In yesterday's post, A Brilliant Little Inexpensive Marketing Idea, I promised to share more marketing ideas for your small business that you can easily implement on a budget. Here's the second lesson this small business mastered that any small
business owner should do to enhance your clients' experience and
generate big time referrals.
Be aware of your limitations and do what you can to overcome them.
My hotel didn't claim to be full-service. I knew when I made my reservation that there wasn't an on-site restaurant. For many travelers this would be a deal-breaker, however I find most hotel restaurants to be lacking in quality and over-priced. Yet rather than use the lack of a restaurant as a disadvantage (a familiar story I hear is I don't have a studio so how can I compete?), this small business did some fantastic small things to overcome the inconvenience for their guests.
1) They delivered a continental breakfast of fresh fruit, orange juice, pastries and New York Times every morning to our door at the time we requested. Was it a full breakfast? No. But it was enough to tide us over for a few hours in the morning and a great convenience.
2) Free bottled water was provided in a cooler by the pool all day. Without a car it would have been difficult to carry a 12 pack of bottled water each day from the market about a half mile away. I didn't have to think twice about this thanks to the cool water provided at no charge.
3) Transportation to the airport upon departure was included at no charge (a $25 value). Not having to worry about finding a reputable taxi driver to transport me or having cash upon departure was a great convenience.
4) A full menu of DVDs were offered to check out for guests wanting a quiet night in. The hotel realized that without a bar, restaurant or planned activities, guests may be bored in the evening. An ample variety of DVDs was available for entertainment.
My challenge to you is this. Take what you see as a disadvantage or limitation in your business and turn it into a positive for your customers.
If this disadvantage is something your client is aware of when they book with you (you don't have a studio, you are not available on weekends, etc), they likely don't see it as a disadvantage anyway. Get creative about what you can do to overcome a limitation and share what you do with us here!