In the same way that I am writing this list for those of you just starting your career, I also seek advice from those that are already working as General Managers to learn from their guidance and their mistakes. I have a group of GMs that I communicate with regularly and refer to them as my own personal “Board of Career Advisors.” How neat is that?
I started working as a sales manager in private clubs when I was 25 years old. Of course back then I had just graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Business Management from The University of North Texas. I thought I knew all there was to know about the hospitality industry as well as marketing, branding and overall sales techniques as a whole. Needless to say, I did not. Here is a short list of some of the things I wish someone would have told me back then:
Pick up the phone – So many of us, including me, would much rather send out a generic email to several brides all at once and see who responds rather than taking the time to stop and call each one individually. Many young sales people panic when the internet goes down. They act like they might as well go home because they cannot do anything without the internet–wrong. Try using the phone for a change. What can it hurt?
Talent is great, but your boss does not care – All your owners, and General Managers, care about is results. You can have all the technical skills, be the most creative and multi-task like nobody’s business, but if you are not using those talents to create sales in the form of booked events and upselling, then who cares? I used to work for a Director of Sales that wanted a report to show how many brides I meet with each week. I thought this was pointless and a waste of time to keep track of. What does it matter how many brides I meet with if none of them are interested in booking our club? What she should have asked for is how many weddings I booked each week or my closing ratio to compare how many brides I meet with to how many of them booked the club.
Both the size and quality of your network matter – People will always tell you in business that, “It is not what you know, but who you know.” I completely disagree. I mean the “what you know” part of the statement is very important. If you did not know anything then what is point of being there? More importantly, I think the statement should be, “It is not who you know, but rather who knows you.” Think about it. Who is the one trying to get a promotion or a foot in the door? It is not the people that you know—it is you! Years ago I made it a point to make sure that, without a doubt, all the private club managers in Fort Worth, Texas knew me by name and would be able to tell other club managers a little about me. They knew my name, my career was focused on sales, my school, my current club, my desire to work at the general managers level etc. I then moved onto all the club managers in Dallas, Texas then after that all of Texas (or at least the major clubs in the largest markets). I am now working on creating a name for myself nationwide. I now have club managers I can connect with in Boston, Seattle, Florida, New York, Arizona, Wyoming, Saint Louis, New Orleans, etc. When a job becomes available and club managers ask each other for candidates, who do you think will make their list?
We are more eager to be task-oriented in the morning – This is a tough one because many of us like to come in around noon based on the fact that we will be at the club later that evening because of a private event, etc. The problem is the rest of the world does not work this way. They most likely work from 9 am to 5 pm and want to get 100% of their work done within that time frame. Let’s say a new bride is looking for a venue and starts calling places at 9 am, then you arrive at work at noon to get the message she left for you at 9:15 am. By the time you call her back she has probably already talked to several others and lined up consultations all over town without you being on her short list. This is where the old adage, “You snooze, you lose” comes into play.
Do not wait for a job assignment, just go do something! – You will never get ahead by waiting for someone to tell you what to do. In our world there is plenty to do even if it’s your first day. You can research recent issues and trends in our industry, spend time with the staff, clean the office, look over contracts and deadlines for guest count and/or payment, etc. If you find yourself doing something that you are not sure about you can always go with the “Asking forgiveness is easier than asking for permission” tactic. Speaking of which..
You should be getting your butt kicked – This should be happening every day. I love it when someone calls me and says, “It is too hard. It is just too much work for me to handle.” Really? What did you think you were signing up for? You are not babysitting goldfish. Your GM would not give you more than he/she thinks you can handle and if you truly cannot meet the deadlines, you can always ask for help. Another tip that I have used, especially during the holidays, when I know my workload will be bigger than normal is to come to work one hour earlier and plan to stay one hour later than I regularly do. Based on a five-day work week, this will give you ten more hours to achieve the goal!
Time is something you can never have enough of – In my experience, most recent college graduates, or young professionals in their first career job, think that they have all the time in the world. They want to relax and learn as they go with no real sense of urgency. You need to continue to study and learn on the job—even if you are not, your competition is. By competition, I am referring to the people that are going to be applying for the next job that you are also interested in, and guess who has the edge?
People matter more than perks – Young professionals are so excited about starting their first career job that things like paid time off, meal plans, free golf and team outings are what gets them to commit In reality, most clubs and hospitality venues all offer those same perks, if not more. What really matters is the people you are working with, the people you are working for, and the people that you are serving. What would you rather have—a nice GM or a nice chicken dinner every night after work?
Act “as if” – You may not know all the answers. You may be faced with something that makes you feel extremely uncomfortable. This is where you have to act as if—in other words, act like you are already at the next position in your career you want to be without actually being there. I always try to take on more responsibility than I really need to, or get paid to do, just to show them that I am ready, willing and able to move into the next position.
Take responsibility for your failures – You will make mistakes—I promise. You should be making mistakes and lots of them when you are early in your career. Simply make the mistake. Accept the fact that you were wrong and try to learn from it for the next time you encounter the same situation.
You need at least one professional mentor, if not several – Much like I am writing this list for those of you just starting your career, I also seek advice from those that are already working as General Managers to learn from their guidance and their mistakes. I have a group of GMs that I communicate with regularly and refer to them as my own personal “Board of Career Advisors.” How neat is that? They want me to succeed and they have attached their name to mine to give me more credibility and truly want me to be a success. Their words of advice and encouragement are genuinely priceless.
Be the first to arrive and the last to leave – Out of this entire list this is the one piece of advice that I did get and I think it did help. I made a point to learn my GM’s schedule and always got to work about thirty minutes before he did and left a few minutes after his departure. Soon I was hearing comments like, “Do you sleep here?” It was nice to hear because it showed that my time spent working was being noticed.
What types of rules, or guidelines, are you modeling your career after? What types of response have you received from doing so? I would be happy to hear what you have to share and look forward to your responses.
I hope that helps and until next time, just keep selling!
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