Tourism Day 2010

Tourism industry leaders met with Georgia state legislators to underscore the importance of tourism -- that Tourism is Economic Development. In Columbus, GA tourism generated a $358 million impact. BIG business for our city.

Create a "Do Later" list for your associates

It's important that your team stays on track and takes care of its most important priorities first. That's hard to do when they're constantly being peppered with smaller tasks that distract them from the job at hand. Try this tactic: Create a "Do Later" list for your team, listing routine duties that are necessary, but not a core priority. Tell your peple to do these chores only after your primary responsibilities are under control.

Source: The Manager's Intelligence Report

Leaders

When success comes in, the leader should give the credit to the team members. When failure comes, the leader should absorb the criticism and protet the team members.

Source: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in "Ideas That Have Worked"

What I have Learned (with apologies to Edward Kennedy)

Two hundred years from now, will people ask, "What was wrong with us?" We had exceptional prosperity, exceptional bounty, exceptional resources. Will they say, "They had the opportunity to do something about hunger, and they refused to address it?"

A shame that we have had so much opportunity to make a difference, because it would have been the right thing to do, yet we turn our backs or turn a deaf ear or simply do what is easy -- nothing.

Questions for Success

What are the general perceptions of your community?
Has your town had a visitor assessment?
Have you taken a hard look at your town's challenges and how you might be able to turn those into assets?

The exciting news is that Columbus has worked all three of these questions. And perhaps even more exciting is that the community continues to address these seemingly simple points. Not satisfied to do business as we have always done business, we follow the latest trends. And where appropriate we adopt those that will continue to propel us as a leader in the industry.

Our partnerships with hotels, attractions, community leaders, state organizations, etc. has positioned Columbus as a viable destination for those key market segments important for tourism in Columbus.

A Checklist for mastering closing

Closing is simple -- if you remember six fundamentals. Review the following checklist after your next sales call. Whether or not you made the sale, you'll see where you can improve your technique and closing rate.

1. Did you describe all the benefits your product or service offers and what they can do for the client?
2. Did you ask the client to buy? Did you ask outright for the order?
3. Did you discover they key issue in your client's buying decision? (Examples: You're too new. You're too much like XYZ company,which burned the client last time. Your company lacks name recognition)
4. Did you uncover the key benefit that your client wants from your product or service?
5. Did you make lots of little closes so that the client had an opportunity to make small decisions, rather than one big, threatening one>
6. Did you try one more time when you thought the sale was lost?

Use this checklist for two weeks. The fundamentals will become second nature and your'll be first-rate.

Source: Selling Power Editors