The Season

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"

Source -- Hamilton Wright Mabie 

Help Employees Beat the Fear of Risk

Some people are frightened by risk. Perhaps they've been burned by mistakes in the past, or worry too much about disastrous consequences in the future. Help your employees overcome their fears with this advice:

1. Identify their fears. Talk to employees; find out what holds them back. You don't have to be a psychiartist - just ask why them seem reluctant to commit to tasks that involve risk. Then you can work together to overcome their aversion.
2. Focus on the present. Emphasize what needs to be done now - not what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. People who are "in the moment" are less likely to be distriacted by fears and worries.
3. Lay out a plan. Let employees know what you're aiming for in the long term. Break your objectives down into smaller, indivudal goals so they're less intimidating. Concentrate on taking things step by step and not getting overwhelmed by the magnitude of your ultimate goal.
4. Reinforce their strengths. Employees may feel frightened by specific tasks because they're uncertain of their abilities. Observe your work force closely so you're certain of their strengths and talents. Praise what they do well and provide training to give them the knowledge and confidence to try new things.
5. Don't micromanage. You may think you're only giving encouragement, but breathing down a worker's neck is only going to increase the pressure. Know when to back away and let the employee work.

Source: "How to help employees become ricks takers," by Rosalyn Kulick, o the Achieve Solution Web site.

Is the Economy an Excuse to Fail or an Opportunity to Excel?

Negative headlines create fear and anxiety. This is not the time to crawl under the desk and suck our thumbs. Our role as sales leaders is to help salespeople translate fear into energy. It's time to remember our core mission, and it's time to raise our heads and pursue more audacious goals.

We need to adjust our strategy. Many sales managers ask their salespeople to doublel their call volume, but the reps then end up doing only half their job with twice as many prospects. It is far better to call on fewer but more qualified prospects and create a deeper connection and deliver more value. One way to look at this is "deleting 25 percent of the company's prospect database, saying, 'We need to stop chasing garbage trucks.'"

We need to shore up our balance sheet, lower the cost of doing business. Trim fat, but don't cut muscle.

This isn't the time to lower our price. If we cut price, we look like we're having a fire sale. The best strategy is to lower the risk of buying.

Sales leaders must over communicate that they have confidence in their team and confidence that the market will return to normal, that the world is not coming to an end, and that job security comes from creating happy customers.

This is the time to improve everything: people, processes, and technology. Sales will improve with better training and coaching. Sales will improve with better processes. Sales will accelerate with better technology. The worse the economy gets, the harder we need to work on improving our business.

This is the time to get on the offensive. We cannot control the market. As one VP of sales says, "This is the time to rip our competitor's hearts out."

Tough times will test our leadership. Effective sales leaders will lavish praise on their people for performing at peak levels. At the same time, sales leaders -- always ready to improve everything and always determined to expect better results in the future -- will express chronic dissatisfaction with the status quo.

We need to reassure our star performers that their jobs are safe and their bonus potential will be high even though their results may be lower.

We need to focus on our customers, respond to their new requirements, and uncover new opportunities.

We as sales leaders need to improve our mindset, for all eyes are on us. The economy may empty our pockets, but it cannot empty our spirits.

Source: Gehard Gschwandtner, Publisher SellingPower

Look to the Recent Past to Change the Future

You don't want your organization to be caught off-guard by fast-moving trends. Try this strategy: Look at recent changes in your industry. Analyze their impact on your organization right now, and then extrapolate what might happen in the future as a result. For example, fuel prices have risen considerably in recent months. What's that going to mean for your organization if the trend continues? If you keep alert, you'll be better positioned to make changes before they're forced on you.

Source: "Integrity in Leadership," by Peter Drucker, on the Sales Boss Web Site

What to Look for in a Coach

When you hire a coach, take as much time and care as you do when recruiting any employee. Look for these crucial strengths:

Personal Commitment. Coaching should be more than just a source of income to the person you work with. Ask what positive values guide their coaching, and listen for evidence of serious thought, not cliches about empowerment or self-actualization.

