Training: A Better Deal
Isn't it time your contractors' skills were fine-tuned to maximise profitability of a tour? With 40 years' experience, Jon Hartley is offering the chance to do just that.
"As you may know, whilst I may have the perfect backside to sit on, I can't keep still for very long," wrote Jon Hartley in his first company mailshot to UK coach operators.
Although officially retired, Jon has set up his own business to keep him active within the industry he has been a part of for 40 years.
Jon Hartley Solutions covers the two industries close to his heart - hotels and coaching. In a nutshell, Jon is passing on some of the tricks of the trade he has picked up over four decades of negotiating with hotels and other service providers whose rates can dramatically affect the bottom line of your tours.
"I look at it as fine tuning their skills," says Jon. "Some contractors
in the industry are very, very good. Others' skills could do with a little polish maybe - that's where I come in. Many companies in the coach industry have strong family connections and
so it is not unusual for a tour planner to have been passed the job from
his parents or grandparents without formal training."
Distinguished Career
Jon started out as a bus conductor, progressing to bus driver, then coach driver and moved to Wallace Arnold in 1978.
"I started as a private hire and excursion tour driver, then went
on to British tours then continental tours," he recalls. "But I moved inside in 1982 and worked in the planning department for British tours. Initially I was in charge of contracting ancillary services; ferries for example. I eventually went on to contract hotels from there."
Quickly earning a reputation for being prudent, Jon's career continued to develop and he became contracts manager for UK tours in 1988, a role he excelled in for 17 years.
"There has been so much change in
that time," Jon recalls. "When I started as contracts manaw:q-, it was the same time that we at Wallace Arnold were moving away from traditional coaching hotels. Standards were going up, as they were throughout the industry.
"When I started as a driver, en-suite was a luxury. One of my first tours was to Newquay and out of 22 tours, only one had an en-suite bathroom as standard - and that was only in '78!" With all this experience behind him, Jon found his niche in the market.
"Coach operators are all completely different," he stresses. "The expensive coaches they operate are regularly serviced, but when was the last time their contractor was updated with the latest methods to obtain the best deals? I may be biased - well I am actually - but
I have always felt that the contractors were not thought of as highly as they should be, for they control one of the main items of, expenditure for any tour programme, but who taught them how to do it?"
A Word to the Wise
The strap line for Jon Hartley solutions is 'A word to the Wise', which sums up Jon's thoughts on what he is doing. "Operators are running a business in the most difficult of trading times, and hope that they are getting the best deals. "Maybe liken this to your best drivers introduction speech. No one I taught him how to do it or what to
, say - he has developed this over the
years through common sense, and
by listening to others. In some cases things said by other drivers were
not appropriate to him, but in others things were said that he has worked into his own introduction to better his performance.
"Year by year he has built this up to such as extent that others are learning from him, and yet he will still listen
to every intro to see if something
said could better his own. From this
he adds his own personality, which enables him to deal with problems with professionalism and skill, which in turn makes him all the more valuable to you and your company.
"Again, I have to ask the question, how did your contractor add to their introduction and negotiation techniques? There are some very good hotel contractors in the UK, but they tend to be individuals and work either alone or as part of a small team. What I am suggesting is a little training to see if they can improve their technique, and in turn your profitability. "I hasten to add that I am not trying to make my Granny suck eggs, all I am offering is a service to hopefully benefit coach companies. Accountants should be able to offset any costs too!" Jon is keen to point out that there is no magic wand or secret system to negotiating with hotels. But over 40 years of learning, he has honed his skills.
Phraseology has a lot to do with it. Use the right phrases and responses and you can control the conversation. One should always remember that it is the contractor, not the hotel, who has the power in this situation - after all you may be about to fill three quarters of their hotel for them!
little things can impact deals too.
Making sure an email goes straight to the right person, for example. There is almost certainly more to it than you thought, all of it aimed at hopefully enabling your contractors to gain the advantage.
Training That Pays
Upon deciding to start up his own business, Jon explains that one of the first things he did was to join the Coach Tourism Council. "This fine
body of ladies and gentlemen are an outstanding group that promotes coach travel to anyone who will listen, and writes it down for those who don't.
I They are a light in our industry to be proud of, and I am honoured to be a member.
"I am also a Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism, and a member of The Tourism Society, so manage to keep abreast of most things that are happening." Although it is early days for Jon Hartley Solutions, he has got off
to an encouraging start, already having worked with some of the
very top names in UK coaching.
His rates vary depending on group sizes, which in turn effects the length of his training sessions. Jon will gladly travel to an operator's premises or meet at nearby hotels or conference venues.
The web site will be up and running very soon, at www.jonhart[eyso[utions. co.uk, and the email is already open. Jon is planning on setting up regional seminars early next year, to make getting the message across easier and more cost effective.
Responsible for booking in excess
of a million bed nights per year in his peak, there are few people, if any, more experienced than Jon at dealing with hotels on behalf of coach groups.
"I hope to affect the bottom line of any company that hires me," he declares. "And any costs can realistically be won back in two deals, plus the contractors have the skills for life."
