August 15th: Tips from Tom Mazza

 

The Call back
Maybe being a life long resident of a city (Philly) with a reputation for harsh treatment of visitors makes me different than you. YES, we booed Santa Claus! (He deserved it. He had a cotton beard on, weighed about 180 pounds, and lacked overall jolly-ness.) YES, we had a jail underneath Veterans Stadium presided over by real Judge Seamus McCafferty. (Scary drunks at Eagles games and we saved on transportation to the Roundhouse) and YES, 24 years ago the city dropped a bomb in a residential neighborhood on a group called MOVE. (Long story)

I am a little bit aggressive and I advise YOU and YOUR team to follow my lead. Repeat after me, “We come to work every day to SELL trips not to simply give information. Triple A gives info, we sell!

We covered this before. ASK FOR INFORMATION from every person calling for information. Log the info, attempt to book the ride, call them back if you do not book the ride. Rinse and repeat! Call back and possibly sweeten the deal. They called YOU because they have a need for a chauffeured vehicle. Be the person who fulfills their need. If they booked with a competitor, ask them WHY they did not book your service. Adjust your sales pitch based on the feedback you are receiving. Ask the question, “How did you hear about us?” then react based on where the prospects are coming from.

Log every call for information and CALL BACK when you have a chance. Call back the internet inquiries. If you get wedding leads, send a postcard or an e-mail and then call them. I think 7 pm to 9 pm is the best time. If you have a reservations staff, make sure they understand the importance, and insist on the follow up call.

 It is NOT 2004 any more, we cannot wait for the phone to ring, we must be pro-active, and YES, my fellow Philadelphian’s, AGGRESSIVE!

Attacking Your “Lost Client” Files
We all lose clients. Sometimes their need for our services is reduced. Sometimes they switch jobs or their new company is locked in with a competitor. Some times, we screw up and they fire us.  It is a normal part of business. What’s not normal is tracking your lost clients and having a real strategy to gain their business back.

First of all, do not let your staff “play goalie”. Remember the scene in Godfather 1 when Tom Hagan tells the studio boss, “I work for a man that wants bad news as quickly as possible.” Apparently, he does not work for the limo companies I have worked with. Often times minor service incidents are kept from the boss. They do not want to upset him/her and clients disappear or reduce their spending and it goes under the radar.

Here is some practical advice:

1. Run a list of your Top 50 clients from 2007, 2008, 2009. Any reservation program can tell you who spent the most or traveled most frequently.
   
   
2. Run through the list with your full staff and see if anyone remembers WHY someone has disappeared or severely reduced travel.
   
   
3. Get ready to write personal notes and make personal contact with lost clients.
   
   
4. Make contact with the missing clients. If they left you over an isolated service incident, offer a 50 percent or better discount on the next ride. There new company may not be as good as you were. Give them a reason to come back.
   
   
5. If they left you over prices, see how happy they are with their new company and see if you have any way to match or come close to the price they are paying. (Save your fingers, I do not want to here that you have one and only one price. Everything is different in this economy.)
   
   
6. It costs THREE times as much to attract a new client as it does to retain or re-sell a prior client. It’s a no-brainer, get busy!

 

Power Selling for YOUR Reservation Team was a HIT in Newark!
They came, they worked, they networked, they solved problems, they had a great experience. 26 attendees including managers, customer service reps, and a few owners. It was “Sales Training for Your Reservation Team” and on August 5th at the Hilton in Newark, NJ, it was a smash hit!

The testimonials and kind words poured in. Thank you to the companies that participated including, Concorde Limousine from New Jersey, Regal of New Jersey, Red Oak from NY, Majestic Limo from Iowa, GHL from Houston, International from DC, LSA from DC, US Limo from CT, Olympus from Atlanta, King from Philly, Paradise from NY, London Town Car from NY, Park Place from NY, Broadway Elite from NJ, A Limo from OH, and Regal from NH.

WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING THE DATES AND LOCATION OF OUR NEXT TRAINING PROGRAM IN NEXT 2 WEEKS!