Client Focus. Good coaches are centered on their client's needs, not their own, Does the coach really listen and ask intelligent questions -- or just share stories and advice based on his or her own experience?

Challenge and Support. You need someone who will push people's comfort zones without traumatizing them. Find our how they identify challenges for their clients, and how they encourage, persuade, and prod people to achieve their goals. They should be able to mix empathy with a firm push in the right direction.

Mental Flexibility. You don't want a coach who just relies on exercises and strategies that worked with previous clients, but someone who's creative about finding new approaches that fit your individual needs. Look for spontaneity: How does a potential coach respond to changing situations and new information, for example?

Source: "Four keys to picking the right leadership training coach for your team," by Jennifer Long, in the Denver Business Journal

Food Later, Talk Now...

Parties, receptions, and other social gatherings where you plan to meet with customers and other contacts can be enjoyable as well as productive events -- just don't enjoy yourself too much. Yes, we're referring to food and drink. You can't concentrate on what your conversation partners are saying when you're balancing a drink and a plate of snacks and have a mouthful of food. (Forget about shaking hands!) Simplify life: eat something before the event so your appetite is quelled and you can concentrate on the business reasons for attending.

Source: The Manager's Intelligence Report

Ask Your Staff to Write Personal Mission Statements

Many companies have mission statements -- documents where the goals of the company are outlined, as well as the means by which to achieve them. Why not have individual employees write mission statements of their own? Ask them to write out a paragraph describing their professional ambitions and goals. It's a good way to find out where your employees want to go, and how they plan to get there.

Source: Motivational Manager One Minute Ideas

The Economic Threat to the Travel and Tourism Industry

When historians of modern tourism write about tourism in the first decade of the twenty-first century they will most likely see it as one of continual trials and challenges. The terrorism attacks on September 11, 2001 forced the travel and tourism industry to face global security threats and to determine how this new reality would change the way the tourism industry would do business. Certainly anyone who has traveled since 9-11 is well aware that travel is not the same as it once was. In some ways the tourism and travel industry did an excellent job in responding to this new threat; in other ways it is still in quandary as to how to handle global terrorism. Following on the heals of September 11, travel and tourism has had to face issues of food safety, heath crises, natural disasters and the rapid rise in petroleum prices resulting in major price increases for both land and air transportation.

Now toward the latter part of this decade, the tourism industry must once again face a very different type of threat. While neither physical nor medical, this threat may potentially be just as or even more dangerous than the others. That threat is the current economic meltdown and what it means to world tourism and travel. While it is still too early to predict exactly how this current economic crisis will impact the tourism industry some clear trends and ideas are already emerging. To help you think about the impact of these economic turbulent times on travel and tourism, Tourism & More offers the following insights and suggestions.

Be realistic; neither panic nor have a sense of false security. There is no doubt that tourism, especially the leisure side of the industry, may be in for some proverbial stormy seas. However, in every crisis, there is the chance for new and innovative ideas to emerge, new directions to be taken, and new alliances to be forged. The bottom line is that the travel and tourism industry is not going away and your business is not going to fold tomorrow. Take a deep breath; think about which challenges each component in your locale's tourism and travel industry may be facing, and the possible solutions that will permit you to overcome these challenges. Remember the best way to solve big problems is by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable problems.

Be upbeat and positive. This challenge is not the first nor will it be the last that the travel and tourism industry is going to have to face. Your attitude impacts everyone with whom you work and/or serve. When leaders demonstrate positive and cheerful attitudes, creative juices start flowing. Difficult economic times demand good leadership, and the basis of good leadership is believing in yourself and in your product. No matter what the media may be saying, walk into your office with a smile on your face.

