By Mike Green, Customer Impact President
When is Hospitality worth $150,000,000?
I was recently invited to attend a tour of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that is now open in our community, Axis Pipe and Tube. I have always been fascinated with how things are built, and this place was amazing!
After the tour, someone asked how the large Mexican based company selected Bryan, TX to build this new 600,000 square foot facility. I was curious as well, since Bryan, TX has almost zero manufacturing in the area. We were told they had 31 cities in the US offering every incentive imaginable to get them to build in their area. It took several years to narrow the list down to three cities that met all of their needs. My jaw dropped when he explained what the final deciding factor was between the three finalist cities… He said it was HOSPITALITY. The owners from Mexico simply loved the hospitality, service, and sincerity of the people in the community they encountered during their numerous site visits to Bryan. They also mentioned that they felt RESPECTED. Bryan, TX beat the odds and won a $150,000,000 manufacturing facility because the residents were just plain nicer than the people in the other two cities. WOW! It truly is a unique place to live and work.
How does this apply to your business? In most communities, there are dozens of companies that offer the same service or product as you. Some may offer the same prices, and some may have nicer facilities. What can you do to break the tie and win that customer over? HOSPITALITY!!! Make sure that every person that walks through your doors is welcomed, thanked, appreciated, and respected. Make that change today! Then hopefully, your business will grow and one day make a $150,000,000 decision.