In about eighteen months, the world stage will be located only 45 miles north of Whatcom County. More than 80 countries will converge on the Greater Vancouver area for the 2010 Winter Olympics. There is no question that a large number of tourists, international workers, media professionals, and regional visitors will enter Whatcom County from all sides. But still, this is eighteen months away. Why then should we emphasize so heavily the need to prepare and get ready now? To think about this, let's look at a couple of areas we plan for in our businesses every day.
In order to recoup the cost associated with marketing efforts, we expect that time will tell if our efforts were successful. This is because a great deal of planning and effort must go into marketing so that we reach our target audiences. We need also to market effectively our products and services and create the appeal that will generate marketplace interest. As business leaders, we would never dream of putting together a marketing package overnight and expect that it would yield the returns we desire. Remember, the Olympics are only eighteen months away.
When we hire and train new employees, we realize that there will be a "learning curve" that they must overcome before we receive our expectation of skilled performance and prolific productivity. Like marketing, we anticipate that time will tell just how effective our hiring and training has been. Yet, the one thing we all seem to run short of is exactly that: time. With our daily responsibilities, we simply do not have enough of this precious commodity, which sometimes means that our staff is left lacking in quality training and planning for their individual and team growth potential. We mean well, and we do plan to get around to it - just as soon as there is enough TIME. Remember, the Olympics are only eighteen months away.
In fact, when we consider all the planning that goes into preparing for thousands upon thousands of visitors into our area; and when we consider all the effort needed to prepare our teams to provide the exceptional service on which our business is based; and when we take into account our own responsibilities, it seems nearly hopeless to do anything about it - now. This is the main reason that the 2010 Service Initiative was created. Sponsors include A & A Contract Customs Brokers, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen, Hardware Sales, Hilltop Restaurant and Catering, Northwest Business Monthly, OfficeMax, Skagit State Bank and Snapper Shuler Kenner Insurance, facilitated by training conglomerate Evergreen Team Concepts.
The 2010 Service Initiative will help you with your marketing efforts, establish cost-effective, high-quality training to prepare your teams for greater success and assist regional businesses in preparing for our visitors without putting additional strains on your already hectic schedule. So why should we get ready now? Because eighteen months is not very far away at all. Now is the time to develop a strategic marketing plan - especially if your business is in the service or retail industry. Today is the day to begin training your team in order to provide them the skills they will need to deal positively and effectively with an influx of traffic that will easily be the most diverse traffic your team has ever encountered.
After all, the Olympics are only eighteen months away.