Do not let the media get you down. Remember that much of the media thrives on bad news. Learn to separate facts from "analytical fictions." Just because a commentator states something does not mean that it is true. News media are hampered by their need to provide 24-hour news coverage, and thus must constantly seek new ways to attract our attention. Remember the media thrives on bad news. Know how to separate facts from opinion and truth from media hype.

Think spiritually. When times are tough many people turn to some form of spirituality. Spiritual tourism tends to boom during difficult political or economic times. While many houses of worship may be the foundation for spiritual tourism, spiritual tourism is much more than merely visiting a church or synagogue. Think beyond your houses of worship to the underlying sense of spirit within your community. This may be the time to encourage people to visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried, or develop inspirational trails. Places where historical events occurred may also become part of your spiritual tourism offering.

Assess both your tourism and economic strengths and weaknesses. Know where your proverbial Achilles heals may be. If the economy should worsen considerably which groups of travelers may you lose? Is there a new group of travelers to whom you have never marketed? Is your business, hotel, or CVB carrying too much debt? Is this the best time to ask for salary raises or to seek credit for a building? Remember the media reports on world and national conditions, but what often counts are local conditions. Assess your goals, needs and problems in light of your local conditions and the economic conditions at your principle customer sources.

Remember that travel and tourism are component industries. That means that your business will be impacted by everyone else's business. For example, if your community loses restaurants then that loss will impact the number of people staying in town and may hurt local hotels. If hotels are not occupied not only will lodging tax revenues decrease but also this decrease will impact a wide variety of business owners. Tourism and travel will need to practice collective survival. The power of clustering to increase business will become an important trend

Develop an economic security team. This is the time not to pretend to know everything. Call upon as many experts as possible to develop new ideas and to monitor the situation. Most communities have economically savvy people. Bring local bankers, business leaders, hoteliers and attractions owners together for a local summit and then follow up this summit with a schedule of regular meetings. Remember this crisis will most likely be fluid with multiple economic ups and downs.

Think out-of-the-box. Crises are the time to try to figure out ways to do more with less. Consider ways to connect your product development to/with your marketing. In turbulent economic times the public seeks substance of glitz. Make sure that you provide tourism essentials such as a tourism oriented policing unit and good customer service. Beautification projects not only add value to your tourism product but also provide an uplifting environment that allows for creative problem solving and encourages business-people who must face a myriad of problems to want to return to your locale.

Economist and finance specialists are not always right. To paraphrase an old adage, the "road to bankruptcy is paved with the opinions [of] economists and people in finance." Listen to the best advice, but at the same time never forget that economists make numerous mistakes. Neither finance nor economics is an exact science. Instead listen to expert opinions but never forget that in the end, the final decision is yours. So once you have done your research listen to your gut. That may be the best advice of all.

By Dr. Peter Tarlow, Author of Tourism & More

Who is the Customer?

GenXers are more likely than other generations to shop online (69%) and bank online (65%). 32% own an HDTV and 29% have a DVR.

Source: Randall Travel Marketing & Forrester Research

Six Tips to Become a Better Listener

Let's face it: Being a good listener is not as easy as it sounds. We've all drifted off into our own thoughts when we're supposed to be paying attention to what someone else is saying. Maybe it's because the subject matter is boring or the person is speaking in a monotone; maybe we're distracted by some personal matter that worries us. Whatever it is, these tips can help improve your listening skills:

1. Listen more than you talk
2. Stay focused on what the other person us saying -- not on what you're going to say next. Don't place a story you want to tell while the person is still talking.
3. Never finish another person's sentences.
4. Resist the urge to dominate the conversation. (Review tip No. 1).
5. Give appropriate feedback, but don't interrupt.
6. Occasionally mirror back short summations of what the other person is saying to keep your mind from moving on
to other subjects and to assure the other person that you've understood what he or she has been saying.

Source: FirstDraft November 2008

Potential

Every individual, regardless of his or her profession, education, or socioeconomic status, has the power to make difference.

