Yesterday I started a post with the first five things you should do to protect your bottom line. Here are the other five.
6) Serve guests better by training your staff. I've always felt that there are those who "get" customer service and those who don't. But the good news, you can train those who don't get it to get it. How much time do you spend training your staff? It's easy to get the folks in place and turn them loose without the proper training. Don't be guilty of making your staff learn the basics of customer service with on-the-job-training. Take a look at HIGH-DEF for some great training opportunities, along with substantial discounts for young leaders.
7) Find tangible strategies for going green. Not only can this save you money, it can increase your appeal to a whole new audience. Today's Gen Xers are looking for those companies to do business with who have proven to be environmentally responsible. The same is true with ministries. Do you recycle? Have you taken positive steps to decrease your carbon footprint? If so, tell your tribe about it. Post a new page on your Web site talking about your committement to the environment. It could be the one thing that sets you apart (see #2).
8) Take action to retain top employees. One of the dark spots on the reputation of many ministries is that they don't pay their employees enough. There's an assumption that because it's a ministry, we can pay less. Don't fall into that trap. Your good people are worth a lot…pay them accordingly. Invest in their training (again: HIGH-DEF), let them know that they are a vital part of your team and treat them like it.
9) Have a viable press strategy. Is PR a part of your marketing budget? Admittedly, there is good PR and there's worthless PR. Just blasting out e-mails or faxes to the masses isn't effective PR. Building relationships with bloggers, reporters and editors is something you need to get started on right away. You never know when you might need a good friend in the business to help you shape the story or get the word out.
10) Be knowledgeable. Tap into the minds of industry frontrunners. One of the top reasons people renew their membership in CCCA is to continue to be in the flow of information. They want to network with the people who are making things happen in the industry. To allow yourself to become cut off is to allow yourself to fail. Take the time to engage with those around you who are making a difference at their camps and conference centers. Who knows? You might just learn something.
Chances are, your bottom line has taken a beating over the last several months. Take some of these steps today to make sure you are in a better place next time.
I’m so glad you mentioned “going green” because I’ve been thinking lately about how awesome it would be if Christian summer camps got more into environmentalism. It seems like a perfect fit– the campers are already out there, enjoying God’s creation. Why not throw in a little conservation while you’re at it? (And I think the Ranch House would look awesome with a windmill on top, and an organic garden out back.)
Going Green….
Here at Valley Camp we talk about and try hard to walk-the-talk of stewardship, stewardship for the gifts of this world given to us to care for by our Creator. I’ve found using
“being stewards of the gifts” breaks down the barriers that some folks build within themselves around the topic of “environmentalism”. Sadly within the Christian community environmental words often polarize conversations, so we must learn how to lead folks into thinking as stewards of His gifts.
As Christian Camps and Retreat Centers we can be and really should be the shinning examples of stewards of the earth; our Creator breathed life into the world, looked at it and said, “it is good”, should we not take care of His creation He thinks is good?