It’s easy to assume that during a recession, everyone is looking for a bargain. I mean, who doesn’t want to save money when times are tough?
However, I have heard of a few situations recently where hoteliers have sold themselves short due to sheer panic.
A global legal firm with offices in Dubai was looking for a venue to hold stage a big bash and sent a member of staff to a hotel so find out what was on offer.
Instead of sitting the client down and asking key questions about their requirements in terms of organisation and budget, the hotel in question immediately offered a discount.
The client was over-the-moon, having been fully prepared to pay top dollar.
The sales executive – obviously under pressure – had wrongly assumed the client wanted a cheap price when in fact they wanted quality and were willing to pay for it.
This would have been a perfect opportunity to show initiative and offer value for money with a few added extras here and there, rather than dropping the price to ridiculously low levels and in the process, devaluing the product and the brand.
And it’s not just hoteliers that are guilty of lowering prices when they don’t need to – travel agents do it all the time.
They assume the customer wants the lowest price, rather than value for money.
There are still consumers out there who are willing to spend, whether they are drawing on funds from their own bank account or that of their company.
The golden rule – recession or no recession – is to assume nothing.
Ask questions, find a solution to meet customer requirements and then talk about the price, which if you have offered a good tailor-made service, is bound to be right.
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