Now is the time to expand your market share by initially telling your Customers that they are better than sliced bread. 

Those who love you need to be caressed with adulation, and they will tell others.  This is a simple proposition here.

The light at the end of the tunnel is flickering; it is no longer pitch dark.  Pop those heads out of the bunkers, take inventory and take charge.  Indications are everywhere that the upside of our economic slide is in sight, and those savvy Hospitality businesses must move from survival mode into full swing, prudently tempered, of course, accentuating your positives.  Market share advantage is just waiting for you, plumb fruit for the pluckin'.

So, you nervously peek out, surveying the hospitality landscape.  It really has changed forever.  Consumer patterns are different, mindsets altered, appetites diminished.  Your Brand and signature products and services must have adapted, too.  It is not business as usual, nor will be. 

There is a new drumbeat – value, honesty, sensible, quality and integrity, which should have been the underpinnings of your Brand anyways.  Many businesses have held it together over these tortuous months.  They have managed smarter, became more resourceful and innovative; they adapted, yet maintained their market presence.  For these leaders the payback is an opportunity to expand their market share.  They are deserving.

Three actions you must plan immediately may look counterintuitive to the old school.  But, if we have learned anything, it is that this school session is out, and a new term has arrived. 

First, you need to effusively thank your Customers, Guests, Visitors and Patrons, those who have remained loyal and those who are just beginning to know you.  You have built your data base, now use it.  Make them feel special, reward their attention, fan the fan base.  With every transaction, every "touch", seek their feedback, listen to them and respond, for they will help to drive your expansion plans.  Un-suspend your CRM strategies.

Secondly, start to advertise, again.  Get your word out to the marketplace, what you have been doing, what your plans are for the future, and how you have changed.  We all need a new message.  Very likely, you have bludgeoned your marketing budgets – a reasonable maneuver.  However, understand that everyone else has done this too, so the marketplace lacks any clamor, any news.  Be the first to shout!

Lastly, invest again in employee Training and Development.  You are probably down to your core cadre of staff.  They need to be reassured and motivated, for they take your message to market and deliver your excellence.  With all the alternatives through a "blended" training investment, there simply is no excuse.  Arm your people and unleash their vigor.

Timing is everything.  As Nike would say, "just do it!"  What a wonderfully exciting time to be in Hospitality – providing comfort, care, sustenance, entertainment and attention to those huddled masses who crave the light!

The author believes that targeted Market Response is the portal to Business Success.  Seek solutions at:  www.hospitalityperformance.com