding all staff accountable, that’s what your management team will do. Conversely, if you tell one of your mangers that he can hold a pender over and close it the next month so he can get his Christmas bonus, then you just told him (and his piers) that cheating and breaking policy is ok.
#4 Feed the Tigers, ride the Horses & shoot the Dogs. It is very important that the sales mangers you manage, although operating fairly, for everyone, by the exact same policies and handbook of rules, understand that at the end of the day SALES is what we do. We do them ethically, straight forward and do not cut corners or skip any procedures, BUT our job is to sell. When managing a fast paced, high energy sales organization fairly and according to stated goals and budgets, your managers’ recipe must call for: a). Feeding the tigers: give more leads, tours, and prospects to the #1 salesman/manager/team. The #1 seed in a tourney gets the #8 seed for first game. That’s just how it is. Make your rules and policies match. b). Riding the horses: We don’t ride pigs, turkeys or cows. No, because it is much more efficient to ride horses. We want horses in our stable. When you have a horse why would you keep a pig or cow in the stable for riding. Horses are for riding, so when your salesman/manager/team is selling well, do not quit riding. Big mistakes are made when the top team is broken up because of promotions, lateral moves or reassignments. That is stupid…now your riding a pig. c). Shoot the dogs: we don’t want dogs in our stable or anywhere near our horses; it creates chaos. When a team/manager/salesman is just not performing and not performing consistently, despite your focused efforts and are dragging down moral and your numbers….then you must train your management team to get the dogs out of the stable as quickly as possible.
#5 Quick, fair & public trials: Nothing quite like a public hanging to get your attention and help you understand that rules must be followed and that the results of actions will not be dealt with in secrecy or privacy. Not withstanding proper adherence to employment and privacy laws, your mangers should see, know and understand that all things, good and bad, will be dealt with immediately and in a fair and open forum. Showing managers that it is OK to post the weekly sales reports and comment openly on efficiency numbers is a good thing. There are no secrets in sales numbers. They are exactly what they are. No excuses, no what ifs and no where to hide. If you are second place by $0.50 then you are second place. Your management team must have the confidence to openly admonish wrong behavior and reward good behavior. Actively treating managers with this same philosophy will trickle down.
SO START DANCING!!
For more NO BS sales management stuff, feel free to contact Chris Bounds, Austin, Texas.
Bigger is Better when spending vacation $$ !
Bigger is sometimes better and one example that illustrates this is Vacationing. There are large and small hotel companies around; large and small resort operators and large and small exchange services ..OK, Some offer different amenities while other, boutique, mom & pop resorts will really pamper you while others are one stop shops for scuba diving or snow skiing…Fine. But if you really measure the value of a resort company, you will generally see that the Larger the hotel or Resort operator, the better value you and your family will get. Kinda like going to Wal-Mart…sure everyone likes to make fun of them but they are the #1 retailer for a reason. GREAT VALUE! Even those that jest about them go there and spend money often. If you want good quality and good service when looking for a set of tires, it is hard to beat Wal-Mart.
The same is true in the Resort vacationing business. Sure, a week at a 4 Star Wyndham resort may appear to cost more than staying at Bob’s resort but here is what you will get. According to Dos Mundos Developments in Austin think about what the following are worth:
#1 World Wide reputation as a superior hotel and resort operator with millions of satisfied customers that have unbelievable memories.
#2 Publicly traded company so is very regulated and very Brand Conscious
#3 Options & Flixibility: So many properties in the best locations that you could never visit them all
#4 Standard amenities such as pools, water slides, spas, golf courses, marinas, lazy rivers, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom units, concierge service, tennis courts, ski lifts, magic shows, game rooms, buffets, wifi, zip lines, security and much more!
FiFi’s boutique villa or Generic’s cheap hotel cannot compete with this, so as a guest you wind up driving elsewhere to get these services or amenities that you pay for…. not to mention the hassle. So you spend an extra $50 a day…really?? What did you spend at Starbucks last week?
