Answering the score card and grading yourself will give you
a better understanding of where you need to focus your efforts.
Have every key partner & manager take this assessment to
determine strengths, weakness and differences in talents and
perceptions. Be brutally honest with your self-assessment scoring.
You are the one to lose or gain if you do not assess yourself
accurately. Included in numerous categories are relevant articles
and resources to help with your professional development.
Tourism Success Score Card
(0= poor & 5 = excellent)
Planning
1. I have researched and written a business, marketing, operational,
and financial plans. _______
Check
out Professional Services if you
need help creating actionable plans.
Finances - short and long run
2. I have adequate finances to fund my marketing, operational
and personal living expenses until the business profits covers
these expenses. ________
3. I have familiar with taxation laws in my state and/or country
_________
Customer service orientation
4. I like serving the needs of others ________
5. I have experience dealing with people in person and /or
on the phone ________
Helpful
article: 10 Commandments of Service
for Tourism Professionals
Management skills
6. I can locate, hire, and train, staff. _________
7. I can manage, lead and fire someone as needed. _________
Marketing
8. I have experience in successful marketing in the service
and or tourism sector. _________
9. I enjoy marketing and am dedicated to it. _________
10. I am able to aggressively pursue my target markets cost
effectively. _________
Check
out Professional Services if you
need help with tourism marketing success.
Marketing Material
11. I have well written and compelling sales cover letters.
_________
12. I have well written and professional sales brochures. _________
Helpful
article:
To
create a marketing material that sells, read the E-book - Tourism
Marketing Material Success.
Sales
13. I love selling. I am enthusiastic, persuasive and can convert
prospects into sales. _________
14. I am good at phone sales and written persuasion communication
_________
15. I am good at personal selling, i.e. tradeshows, special
events, public presentations. ________
Helpful
article: Guides
as Sales People
Good
Book on selling services; Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith
Experience
16. I have experience in the tourism industry that has helped
me position my company for ________ competitive success.
Time management skills
17. I am self-disciplined and great at managing my time. _________
18. I can effectively set and reach prioritized goals, and
keep commitments to others and myself. _________
Good itineraries/products
19. I have researched and pre-run all my trips. My itineraries,
service, equipment, lodging, food, _________ schedule, options or pricing is as good or better than my competition
for the price.
Regional business/government environment
20. I have checked with other tourism professionals or associations
in my country to get _________ information on the government environment and taxation issues.
Economic environment
21. My key prospects have the money and time now and in the
foreseeable future to buy my tourism options. I have planned for possible fluctuations in
the global economy. _________
Safety & world perception of your region
22. My trips and our region are safe and are perceived as
safe. _________
23. I have adequate training and safety procedures to run trips
safely. _________
24. I have emergency contingency plans in place. _________
Helpful article: Tourism
Safety and Security
Natural resources, beauty and culture
25. My country, region and activities are "something
different" from where my prospect/clients live and
recreate. _________
26. The culture, open spaces, undeveloped aspect and sites
of my region are unique in the world tourism arena. _________
27. We are dedicated to responsible travel to natural areas
that conserves the environment and sustains the well being of local people. _________
Alliances and partnerships
28. I am able to work well with others outside of my company.
I am able to make deals and alliances with other tourism business - lodging, transportation, tour
operators, food services, etc. _________
Legal and insurance
29. I have checked with local and regional government agencies
and an attorney and know the legal and insurance risk issues associated with my tourism business.
_________
30. I have checked on my insurance risk and coverage issues
associated with my tourism
business. _________
Time
31. I am aware that a tourism business and promotion takes time
and hard work. _________
32. I am willing to give my business a 110% effort over time
to succeed. _________
Professional review
33. My business and marketing action plans have been double-checked
by an outside professional resource to make sure my projections; assumptions and resources
are realistic. _________
Check
out Professional Services and Tourism
Industry Links for assistance
Internet and technology
34. I have a web site that is professional, informative, compelling
and well written. _________
35. I understand the importance of search engine ranking and
have earned top 20 ranking in _________ my key words.
36. I am gathering E-mail addresses of clients and prospects
for regular contact. _________
To
create a web site that sells read, Tourism
web sites and purchase the E-book - Tourism
Marketing Material Success.
Contact
Adventure
Business Consultants to gain top ranking and excellent traffic
for your tourism web site.
Flexibility
37. I am flexible and able to adapt effectively to changes in
business and unpredictable people. _________
Problem solving skills
38. I am innovative, open to new ideas, able to assess challenges,
be decisive and make tough decisions. _________
Operations
39. I have written terms and conditions which include trip deposit
information, cancellation policies. ________
Publicity
40. I know how to work with travel media and understand the
importance of earning positive editorial coverage. _________
Helpful
articles: Working
with Travel Media
Sample
media trip agreement
How to make sure your press release won't be read
For
effective press relations, contact Adventure
Travel Media Source. Let them know Adventure Business Consultants
sent you and receive a discount.
Total points________
Scoring
Notice where your have high and low scores. Low scores are areas
to focus on - opportunities to increase your success. If you
don't give them attention, they will come back and hurt you.
- 100 or better. Good odds for success. You may
need targeted assistance.
- 80 - 99. Slow down. You have work to do. Concentrate
on scores of 1 or less.
- 60 - 79. Stop! Seek help fast. Improve your scores
first. Learning is earning.
- 59 or less. Step back. Seriously consider another
profession or work for another tour operator who is successful.
Seek professional and personal assistance. Earn a high score
on the self-assessment again before starting a tourism business.
You'll save a tons of money and heartache
Action to improve your odds of
success
If you don't have all the elements in this checklist represented
personally or on your team, look to other resources for help.
Alliances, partnerships, associations, consultants, classes,
government, web sites, family, friends and investors can all
be a part of your success equation.
For more insights and answers to the above checklist; read
the other article listed below some of the categories, the business
and marketing
articles section and check out our professional
service.
Look for the article entitled:
Checklist for small business owners - challenges, solutions
and resources in a future edition of "Outdoor Tourism Marketing
Business Success" E-zine.
Compare results with partners and managers. Find our your individual
strengths and weaknesses first. Hopefully you complement each
other in skills. If not, seek outside guidance, or you may loose
your partnership and business too.
Tim Warren © 2003 - AdventureBizSuccess.com
Since 1994, the Adventure Business Consultant's team, has helped
dozens of outdoor businesses, destinations, tourism associations
and ministries increase profits, arrivals and success. Click
Here For Free Bimonthly E-zine - Outdoor Tourism Marketing Business
Success - News, tips, tools and specials that you can use
to increase your tourism marketing and business success.
