Business Lessons I learned from a cruise ship.

I just got back from an Alaskan cruise that I took last week.  The trip was amazing and it taught me some exciting business tips.  This is what I learned:

• 1.       Charge a Premium Price.
  
   
  
  ·         The average cruise costs between $800 (on the low end) and up to $2000.  Although some upscale cruise ships charge as much as $50,000 for a long cruise usually about 15-30 days.
  
   
  
  2.       Treat your customers like Gold.
  
   
  
  ·         Constantly ask them for feedback
  
  ·         (on my cruise this was known as an "attention to detail" card)
  
   
  
  ·         Provide customers with plenty of "free" benefits or an "all inclusive experience"
  
  ·         (free food, occasional drinks, friendly service, entertaining shows)
  
   
  
  ·         Provide discounts whenever possible
  
  ·         (2 for 1 happy hour)
  
   
  
  ·         Correct and fix mistakes ASAP
  
   
  
  ·         Provide service with a smile
  
   
  
  ·         You can't please everyone but you should offer enough activities or benefits to keep the customer happy.
  
   
  
  ·         It is not your job to be a personal concierge to every customer but it is your job to provide a quality product or service at a reasonable price
  
   
  
  3.       Offer both inexpensive and expensive upgrades.
  
   
  
  For example:
  
   
  
  ·         -$9.95 for hot chocolate in a souvenir cup
  
   
  
  ·         -$129 spa package
  
  ·         -$39-$200 dinner package
  
  ·         -$60-$600 for onshore excursions
  
   
  
  4.       Provide excellent attention to detail.
  
   
  
  ·         Think of everything
  
  ·         (mints on pillow before bedtime, towel animals, hot chocolate on a cold day or hot soup, wool blankets in the pool area for cold days)
  
   
  
  ·         Ask for feedback often
  
  (Customers will give you the best ideas on how to improve so ask them)
  
   
  
  ·         Adjust accordingly
  
   
  
  5.       Work within a structured system.
  
   
  
  ·         Guests are provided each day with a daily schedule listing all planned activities and events throughout the day (left on bed the night before)
  
   
  
  ·         Several different departments handle different tasks on the cruise ship in a well planned and structured manner
  
   
  
  6.       You can’t do everything or be everywhere.
  
   
  
  ·         About 850 people work on board the cruise ship to provide the best experience for the guests (officers, waiters, cruise directors, bartenders, housekeepers, cooks and more)
  
   
  
  ·         You probably don’t need 850 employees but you will need more than one person to help you create a successful business (read The E myth for more ideas on a structured and well managed business system)
  
   
  
  ·         Allow managers to fix things (Cruise Director, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage, other departments or managers)
  
   
  
  7.       Ask customers to come back.
  
   
  
  ·         Hopefully you offered a quality product or service at a reasonable price and strived your very best to create value and make your customers happy. Doing this will make them want to come back or buy more.
  
   
  
  ·         The easiest group of people to sell to is existing customers.  Treat them well and ask them to continue to do business with you.  (on the cruise ship they had a area for future cruise ship sales)