Transformational Relationship Building
OOOOOooooooOOOOO laaaaa laaaaaa.. Crystal ball, oh crystal ball what is this going to look like, asks the event professional…
The ball answers with… “WE HAVE NO IDEA… But I am going to turn this around and ask you, who are you going with on this journey”?
Guess what, if there is there is ONE thing to comprehend during this time grounded at home, there is a silver lining in EVERYTHING. The relationships that you create, sustain and evolve during this pandemic will be ones that will carry with you. With that in mind, clients will remember what it was like to work with you and your company. We have opportunities here and communication between all stakeholders is immensely important. If everyone is transparent and doesn’t try to “get the upper-hand”, we will come out of this crazy time with a win.
Working on the hotel side of things, we have seen it all and it is uber important keep the lines of communication open. If you want a transactional situation, then push the hardest and get as much as you can as soon as you can. Do I think that is the right answer for our sales, relationships, and frankly our industry, NO WAY. We should be concentrating on being transformational and go after years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on; be a client for life, not for a contract.
Frankly, working on agreements, addendums, clauses now, will change because different local and federal laws are adjusting with each day. The biggest obstacles we are tackling these days are safety protocols, travel insurances, and shifting our external messaging. Sending messages to our clients is probably the biggest key line item right now. Let me give you an example… marketing properties, everyone has great images of pools, spas, and meeting space, but what stands out is when you actually live the experience first hand. Well, the same goes for now, because every supplier is putting out their protocols and it could, most likely, get lost in the shuffle of the rest of the industry. Therefore, translating our message is key to put out true and genuine communication to our external stakeholders; when your relationship is positive, this will be a smooth process for everyone.
We are in the business of motivational experiences, and that is not just with the experience for the traveler, but process to get there. Be creative, be compassionate, but more important, be REAL.
