A win-win mentality does not mean for self, it is creating wins for others
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” A quote from former President Harry S. Truman, this rings true for many professions and walks of life. For those in the world of professional sports hospitality and asset optimization, this sentiment needs a slight adjustment…
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you want someone else to get the credit.” – Nik Hellenthal, 2020.
If you recall from one of my previous reads, “The Need for Human Capital”, we explored the practice of operating with a desire for creating success. Possessing a “win-win mentality” and an end goal of exceeding predetermined KPI’s.
The caveat from that, however, is that creating success goes far deeper than simply reaching results equal to or greater than specific goals. It is imperative to understand the different layers of “wins” one must create. Specifically, who these wins are for.
Introducing a new, two-part series on creating success for the hospitality owner. Part one: The Inviter.
The Silver Platter
It’s simple. Every customer, event guest, and every new acquaintance deserves to be treated well. Yet, some operate under a self-gratification model and miss a key element of hospitality, the silver platter treatment. Great customer service, great hospitality management, and great event execution all become successful if your counterparties are all required to make little to no effort. For sports hospitality, this is true for The Inviter as well. A good hospitality manager allows for the relationship holders to shine with little to no effort on their part. All they need to do is extend the invite. Everything else is handled by you, the hospitality manager.
Keep in mind, the relationship holder who extends or green lights an invitation is usually a sales representative, executive, someone from the legal department, you name it. It is for the relationship holder, The Inviter, this is who you want to create a win for – before, during, and after an event.
Before the Event
From the jump, creating a win for The Inviter comes from your strategic planning that takes place before the season or event even begins. Refer to part two of our piece “The Big Push” for more information on this process but remember to clearly define and adhere to the overarching KPI’s. Hear what their growth opportunities are, listen for pain points, and then address the intersection with a solution. Through this process you will come up with new and innovative ideas to drive results stemming. Your ideas and workflows will be grounded in well thought-out reasoning.
Closer to the event, once the target customer has been identified, create your customized invitation and inform The Inviter that their only action item is to send to the customer with the words “my team will take care of you.” The power of trusted delegation for their most valued relationships puts their relationship on a pedestal, and it’s not lost on the invitee.
From here on out, everything is handled by you; including travel and lodging accommodations, food and beverage coordination, ticket delivery, parking clearances, field passes, credentials, guest safety, and everything in between. Internally you should be creating a comprehensive guest list complete with profiled information and rich company research so that The Inviter and their fellow hosts know exactly who will be in attendance and why. The latter also enables your team, whoever is hosting the event, to be as knowledgeable as possible about the attendees for quality interaction.
During the Event
[insert company plug in…] We’ll call this the Best.Day.Ever. treatment. Something we pride ourselves in. For The Inviter, whether they are in attendance or not, this treatment includes everything from ordering specific food and/or beverages, to understanding the guest dynamic (coloring books and video games for young children, reserved seating based on preference or injury, inviting a team executive to stop by and say hello, etc.). All these elements of service make The Inviter look good; it transforms them from inviter to entertainer – again with little to no effort on their part.
The customer should leave the event saying, “that was the best day ever and it was all because John Smith invited me. John is the best!”
After the Event
As mentioned in the piece on Human Capital, the follow-through is crucial. Specifically, for The Inviter, this includes a detailed report on what happened in the suite with each guest. If The Inviter was not in attendance, this is a recap on the action for them to speak with their customer. This report should include general conversations (Bill loved the hot dogs, saying they were “the best he’d ever had”), business intel (Bill said his company is looking to do “X and loves Y product to help”), and the next steps needed (Bill said “Y product can only happen if Z happens” so we suggest A, B, C as an action item).
If The Inviter was in fact at the event, this is a cheat sheet for them. It is still a recap, but now also a reminder. It is fuel for their fire. It is a push for immediate action the day following an event, of crucial importance given the period of diminishing returns. Keep in mind The Inviter may not have been privy to every conversation you had with their guest; this report brings their sales and personal intel to a more comprehensive level.
Customer Service Voice
Every stage of creating this win for The Inviter must be coupled with your customer service voice. Do not confuse this for being “fake” at any point. Before meeting The Inviter or any of their relationships in person, you have no idea what they are like or how to best communicate with them. The solution for this is through exceptional service remotely and in-person. When you see The Inviter, smile, and be authentically interested in their world. Then go ahead and create their Best.Day.Ever.
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Follow the above and create wins for your relationship holders. Think about how you would like your most important relationships to experience an event on their behalf, and then go execute with that level of enthusiasm. It makes them look good and helps build their business. Tune in next week to learn about creating wins for The Invitee whether that be a customer, family member, friend, or donation.
In the interim, click the below to have us make your staff the Best.Inviter.Ever.