Source: Steve Case, founder of America Online

Has Your Business Travel Flown the Coop

In an Oct 15-17 survey, 25.5% of Business Travel Coalition respondents reported implementing emergency travel cutbacks in the past few weeks.

Source: Randall Travel Marketing & www.TravelPulse.com

American Confidence in the Economy

45% of Americans think the economy will get worse in the next 6 months, 36% think conditions will be about the same, and 18% think they will improve.

Source: Randall Travel Marketing -- Ipsos Public Affairs

Always have a backup plan

Even if what you're planning seems like a sure thing, it's always good to have a backup plan. In the early 1950s, HP founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard needed an additional manufacturing plant to keep up with the company's growth. However, they approached the venture with caution. They chose a general design that, in the vent of a company failure or hard times, could easily double as a supermarket space they could lease.

Source: FirstDraft November 2008

Deny, deny, explode -- not recommended

Be a fighter, but don't postpone your battles. Not facing that fact that you're angry is a good way to bring destruction and inefficiency into your workplace. First, admit you're angry and the anxiety and stress it brings. Then communicate your concerns to the person who's bugging you. If you wait, say four months and then blow up about something the other person has forgotten, and your justifiable issues will be lost and so will part of your reputation. Your legitimate complaint may end up seeming like a sneak attack.

Source: The Manager's Intelligence Report

Always Have a Backup Plan

Even if what you're planning seems like a sure thing, it's always good to have a backup plan. In the early 1950s, HP founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard needed an additional manufacturing plant to keep up with the company's growth. However, they approached the venture with caution. They chose a general design that, in the vent of a company failure or hard times, could easily double as a supermarket space they could lease.

Source: FirstDraft November 2008

This Week on Georgia Traveler Southern Rivers North (Columbus)

Hope you caught this past weekend's past episode of Georgia Traveler; it's off to Georgia's Southern Rivers region. Columbus is the destination city where Georgia Traveler visited the Chattahoochee River Walk, the Columbus Museum and the Wild Animal Safari in nearby Pine Mountain. The crew enjoyed the delights of Georgia's Official Barbeque Cooking Contest at the Big Pig Jig in Vienna. Gerald Bryant explored the sometimes ghostly Springer Opera House and the National Civil War Naval Museum. David Zelski took a ride on the SAM Shortlline through Cordele, Leslie, Plains, Archery and Americus. And Phil Proctor sampled a Columbus food favorite, Lieutenant's Scrambled Dog.

Georgia Traveler Episode 107 - Southern Rivers North (Columbus) aired Friday, October 17 at 9 PM and Saturday, October 18 at 7 PM, and will repeat again Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 PM.

Georgia Traveler 107 also aired on the newly launched GPB Knowledge channel on Saturday, October 18 at 8 PM and Sunday, October 19 at 8 AM.

Leadership -- What's the Best Way

Don't be a monarch. Thoughtful leadership likely means you already have a talented work force in place. That's terrific. But be careful not set up a throne room in the process. Accidental leaders often inadvertently establish a system, of guidance that's unnecessarily restrictive. Guide employees, but don't implement more parameters than are absolutely necessary. "It's important to influence people with whom you work," Lorraine Segil, author and consultant at CIT. "Don't see your business as a hierarchy."

Source: MSN Small Business Center

Becoming a true leader

Real leadership means leading yourself. Passing out orders is as easy as passing out business cards. But a prudent leader also knows how to lead himself or herself -- not merely to provide a genuine example to others, but to become a working element of of the overall machinery of your business. "It's important that leaders have the ability to focus and motivate themselves as they motivate others," says Larraine Segil, an author and consultant who teaches executive education at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Source: MSN Small Business Center

Ft. Knox Information Fair

Educators, employers, workforce development specialists from the Chattahoochee Valley, and members of the Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau are taking a road trip to Fort Knox, KY, this Fall to welcome the U.S. Army Armor Center and School to the region.

