MARKETING ACTUARY

August 9, 2011

THE TALE OF THE HOTEL THAT WASN’T THERE

The address was on a major Toronto street. Even so, I checked Google maps. The Street View showed what looked like the hotel under construction.

My months-old navigation system plotted the path to what seemed to be a brand-new building.

The hotel wasn't there.

I could see it on a side street but not how to get there. I was in the left hand lane and the path looked like a right turn three lanes over. I backtracked and turned on what looked like the correct street.

Eventually, I got to the networking event at 7:43 AM, 13 minutes late.

I happened to be chatting with a member of the foreign property management team about the “bait & switch” address. He agreed that the address was prestigious ... but misleading. Fooling visitors doesn't make a good first impression --- especially if they've been traveling for hours to get there and battled heavy traffic.

Each attendee had 30 seconds to introduce themselves to 60+ attendees. The hotel manager took 78 seconds — more than twice his share but didn't have much to say. The facilities were going to upgraded. That's nice but of no value to us right then.

Washrooms

The washroom was in bad condition.
There was a smell. Two of the four urinals were out of order. Maybe that explained the water on the floor. At least three soap dispensers were empty.

How could this be?

The We Care notice said:

In order to maintain a high standard of cleanliness in our restrooms, we clean and resupply them every hour. If this restroom should need attention, please refer to the front desk attendant for assistance. We'll respond immediately. This is just another way we show you that we care.

That’s impressive but not true. Yet someone signed the sheet at 8 AM to say the facilities were in proper working order. Gulp!

Parking

We got a "special" parking rate of $6 for 7 AM to 10 AM. That’s three hours. That’s excessive for an event that runs 1.5 hours from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM. Even two hours (7:15 AM to 9:15 AM) would have been ample.

The parking rate sign showed the normal rate for two hours was $4.50. Our “special” cost us 33% extra and the spots we vacated could be resold.
This is worse. Another group paid $6 from 8 AM to 5 PM. That’s nine hours.

The property manager’s representative listened to my concerns and gave my business card to the hotel manager. Nothing happened. Surprised?

What About You?

If your actions don't match your words, your customers will find out and can easily tell others. Proof is easy to provide since today’s smartphones have cameras. Google+ has instant photo uploads on Android devices. Try undoing that.

Where might you be exaggerating? What can you do to meet or exceed expectations?

Links

PS What would you do if you endured my ordeal?

August 2, 2011

HOW TO WRITE BETTER FASTER (iPAD AND iA WRITER)

I've been blogging for four years and like to think I'm getting better. I get asked how I write so much so consistently.

Each post is roughly 500 words. I didn't realize this until last year when I started using an editor that showed word count.

How To Save Time

Writing shorter posts would save time. Google doesn't like posts that are too short. You probably want 250-300 words as a minimum. That length might work for you. I find my ideas tend to run to 400-500 words.

Use a tool that helps you focus. The iPad is the breakthrough for me. It's the right size, instantly on and portable. An external keyboard is essential. The delay between idea and typing needs to be short. That's why using an onscreen keyboard or a small keyboard on a smartphone isn't satisfying.

Speed And Distractions

Why not use a notebook computer? There are two problems: speed and distractions. Maybe it's just me but a new computer feels as slow as the last one within weeks. I don't know why. Maybe more apps are running in the background. For instance, an idea might strike you while a virus scan has made performance sluggish.

Distractions are the bigger problem. Even if you're running your editor in full screen, you'll see icons for other applications. You might get alerts when there's a new email. You might want to look up something on Wikipedia or check email for just a moment. Even if you don't, you know you could. Holding back takes willpower. The delicious chocolate chip cookies are in a jar in a kitchen cupboard ... yet they still entice.

With the iPad, apps run full screen. You can switch to another task, but that takes effort. You might as well do what you're doing. The result is focus.

The Write App

You can type using any app but a specialized writing app helps immensely. I'm using iA Writer. It's brilliant. All you can do is write. You see the word count and estimated reading time. That's it. You can even suppress them and the spelling checker. You're left with a blank page with only three lines highlighted. The rest fade are faded. This makes your focus even sharper. You edit later.

What about fonts, bullets, bold, italics? Not available. All you can do is type. The special font is large and inviting but doesn't get in the way.

If you have an iPad and are having trouble writing, get iA Writer. It may be just what you need.

Other Time Savers

Learning how to write would probably help. I'm self-taught. I (still) don't know how to type.

Before

What’s the best way to capture your thoughts? Before, I'd jot bullet points on 5"x8" paper. Once both sides were close to filled, I knew I had enough for a blog post. This brainstorming only takes 10-15 minutes. The hassle is getting the thoughts into digital text. Sometimes I'd have trouble finding the scribbles. The solution is typing directly into your computer. That's where the iPad shines above everything I've ever tried.

Drawback

I can't create diagrams with what is essentially a typewriter. That requires another app or a scrap of paper.