4 simple ways to educate your customers about what you sell

[JBloggs]

From Barry the Bar Blogger Article HERE
Do you promote upcoming events at your B&B? Can you imagine having a tourism/CVB or something that actually sent these little tent cards out for the month or season?

 

[Copperhead]

Our CVB did this one season. For me it was just something else to pick up when I dusted. My hotel friends said the same. We all preferred to have the stack of flyers etc that has more room to inform them of when & where. With the tent cards, they either had to pick which events to list or give nothing but the list. Our CVB did the latter and we were never asked anything about any of them, hense they never blew their money again.
Now for a restaurant or bar tables - I can see it working more effectively as people are focused on what is right in front of them

 

[MTLLodge]

I can say I do

check it out if you haven't been there for a while! Always ways to improve! It has been 1 month since the new website went live and it has been a fun ride so far! Thanks for all the help you all have given me.

 

[Morticia]

I have some rack cards from our local CVB telling what's coming up. No one looks at them. A tent card on the dining table WOULD get looked at given how many come and sit and read while waiting to eat.
Thanks for the idea!

 

[Morticia]

Great idea about the deli bringing around muncies while you wait in line!

 

[JBloggs]

Tent card vs rack card being key. It is not sitting in each room, it is on the dining table. Sitting on your dining table would ensue conversation amongst the guests as well. I have a sheet printed out from a CVB that no one looks at. I barely look at it.
That is why I posted this, not to skim and say what doesn't work, I am sharing the TENT card on the dining table idea which I think WOULD be great. Just have to get it into motion...obv you can't have every event on them.

 

[Morticia]

Tent card vs rack card being key. It is not sitting in each room, it is on the dining table. Sitting on your dining table would ensue conversation amongst the guests as well. I have a sheet printed out from a CVB that no one looks at. I barely look at it.
That is why I posted this, not to skim and say what doesn't work, I am sharing the TENT card on the dining table idea which I think WOULD be great. Just have to get it into motion...obv you can't have every event on them..

I have had this on my to do list for so long the little holders I bought have dust on them. (I figured holders would keep the tents from getting covered in maple syrup!) Anyway, back on the list.

 

[EmptyNest]

yUMMO...a favorite deli in Columbus!!!

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

Tent card vs rack card being key. It is not sitting in each room, it is on the dining table. Sitting on your dining table would ensue conversation amongst the guests as well. I have a sheet printed out from a CVB that no one looks at. I barely look at it.
That is why I posted this, not to skim and say what doesn't work, I am sharing the TENT card on the dining table idea which I think WOULD be great. Just have to get it into motion...obv you can't have every event on them..

I am sharing the TENT card on the dining table idea which I think WOULD be great. Just have to get it into motion...obv you can't have every event on them.

I think that, if done well, the tent cards on the dining table could be a fabulous conversation starter. And not so hard to make some up yourself for the events that are closest to you or most interesting to your guests.

 

[JBloggs]

Yes this is something we could make up ourselves. Also something that would be good done on a broader scale. I suggest it as many get flyers or emails from their CVB's, this might be something different. I mean, every Italian restaurant has the little plexi holders for wine specials or gelato. They prob sell them at Staples.
Here is one that sells them online http://www.displays2go.com/product.asp?ID=480

 

[EmptyNest]

Yes this is something we could make up ourselves. Also something that would be good done on a broader scale. I suggest it as many get flyers or emails from their CVB's, this might be something different. I mean, every Italian restaurant has the little plexi holders for wine specials or gelato. They prob sell them at Staples.
Here is one that sells them online http://www.displays2go.com/product.asp?ID=480.

You can buy a cheap little photo holder at the Dollar store that works well. I used them for my dessert menu's and breakfast menus. Staples has all sorts of sizes of plexiglass holders. Or...just print some of your own table tents on card stock....fold and put out on the table. Throw away when the events are over. Why spend money on holders?

 

[seashanty]

i had tent cards on the tables at breakfast ... telling folks what was for breakfast. they wouldn't 'see' the big sign at the entrance to the breakfast room or in the guest library ... but they would see what was on the table in front of them. usually
it was just card stock but i would see them handling it and reading it so it caught their eye ... but it had to be an eye catching background color ... i prefer red ... with the smaller notice in buff on top. i cut those little slits in four places so i could fit the buff paper onto the background and slip the corners into the slits
that is a great idea about promoting events upcoming with the tent cards at other places ....
i love that bar blogger guy's ideas!

 

[JBloggs]

CL I was just demonstrating what there is out there. So folks could get the idea, "picture it" so to speak. Yes you can buy these at staples and such and put them in your rooms for little check in or dresser notes as well. I have a larger one in the foyer that I change out stuff from time to time, never sure I want it for any one use. Document holder with the rack card holder pocket.
I prefer the holders as they can be wiped down if sticky and wont get dog eared, plus they can stand UP on the table or sideboard or wherever you use them. They are cheap.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

CL I was just demonstrating what there is out there. So folks could get the idea, "picture it" so to speak. Yes you can buy these at staples and such and put them in your rooms for little check in or dresser notes as well. I have a larger one in the foyer that I change out stuff from time to time, never sure I want it for any one use. Document holder with the rack card holder pocket.
I prefer the holders as they can be wiped down if sticky and wont get dog eared, plus they can stand UP on the table or sideboard or wherever you use them. They are cheap..

