Garbage In - Garbage Out

Our greatest risk is imperfect communication. We deliver what clients want. What if what we think they want isn't what they want? Then we deliver, beautifully, something they don't want, and we have an unhappy client. We don't like unhappy clients.

Let me share a quandary I find myself in. I have a wonderful client coming over Christmas, a large family group using a number of helicopters, a custom Maori encounter, hunting and fishing around the country, all at the highest level of quality. We have single-party lodge bookings, private beaches, contingency plans etc. But I'm still worried. Why? Because I'm not sure I know exactly what this client wants. Not in terms of luxury - that's easy - but in terms of style.

In finding a lodge up north over Christmas Day, of course there was nothing available. We used our tourism contacts, our real estate contacts, our local contacts, our Maori contacts, our personal contacts - everything we could find. Unfortunately, we came up with two appropriate properties. Appropriate, but very different. Property 1 has won design awards, makes use of the latest everything, and is extremely modern. Property 2 is a 350-acre private coastal estate with tennis court, beaches, jetty etc. The first is design and sophistication, the second is comfort and lifestyle.

Which would our client prefer? Not having spoken with our client, I don't know. We are working with a delightful agent on this who tells us they trust us. We like that, but we still don't know which our client would prefer. After a day with the client we will know, but by then it's too late. We have asked acquaintances of the client, and they don't know either. Hopefully the client themselves, who we have asked a dozen times, will come back with an answer soon. Then we can get on with our job of ensuring everyone is always happy.

The most important thing for us in putting together New Zealand for our clients is to understand our clients. That is why we don't (yet) do packages. That is why one size does not fit all. That is why the big distribution channels will only deliver mediocre service.

<< News index  < Passing Beauty | Market Segmentation >