It's the Little Things

You have got to be kidding! I just got a fax...that's not the news; it's what the fax said that has me really steamed, amazed, and saddened about the state of business today (especially in the current business environment).

I'm the chair for a conference in April that is bringing nearly 350 people together for a minimum of three days and two nights at a resort. The bill exceeds $500 per room (figuring two people) for the two evenings plus meals plus all the other costs a conference of this size incurs. Well, the planning group wanted to meet for a few hours this weekend at the hotel to discuss some details, see the meeting rooms, and have dinner. We figured about 15 people would attend the two hour discussion and then have dinner in the dining room.

The hotel just sent me a contract for $200 for the meeting room (for two hours?), and $5 per chair for all attending!

I know the resort (it's a golf resort in the summer...not so much in winter in a location suffering temperatures and wind chills well below zero) is not busy in February, but come on...$200 for two hours when I'm bringing more than 100 rooms plus loads of day guests in April?

How far we have come from the days when businesses tried to serve the customer and accommodate them to keep their patronage. It is an unwritten policy of www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com that I will always over-deliver. I will always try to provide any extra possible to increase my value to the client. I am not interested in making every possible dollar from one encounter with a client, I want to establish a relationship and have a client for life (or, at least, as long as I'm able to be of service and the client is able to pay).

It's too late to move the conference to a different venue for this year, but I'm sure going to suggest we never return to this place...and it's all because we wanted to sit down for two hours. This was not a big request but, as we all know, it's the little things that count.