Dr Max's hospitality industry tip about 'the customer' from The Netherlands

"If your focus is on the bottom line profits in preference to exceeding customer expectations your business will finish up...on its' bottom!" This is the message I'm taking away from the European Hospitality Congress which has been held this past week in Maastricht in The Netherlands.

The Internet was another major focus of the Congress. In my presentation I told of the importance of collecting e-mail addresses. I suggested e-mails provide a wonderfully inexpensive way to get 'up close and personal' with your clients and customers providing 'small business' with an effective way to compete with 'big business'.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that 'big business' generally does not understand the Net, its capabilities and its possibilities. I noted an article in Business Life UK that told, in 1999, 3.2 million Americans signed up for Internet Banking. It went on to tell that within twelve months 3.1 million had quit. (There's a message there!) The article also told that only 25% of e-mails addressed to corporate sites were answered.

Yet daily we see massive advertising campaigns from big business pitching for new customers. Who was it that said "It takes less to keep and old customer satisfied than it does to get a new customer interested?"

Until next week, I wish you good luck, good life and good fun.

Max Hitchins

The Hospitality Doctor

Marketing, motivation and management magician

http://www.HospitalityDoctor.com