Want a resort with a ski lift to your unit? Got it! Want to be next to the largest waterfall in the jungle? Got it! Want free magic shows for the kids? Got it! Want the largest pool in the state with a lazy river and swim up bar? Got it! The Big Ones Got it!!
I don’t think that I have ever talked to anyone in their 70’s who has said, “ I really regret going on all those vacations with my kids and grandkids and I wish I did not have all those memories. For more no-nonsense resort management stuff call Chris Bounds Austin Texas directly.
Vacation Rental VS Timeshare or Fractional Ownership?
Seems kinda like the debate between using a gas grill vs a wood fire or charcoal grill. (preferably Mesquite). Should you rent via one of the impersonal, online, booking broker sites when planning a quality vacation or should you buy a fractional or timeshare? Well, according to research conducted by Chris Bounds Austin Texas, we offer the attached.
Ok, lets examine this from a practical stand point. It is really great to step out on your deck, remove a plastic cover, push a button & start cooking steaks over a gas fired burner. There are worse things, although gas comes from fermented stuff and petroleum that has been buried deep in the ground. Sure, your gonna enjoy a nice steak with a grilled type flavor. Its quick, its easy, no fuss, no real clean up and you put the plastic cover back on, wheel the thing back in the corner and that’s it. Yep, you grilled a steak. Yes you booked an air bnb.
Versus, lighting a fire to burn a large pile of Mesquite down into a pile of smoldering, delicious smelling, sultry, thick smoke producing coals. Ahh, this process alone takes about 3 adult drinks or a horseshoe game (playing to 21) or a couple of dips in the pool or river or ocean. Then you drop several one pound ribeys on a red hot grill which immediately injects smoke and flavor into the meat and broils the onion slices into the meat giving off an aroma that can be matched by nothing. Now, at this point, there is time for another adult drink, one more jump in the pool, splashing your kids and a sampling of the olive oil drenched veges beside the steak. Then, while being coached and advised by JV chefs standing around, you flip the steak at the perfect moment and listen closely to the sizzle as the coals do their thing again. You throw one more horseshoe, push one more kid into the pool and light a cigar…knowing it cost you 50% less to grill those steaks with coals than it would have with gas. Your guests bring you another adult beverage because they now realize you are on Varsity for a reason. Then it happens…the steaks are flipped onto a large tray and covered with grilled onions, peppers and veggies and everyone enjoys food as it has been cooked for millions of years as we evolved to a species that does not mind a few extra steps to get to what is best.
So you book lodging online from an individual who lives in Cleveland but owns a flat in the islands. Not sure if he has leprosy, is a crooked politician or kicks puppies but you got a deal on lodging. Versus pulling into a porta-co where a nice person greets you, loads your bags to your 3 bedroom condo while the kids are floating the lazy river and your wife is at the spa and you are lighting your OWN wood grill and your kids play in your OWN pool and knowing the entire time you can come back at the exact same time next year or swap for a different island, different city or different mountain, all with ease and likely much cheaper than the Cleveland guy’s 1980’s flat beside a green pool.
That is how I compare the online home or room rental options to owning a vacation outright. Gas grilled steaks will work if that is all your expectations are. Ok fine. For me there is no debate; a wood fired grill beats a gas grill 100 times out of 100 and owning a vacation makes more sense these days than it ever has before.
For more no-nonsense resort stuff visit, Chris Bounds Austin Texas Linked In.
