Metro Magazine, June 2017

products like Rolex and BMW would not exist as there are far less expensive ways to buy a watch or a car When people call and ask for discounts the truth is that we have done less than we need to separate ourselves from the competition We have not yet shown them this Yes you can indeed buy a Timex watch at Walmart for 999 but this is why you should pay 8000 more for mine Doing so is about branding training and creating a culture in a company that understands the importance of being the company that is not the low cost provider This starts with the owner and goes right down to the people washing the coaches Train your sales staff to actually sell your product to look for opportunities to show a consumer why it is that booking with your company is a better decision for them to make Show them all of the reasons why the few hundred dollars that you are talking about is money well spent When your sales people come for discount approval use it as a training tool to better handle objections in the future and firm up your commitment to sell from your price sheet not your competitors We operate in an industry that suffers from profit margins that do not have a great deal of room for reduction One of the fastest ways to add bottom line dollars to your Profit and Loss Statement is to reduce your discounting Will you land every deal No Will you find people who are actually shopping for the low cost provider Yes Will you have professional customers who will require discounting or they will indeed book with your competition Yes in fact that margin is how they make money But will your company be more profitable Yes Selling this way takes more selling It takes more communication and effort But at the end of the year it results in more profits and the establishment of a brand that stands for more than just its prices This change leads to exciting new opportunities empowered sales people and a stronger bottom line things every motorcoach company could use 38 mETRO mAGAZINE JUNE 2017 metro magazine com Christian Riddell is executive director of the Motorcoach Marketing Council and owner of Deliverabilities a marketing firm specializing in the motorcoach industry chris@ gomotorcoach org No matter what you sell no matter how inexpensive you feel you are there is always someone somewhere that is willing to sell it for less MOTORCOACH TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTUREBUILDINGS FACILITIESCONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENTENERGYSERVICESReaching the century mark isnt easy you have to be quality driven client focused and have a vision for the future At 100 years STV is looking ahead As an employee owned rm our planners architects engineers and construction managers have a stake in the business and are committed to quality performance We provide personal attention and timely solutions with an eye toward sustainability And with more than 40 o ces we are a local rm with national resources When it comes to getting your project delivered right choose the rm that has the drive and vision to be the best Enduring Driven Visionary An employee owned firmOffices nationwideToll free 877 395 5459info@ stvinc comwww stvinc com