Be My Guests

One of my blogger is so kind to contribute his article in my blog. If you have anything that you wish to share with us, do send to me your article. Thanks

Sometimes, it is useful to sit back and think about the business one is running and try to get to the heart of the matter so that one can make improvements and then grow the business. When one is operating a business in which the object is to attract swiftlets to stay and make their nests in special premises; then one can perhaps be liken to a hotel owner whose customers or guests are the swiftlets.

Sam Walton who started with just one retail outlet in the 1940s, through hard work, persistence and a lot of business savvy, eventually transformed his small business into a gigantic global business empire known as Wal-Mart which under the helms of his family members is still expanding and prospering. In his biography: Made In America- My Story, in Chapter 12: Making the Customer Number One, he observed: “For my whole career in retail, I have stuck by one guiding principle. It’s a simple one, and I have repeated it over and over and over in this book until I’m sure you’re sick of it. But I’m going to say it again anyway: the secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want.”

So if you are a swiftlet farmer or rancher, you are actually in the hospitality industry and the premises (either renovated shops or standalone bungalows) can be liken to hotels in which swiftlets are our customers or guests. So we need to provide a conducive environment in which the various needs of our valued guests are met so that they will choose to stay in our “hotel”. In return for providing 5 stars accommodation, these special guests will pay us back royally with their precious nests which are worth their weight in gold!

And for those who are involve in this industry, one should already know what these very special guests or customers require in order for our hotels to be successful. Firstly, we should understand that location is the leading criteria in which a hotel must be located where there are plenty of customers; then we must understand their needs by renovating or constructing our hotels in which their various needs are meet such as in terms of safety (from predators), they must also find it easy to gain access into and out of the hotel. Then, we must ensure that we provide comfortable residence in which the temperature and humidity are at optimum level. Finally, good advertisement in terms of interesting external sounds must be use to attract their attention to come and pay their visit and also soothing internal sound that will make them want to make our hotel their choice of residence; in which not only they will stay permanently but also their off springs as well. So, if you want your hotel to have full occupancy of thousands of swiftlets, you should first perceive them as your valued guests and then act accordingly and you could well be on your way to achieve your goal.