Promote your business, and clean up for spring

Spring is in the air. Is it in your business plan? Summer is the busy season for many an operator, so now's the time make sure your operation is primed to thrive. Whether it's a matter of refining your tours, attracting new customers or sprucing up your fleet, there's always something you can do to grow. Here are a few more of our tips:

1. Take a good look at your tours and how you sell them. Can you recognize the fine line between tried-and-true and truly tired? Is there a way to take your offerings to the next level? New tours can bring new blood to your business. Taking advantage of its proximity to the Hormel factory, Mid-American Coaches offers Spam-themed tours — and they're very popular. Many operators, Mid-American included, offer "mystery" tours in which the final destination remains a secret until passengers board the coach. Great Canadian Holidays, Ontario, runs mystery reunion tours for regular customers, building loyalty in a unique and appealing way.

   

   John Hall's Alaska, which offers some of the industry's most personalized, premium tours of America's biggest state, is constantly refining its offerings and pushing the boundaries — literally. Prompted by his passion for Alaska and for customer service, owner John Hall has created a niche based on being able to take smaller groups to off-the-beaten-path locations. This year's newest tour will take travelers to Cordova-Kennicott and the Arctic Circle. Testament to both the tour's innovative appeal and Hall's ability to promote it during the company's winter appearances at travel shows nationwide, the tour is already sold out.

   

2. Think green, earn green. Last year, MCI and other manufacturers started producing coaches with engines that cut emissions up to 90 percent. Last fall, the Green Operators Council went live with its GoCoach.org website. Operators like International Stage Lines, British Columbia, are exploring the best ways to let their communities know the benefits of traveling by motor coach. ISL's marketing manager, Brad Sidjak, is looking into letting passengers calculate their carbon footprints online and make travel decisions accordingly.

   

   Houston Metro, which is taking delivery of MCI's first new-generation hybrid diesel-electric coaches, is promoting its green credentials. So can you. If you're the owner of an MCI clean-diesel coach, you should soon be receiving materials, including co-op ads and tips for getting free P.R., to help put you on the green map.

3. Don't underestimate the power of a flashy ride. As one operator once said, "A swirl never sold anything." Savvy operators find ways to use their coaches as promotional vehicles. Great Canadian is well-known for its attention-getting nature-scene coaches, as is the Free Enterprise System.

   

   Insides count too. John Hall's Alaska takes seats out of its J4500 coaches to offer "first-class" leg room, installs galleys and pays attention to the small stuff — like keeping CD burners onboard so passengers can download their photos and free up room on their cameras. "People tend to take a lot of pictures and fill up their memory sticks," says Hall.

4. Think big. With bonus depreciation still on the table, this is a great time for many operators to take the plunge and add to their fleets. If you're concerned that adding coaches means increasing your storage and maintenance facilities, think about a maintenance agreement with your local MCI sales and service center that lets you put more of your capital into equipment, not upkeep.

5. Expand your web presence. Creating a website is one thing. Making sure it pops up when prospective travelers cruise the Internet for travel information is another. If you don't yet know how to optimize your site for search engines, spring is a great time to learn, and MCI can help. Click here.

The FYI from MCI editorial staff values your feedback. Please e-mail any suggestions, comments, or ideas for future articles to fyi@mcicoach.com.