February 23, 2017 33 Comments/in Blog /by terrychristopherbounds.com
Manage your managers! Seems straight forward, right? WRONG. Its not easy. Its hard. Its time consuming. It gets complicated. It has to be done. Goals, accountability, reporting, timelines, budgets etc don’t just get done if not managed. Chris Bounds, Austin, Texas offers the following:
#1 Ethical Sales will cure most other issues. Lets be clear, its all about sales. Sure, someone has to decide when to order more copier paper and yes, it is sad that Rick’s father is dying from cancer and that the swim up bar at the adult pool has a cracked mirror; yeah those things must be dealt with BUT don’t let life’s distractions cloud your vision of what the goal is. Don’t stay busy all day doing things that don’t show up on the bottom line of the quarterly sales report. AND, don’t let your managers do it either. Is it coincidental that record setting sales figures seem to make it much easier and more pleasant to deal with life’s issues? I think not! SO & THEREFOR, never, ever let your management team get bogged down in stuff that has nothing to do with sales. NO, no excuses; just don’t let them do it. Try this for 3 months and watch what happens.
#2 Shift the focus of the time you spend with managers. With sales reps, you’d (hopefully) spend your time digging into the details of their sales production. But with your sales managers, you must dig into the details of their management. For example, in a review with an individual salesman (Bob), you might say, “Lets review your 30 day sales efficiency on X”. But with a sales manager, you would say, “How are you working with Bob given his 30 day sales efficiency report for X” Or rather than asking, “How could Bob have done Z better?” you instead should ask, “How could you have managed Bob to do Z better?” Make your managers answer these questions. Make them study and be accountable for their answers. This will bind the team and give them ownership of the process.
# 3 Know that you’ll teach by example, whether you want to or not. When you’re managing all phases of a project or development, you’re probably not real concerned that the kitchen staff sees you out of your professional dress when you snitch a cup of coffee on your day off. But when you’re managing managers, you and your behaviors, dress, habits, language etc., matter 24/7. REALLY. What they see, and so perceive of you, is what you are going to get back – and that can be good or bad. If you’re delegating effectively, providing useful and regular feedback, conducting useful check-ins, hiring wisely, and fairly holding all staff accountable, that’s what your management team will do. Conversely, if you tell one of your mangers that he can hold a pender over and close it the next month so he can get his Christmas bonus, then you just told him (and his piers) that cheating and breaking the policies is ok.
#4 Feed the tigers, ride the horses & shoot the dogs. It is very important that the sales mangers you manage, although operating fairly, for everyone, by the exact same policies and handbook of rules, understand that at the end of the day SALES is what we do. We do them ethically, straight forward and do not cut corners or skip any procedures, BUT our job is to sell. When managing a fast paced, high energy sales organization fairly and according to stated goals and budgets, your managers’ recipe must call for: #1. Feeding the tigers: give more leads, tours, and prospects to the #1 salesman/manager/team. The #1 seed in a tourney gets the #8 seed for first game. That’s just how it is. Make your rules and policies match. #2 Riding the horses: We don’t ride pigs or cows. No, we want horses and when you have a horse why would you keep a pig or cow in the stable for riding. Horses are for riding, so when your salesman/manager/team is selling well, do not quit riding. Big mistakes are made when the top team is broken up because of promotions, lateral moves or reassignments. #3 Shoot the dogs: we don’t want dogs in our stable; it creates chaos. When a team/manager/salesman is just not performing and not performing consistently, despite your focused efforts, then you must train your management team to get the dogs out of the stable.
#5 Quick, fair & public trials: Nothing quite like a public hanging to get your attention and help you understand that rules must be followed and that the results of actions will not be dealt with in secrecy or privacy. Not withstanding proper adherence to employment and privacy laws, your mangers should see, know and understand that all matters, good and bad, will be dealt with immediately and in a fair and open forum. Showing managers that it is OK to post the weekly sales reports and comment openly on efficiency numbers is a good thing. There are no secrets in sales numbers. They are exactly what they are. No excuses, no what ifs and no where to hide. If you are second place by $0.50 then you are second place. Your management team must have the confidence to openly admonish wrong behavior and reward good behavior. Actively treating managers with this same philosophy will trickle down.
For more NO BS sales management stuff, feel free to contact Chris Bounds, Austin, Texas.