As participants in the first Town Hall Employee Information Fair being held November 13, 2008 in Fort Knox, Kentucky, local leaders are packing up their displays and brochures to inform active duty personnel, Department of Defense civilian employees, Defense Contractors, and their spouses, of the workforce training opportunities, public ad private education systems,and employment opportunities here in the bi-state area.

Due tot eh 2005 BRAC decision to move the U.S. Army Armor Center and School from Fort Knox to Fort Benning by September 2011, large numbers of individuals and families need quality information upon which to base their decision to move or stay.

The Chattahoochee Valley Welcomes the U.S. Armor Center and School is the theme of this first Town hall Employee Information Fair. Future fair participants will include realtors, financial institutions, and similar organizations that can assist personnel in relocating to the area.

The CCVB will host an organizational meeting of local attractions, cultural venues, and marketing directors to discuss how to best market the Columbus destination during the one day exhibition.

Source: The Valley Partnership Newsletter

Planners or Suppliers, Who's Got the Advantage?

Neither have an advantage right now, says Robert Mandelbaum of PKF Hospitality, a consulting firm for the lodging industry. "I'm frequently asked f it's a buyers' or sellers' market within the lodging industry and right now, we're finding that it's neutral." However, in the second half of 2009, with growth expected in the economy and a slow down of new hotels opening, the pendulum is predicted to "sway back to the hoteliers' advantage," Mandelbaum said.

Source: Sept 2009 Convention South Magazine

Sales call success tip

1. List the primary objectives for the call
2. In case you're not able to achieve your primary objectives, come in with a set of secondary objectives
3. Bring along Something of value to the customer
4. Prepare four or five pointed questions that get to the core of the customer's primary issues
5. Plan an opening that engages the customer's interest while sharing your agenda for the call

Leadership

A leader is one who has the attributes that he walks as he talks. You can tell people that you are going to do certain things, that you are going to be honest with them, that you have integrity, but talk doesn't mean anything unless you really put it into action.

It used to be that the leader of an organization was the intellectual one who made all the decisions, who came up with good ideas, good thoughts and good suggestions. Today you will find that at all levels there is the ability you should be drawing on. Draw on the ability of all people.

Source: Ewing Marion Kauffman

BRAC Quality of Life Conference Scheduled

You may have received an invitation to participate in the upcoming Quality of Life Conference November 13, 2008 in Ft. Knot in preparation or recruiting and educating newcomers to Columbus.

We'd like to coordinate a meeting of the invitees/attendees to help communicate the best effort in telling the Columbus story.

• If you haven't gotten the invitation, it's important that you attend the planning meeting to find out what's going on.
• If you have received the invite and are uncertain whether you should attend, or have made the commitment to go,  and want to partner with others who are going, you should attend the planning meeting.
• If you have decided you cannot commit the resources to go, but want to make certain that your information is shared, you should attend the planning meeting.

Let's put this on the agenda for the upcoming Marketing Directors Meeting -- Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 9:00 AM at the CVB.

Business Travel Up in '08, But How Will It Fare Next year?

On June 13, Global Insight, an economic and financial analysis firm, released the second quarter 208 update of "U.S. Travel Insights, " predicting a slight year-over-year increase in business-related travel. "Rising hotel rates, gasoline prices, and air fares  have thus far been met by changing trip behavior with travelers spending less -- rather than a decision to stay home. This is strong evidence of the surprising resiliency of travel," said Kenneth McGill, managing director of Global Insights Travel and Tourism Service Group.

Unfortunately, 2009 looks to be a more challenging year as both leisure and business travel are expected to backslide as the slowing economy and lingering influence of rising oil prices will finally take their toll, the report said.

The good news, said Jennifer Fuller, director at Global Insight and principal author of U.S. Travel Insights, "is that slowing demand and rising supplies will take some of the heat off of hotel rates, gasoline prices, and other trip costs."

