The Art of Relationships is about Customer Retention, this applies to any type of relationship that you want to develop and grow which will add value to your business.
When I worked in a Concierge department of a Boutique Hotel, I had a great time, I was in my element and of course one of the many things like welcoming guests while they stayed with us – as it was their home away from home was to provide friendly and service. And sometimes I would just be quiet, I didn’t chat them up. Some really just liked to chat.
If my guests were on a business trip, they liked to engage with a conversation and sometimes, they are simply talked out. About once a week, I would ask the people to share their name and their favorite restaurant in the various places they have been too or live. Before you know it, many of the guests would get involved in conversations and start sharing other ideas and places to go. It was fun. Like a mini networking session.
On one occasion, there was one guy, who did not want to participate – of which I needed to respect his privacy. He said, “He was talked out.” The next morning, after he watched other guests have some great conversations, he said, to me “Don’t stop what you do, because of people like me who don’t want to be involved.” He was sorry that he didn’t get involved in the social networking. He could tell people were having a lot of fun.
There are many reasons people are staying in hotels/motels, trying to reach their destination, visiting someone close to them in a hospital, a weekend getaway, health care, business meetings etc..the truth is each one of these people have a need like having privacy; or want to engage with people for a conversation to forget their troubles; friendly service and help to make them comfortable.
I used to make these little gift bags so that each person could take one for their day’s journey, or just a little encouragement to go home with them. Something like this: a toothpick to dig for ideas, gum to chew on your ideas, a mint for inspiration, a smile sticker to remind them to share their smile…can’t remember the rest of them and a tag with a message about paying kindness forward.
All in all, I would say people were very happy that they stayed, I did have the odd occasion someone would complain about me, like a time when I asked a quest not to dump the bowl of gifts in her purse. Please leave some for the other guests. I was told, if they want all the gift bags and the bowl let them have it.
What I have found is that everyone is a customer, even your spouse, be sure to give a feel good to each person that you want to maintain a relationship with. If you don’t slowly over time they will drop out. Sometimes it’s just the course of nature that we lose friendships and other kinds of relationships. We may lose their loyalty simply because no fault of our own, we have outgrown them. I even had a friend create such a ruckus, that I just had to let her go..she was blaming me for whatever was going wrong in her life.
Let’s carry on this conversation about the Art of Relationships another time..
