Ask Mr. Marketing: Vacation thoughts
Nothing’s perfect, of course. Aggressive mosquitos, Montezuma’s revenge, overpriced trinkets, and a horrible rash made me briefly regret our destination choice.
Hotel staffers minimized any negative feelings with massive quantities of tequila, and on balance this second honeymoon was superior to the first one.
Naturally I wore my hat — not that it mattered.
Seemingly every gift shop and eastern Mexican retailer sells hats similar to mine, and I was quickly swallowed in a sea of anonymity. My natural proclivity to standing out of the crowd was overshadowed by sheer competition.
Other effects of massive raw competition were demonstrated to me as we walked down Playa Del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue, two miles away. This one lane street, weathered and pockmarked, was part shopping district, part open-air bazaar.
Along its length lay restaurants, masseuses, tour guides, and vendors of music, jewelry, clothing, and everything imaginable under the sun.
While tourists the world over were present, probably 70 percent were Americans. The barkers primarily targeted us, figuring vacationing Americans have money to waste.
And they tried everything to get our attention, shouting about our shoes, hotels, language, hair — everything. When being nice didn’t work, they got nasty.
It was — an experience.
One experience we didn’t have upon our return was upset clients, as we had advised all our partners in advance of our travel plans. Their needs were addressed early and there were no surprises.
Having had service partners vanish on me without notice for extended periods, I know how unsettling it is. As the holidays approach, consider this as you’re planning to take off personal time. You have clients and suppliers depending on you, and providing advance notice of any atypical scheduling ensures smooth planning and eliminates unhappy associates.
Knowing ahead of time that all my clients’ needs had been addressed allowed me to totally unplug and ignore my cell phone for a week. Now that I’ve returned to my desk, I am totally refreshed, fully healed, and able to do everything my clients expect of me — and more.
With that said, I wish you una semana de comercialización rentable.
Learn to speak the language of better sales at www.askmrmarketing.com.