What is your venue company philosophy?

I spent almost 5 years learning and growing as the wedding venue manager at Mission Inn Resort. This family owned business had a clear venue company philosophy of the type of hospitality to provide each and every guest who came to the resort…

Love 'em. Hug 'em. Kiss 'em. Squeeze 'em. Thank 'em and invite them back!

The general manager, Bud Beucher, said the above phrase all of the time repeatedly until the management team truly understood and could repeat it! It's a philosophy passed down from his father to him and his siblings and continues to thrive at the resort today. 

Here's how I incorporated this philosophy into everything that I do:

Love 'em ~ Start from the beginning with your clients. From the first contact, make them feel like they are part of your company family.  From the smile on your face when you meet to the tone of your voice on the phone, it's all a reflection of your brand and what you believe in. 

Hug 'em ~ Show them the care that you put into everything you do. With the presentation of your marketing materials, the quality of an appointment, asking the right questions. Make sure you design your brand materials to anticipate questions before they even ask them.  Let them know that you care about their concerns and are here to help solve their problems. If you do this right, they'll trust your opinion and turn to you first. 

Kiss 'em ~ You are the expert in what you do. Sometimes our customers ask for things that we know are a bad idea.  It's up to us to guide them to what the best option is. Whether it's what type of hotel room to book, the best vendor to hire for their style, or the flow of their wedding timeline, sometimes you as the venue have to really work to guide them. They don't always want to listen, but if you hugged 'em just right, usually this is easier. 

Squeeze 'em ~ How do you show appreciation to your clients for choosing you? Our venue would mail thank you cards after booking, give fun swag bags full of our vendor partners information, provide wedding night hotel room surprises and so much more. Each step of the process we made sure to give them a squeeze to say we acknowledge and appreciate you. 

Thank 'em ~ Everyone chooses to do business with people that they like. It's that simple. One month before every wedding, the sales team reaches back out to the couple to see if there was anything they need. After each event, our team follows up with emails, phone calls and surveys to make sure we let them know that we want the feedback...and then ACT on the feedback. And we appreciate them for sharing their business with us. 

Invite them back ~ We invite our wedding couples back for their anniversary each year. It's a wonderful opportunity when they come back to celebrate to thank them again for sharing their day with us by surprising them with champagne and a personal card. With the close rapport that our clients have with our team, sometimes they come back for baby christenings and showers, their company holiday parties, or just to stay for a night.  If you've done all of the other steps right, it's easy to invite them back! 

That's how we Love 'em. Hug 'em. Kiss 'em. Squeeze 'em. Thank 'em and invite them back!

What is your venues’ company philosophy when it comes to your clients and guests? How do you incorporate it in your business plan and strategies? Would you hire yourself? ... And if not, what small thing can you change immediately? 

If you want ideas on steps you can take in your business to define your philosophy and adjust your methods, let's chat!