Yes you can buy these at staples and such and put them in your rooms for little check in or dresser notes as well. I have a larger one in the foyer that I change out stuff from time to time, never sure I want it for any one use. Document holder with the rack card holder pocket.
I prefer the holders as they can be wiped down if sticky and wont get dog eared, plus they can stand UP on the table or sideboard or wherever you use them. They are cheap.

Ditto. The holders can be kept clean; the cardstock can't.
I use these for all kinds of little notes (please help yourself to..., etc.). Cheap, simple, and you can make a great presentation almost instantly.
But I haven't done them on the breakfast table for activities/events. I think that's a great idea and I'm sure going to start using it myself.

 

[JBloggs]

I also have a holder where I put quotes of the day, its a clip in the shape of a pineapple (the symbol of hospitality which first began in Colonial Virginia) although I have not done this of late. I made up these quotes on photo backgrounds of photos I took and laminated them. They are the size of a business card, so I got like 9 to a sheet when laminated. I made these up in preparation for moving here. I have some funny quotes and others just as something to have on the table for guests to read or talk about.

 

[One Day]

just wondering......
Could it be possible that information overload may turn off guests?
Don't get me wrong......I think it's a great idea tent cards or the plastic holder things........See them all the time at restaurants, diners and the like
Local events are an important thing.....guests should know about such things.
Maybe I am just imagining every room filled with tent cards or the plastic holders all over the place.
It's still a grand idea

 

[JBloggs]

One Day I hear you loud and clear. I am the first to be annoyed by little notes and bits and pieces of innfo everywhere. On the other hand...I have been at B&B's with zero information and I had no clue what there was in the area, what to see and what to do. Not all guests are that well prepared, some just get out of dodge.
I still have my little tent folded card near the electric kettle that states "Please use mug for hot drinks" after a dufus poured scalding hot water into a dixie cup from the water cooler. I do have Help Yourself to Sodas! and other little friendly notes (not many!)
We have a sign out front below our B&B sign "Parking in rear" people don't know how to get to the rear. Telling them how would be defeatest, it is easier to say go around the block to the back and look for the sign if they call and ask. You just can't put it all on a sign, you can't explain some stuff...they have to work it out.
Oh and btw on this same subject, re the front door access keypad, we DID go to a show on Sunday eve and SURE ENOUGH got a call. The guests could not get the lock to work. So we walked them through it, they had already been here two days! At the end he said "Oh, I was putting in 1776" (Which is not the code, fyi). He apologized profusely. So there ya have it, people are people.

 

[Morticia]

just wondering......
Could it be possible that information overload may turn off guests?
Don't get me wrong......I think it's a great idea tent cards or the plastic holder things........See them all the time at restaurants, diners and the like
Local events are an important thing.....guests should know about such things.
Maybe I am just imagining every room filled with tent cards or the plastic holders all over the place.
It's still a grand idea.

Oh, we struggle with that 'notes everywhere' thing all the time. Guests need info. They need info they don't even know they need. And then they need it when you're sound asleep! Thus, the 20-page in room guide. And the little cross-stitched note on the back of the door telling them when to check-out (NO ONE reads that). And the little tent card about hanging up your towels. And the bulletin board with things to do. And the other one with more things to do and what's for breakfast. And the racks of brochures of things to do and still they say, 'What's to do around here? Is there a restaurant nearby?'
My guess is that one more little tent card on the breakfast table isn't going to send them screaming into the night!

 

[greyswan]

I liked the idea about cheese samples.... there's a cheese maker in the area... that may be a way to promote their business for tours of their farm and sales of goat cheese from here.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

just wondering......
Could it be possible that information overload may turn off guests?
Don't get me wrong......I think it's a great idea tent cards or the plastic holder things........See them all the time at restaurants, diners and the like
Local events are an important thing.....guests should know about such things.
Maybe I am just imagining every room filled with tent cards or the plastic holders all over the place.
It's still a grand idea.

just wondering......
Could it be possible that information overload may turn off guests?
Don't get me wrong......I think it's a great idea tent cards or the plastic holder things........See them all the time at restaurants, diners and the like
Local events are an important thing.....guests should know about such things.
Maybe I am just imagining every room filled with tent cards or the plastic holders all over the place.
It's still a grand idea

One Day, I've certainly been seriously turned off by the notes pinned to walls and left everywhere in guest rooms myself.
It all depends on the skills of the innkeeper to write up messages that will seem like a kindness rather than a rule and to then format those messages so that they're not an eyesore.
Helpful information, if well presented, is always welcome by guests. Lots of overbearing rules and tacky notes left everywhere are not.