Source: Convention South, Sept 2008

Columbus, GA Tourism Leaders Honored at Governor's Conference on Tourism,

Peter Bowden, President and CEO of the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, received the Larry Allen Award for Excellence in Tourism, given in memory of the late Larry Allen, general manager of Stone Mountain. Bowden was recognized for his excellent leadership skills. He works closely with leaders at GDEcD, GACVB and TDAG on statewide tourism-related issues.

Source: GA Department of Economic Development

NOTE: Columbus Council will recognize this accomplishment during its Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Council Meeting at 9:00 AM, Plaza Level of the Government Center

Mobile Marketing Connects to Traveler

The Columbus CVB has launched phase one of its mobile marketing campaign. This text messaging strategy will add a third "call to action" to the Bureau's traditional advertising. Key words that are used in text messages will alert the visitor about special pricing, hotel information, events, etc. Regular reports will help provide conversion data needed to track inbound visitors. The CVB also hopes to track and communicate to visitors once they arrive in the area by providing additional ways for them to text to take advantage of special interests that may either extend the stay or increase visitor spending.

To get a sneak peek, check out the cell phone version of the CVB's website www.visitcolumbusga.mobi.

O yeah. look at this on your web enabled cell phone; now the visitor has Columbus in their pocket. If you special offers or messages you want to deliver, let us know so we can get them on-line)

Consumers visit an average of 207 restaurants each year. Here are the stats:

• Income less than $45,000 = 35% of all customers
• Income $45,000 - $75,000 = 23% of al customers
• Income over %$75,000 = 39% of all customers

Source: Nation's Restaurant News

Marketing Strategy Announced

During the September 2008 Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau Board Meeting, a new strategy was announced to offset the "de-listing" of Columbus hotel from Expedia and Hotels.com web sites.

The CVB is working with its web master to optimize its site to place key words with the "code" that will help place the CVB web site -- visitcolumbusga.com -- higher in the search engines. Presently, if you Google the site, it shows up in the top 5 listings. If you Google "Columbus, GA hotels," the results are in the top one or two listed slots. The optimization will continue to work to keep the CVB site within the top rankings in the search process.

In addition, the Board approved for Staff to buy key words that will rank "visitcolumbusga.com, Columbus, GA hotels, and Columbus hotels," in the highest possible placement for search for Columbus lodging.

If they have not already done so, Columbus hotels are also encouraged to make certain that their web sites have been optimized in such a way to rank higher in the searches for accommodations.

The CVB Staff will continue to monitor the results of this marketing initiative and adjust the program as needed to assure the lodging facilities have the best possible booking opportunity.

Trade Show Tips

1. Begin pre-show promotions -- let people know you are coming to the show
2. Have 4-6 engaging questions to prompt conversation with people who visit your booth
3. Provide incentives for people to leave contact information (prize drawing, raffle, etc.)
4. Set a few goals to achieve while at the show
5. Have both men and women in your booth
6. Establish how you will make your first impression on people
7. Keep a log of potential; clients to follow up on post-show
8. Remember the 80-20 rule. Listen 80%, Talk 20%
9. Minimize overused questions (May I help you, How are you, etc.)
10. Avoid sitting, eating, and drinking in your booth

Introducing CCVB Partner's Blog and Network.

The Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a new web site http://www.ccvbonline.com for "Columbus Tourism Partners" with two distinct communication functions:

1. The CCVB Blog will allow CCVB staff to regularly post public "articles", pictures and videos related to Columbus tourism. This blog is integrated with the Google search engine and keeps permanent archival links for cross-reference. The blog's homepage maintains a public syndication feed using RSS technology.

2. The CCVB Network is an invitation-only resource for sharing tourism research, leads, Partner's Calendar, downloadable media, and anything else we can think of to help increase the economic impact of tourism. All CCVB Partners are encouraged to use the forums and network.

Test CCVB Online Homepage Blog

Homepage blog launched successfully.