camp july 29 2016 ramon leave a comment as discussed in the previous article the hunting experience is the most important experience to focus on when trying to satisfy your customers . however another factor that is almost as important yet infinitely more difficult to attain is a good experience when the group is at their camp . as discussed previously the personal tastes of each client including those who are only observing the hunt are impossible to know until they are expressly asked . in spite of the fact that some participants will not hunt their experience at camp is as important as that of the hunter . sometimes even more to than the hunter . the best work toward satisfying every customer at the base camp is to ask ahead of time . don t be afraid to ask what the group will want to eat . at times the client will want you to guess what they are thinking when it comes to food and when this happens think big . food involves such specific tastes that there is no way to prepare something that satisfies every taste but until the group tells you otherwise make sure they get the biggest and best cuts of meat and the ubiquitous sides . for example steak potatoes and those kinds of foods will almost always satisfy because they are perceived as being nicer than other foods of equal cost and preparation . the important thing is to make sure the client feels that they are getting the best value for the cost of the trip . i know that the trip is to bag a trophy animal but that doesn t remove the responsibility of the hunting guides to provide a top notch experience at the camp . the accommodations are as difficult to plan as is the food however the facilities are far less negotiable on the part of the hunting guides . as we discussed earlier the land that is being hunted is often not the property of the hunting guides and as such must be treated with a level of respect that considers the landowners as a part of the overall clientele . additionally the addition or subtraction of items or facilities to the land or accommodations is often difficult if possible . if there is the ability to add to the facilities to improve the overall experience to the hunting party do so conservatively . remember that money that is spent to improve facilities will likely be unreturned unless the facilities that were improved were sub par and in need of renovation in order to be functional . that being said whether the accommodations are a rustic or refined the experience can be satisfactory on the part of the hunting party . the most important step in maintaining satisfaction within the customer base in regards to the base camp is to inform the group about the accommodations in advance of the trip hopefully in the sales and recruitment process . when expectations are managed and expressed with accuracy the clientele can be satisfied when the expectations are met . frustration is the product of unmet expectations . to avoid frustration on the part of the group it is imperative that the accommodations the hunt and the overall experience be expressed as soon and as clearly as possible . when you tell a client that they will experience a certain thing and they still buy the hunt you can be more confident that they will be satisfied by the product they receive in return . however if you downplay something about the trip that you are afraid the customer will not like the customer is likely to notice the discrepancy between what they experience and what was sold to them . however if the sales department takes the lead and manages expectations from the beginning the satisfaction of the customers as a whole will be far greater and the potential to develop returning customers will increase . sure there may be the potential sale that is lost when a client finds out that they cant eat lobster each night or that they wont be staying at the hilton each night and sleeping in until 10 00am each morning but this client would never have been satisfied even if the hunt was booked . and as any professional marketing consultant will tell you a top rating is more valuable than a full time card . the initial money that can be collected is nothing compared to a poor rating on yelp or google . the rating and dissatisfaction of the client can only be mitigated but can not be overcome . coming through for every client is the most important thing when working with a revolving customer base . when the customers are satisfied the expression of that satisfaction is the reward for al the hard work you ve put in to preparing and offering top level guided hunts . the focus on satisfying customers can not be something that only accompanies your first few years in business either . there must be a recognition of the longevity of satisfied customers over the lifetime of business . whitetail hunter expectations in the field july 24 2016july 29 2016 ramon leave a comment after an outfitting operation is running smoothly the most important customer is the hunter . understanding that the hunter is typically accompanied by a variety of other individuals it is important to recognize that the overall hunting experience is something that will be enjoyed by more than the individual who happens to pull the trigger . functionally the hunting experience is unique in that it is capable of facilitating the exact desire of the individual paying for the trip while delivering a thrilling experience for all observers and bystanders . not that these observers are less important but due to the fact that the hunting operation functions first and foremost for the hunter we will discuss the hunters experience first . there re a wide variety of hunting experiences as expected by a wide variety of hunters . that is to say that every hunter expects a little bit different than the one that came before and the one that will come after . however the most important thing that a hunting outfitter should consider when developing a hunting program is that they must deliver on the hunt that as been purchased . that is to say that when a hunter pays money for a particular style or experience which is what should be delivered to them . it may seem that this should go without saying but in reality many hunters filter experience what the expected whenever they travel on a guided hunt . this can happen for a wide variety of reasons but typically it is the result of a miscommunication between the sale of the hunt and the actual experience of the hunt . one of the most difficult elements of guided hunts is the fact that the guides are typically not the sales people . therefore the delivery of the expectation sometimes differs from what was sold due to miscommunication or misunderstanding about the products available . connecting the sales team and the guide operation is katie when attempting to develop a uniform product that can be delivered to every potential customer . when something is sold that item needs to be delivered to the customer in order that that customer is satisfied with the experience they paid for . the style of hunt whether it be safari style stand style or even spot and stalk is secondary to the fact that whatever was purchased needs to be delivered . there are some customers who will complain that the experience was too easy while a different customer would complain that the experience was too difficult . this kind of complaint is often unforeseeable and avoidable however is the style that was purchased is delivered the customer maybe able to understand the unique variances in his or her experience . properly describing what is to be expected is one of the most important elements in customer satisfaction . communicating what the client will experience we ll have to prepare the client as well as prepare god to deliver the expected to experience . on a side note when guidance and cooks gather with the hunters at the beginning of the hunt a great deal of information can be captured from the customers in regards to their expected to experience . many times comments will be made about the relative luxury or relative rugged nature of the accommodations which can tell a great deal about further expectations of the customer . if the customer is complaining about the relative luxury or rugged nature of the experience at this point guides and cooks may attempt to express a more suitable experience if possible . sometimes the changes can not be made that would perfectly satisfy the customer but any attempt to prod the experience in the right direction is often appreciated . lastly observers are unique element in the guided hunt experience . these individuals are often just is involved in the overall reflection and expectation of the hunter but are often less savvy to the process . because of this it is important to educate this group on what is expected of them in order that the hunter has the best possible opportunity to harvest the best possible trophy . one of the most successful mechanisms for doing so is to attempt to draw these observers onto the side of the guy in that they act as support staff for the hunter . additionally it is easy to help these observers work for the success of the hunt when they recognize that the hunter is here to accomplish one task . when in every individual is focused on accomplishing the task of harvesting the best possible trophy while experiencing the best possible hunt the focus of every individual can work to achieve the goal of satisfying the primary customer which is the hunter . resources texas whitetail hunt wildlife systems longbranch 2011 http www.wildlifesystems.com whitetail deer hunting.html hunting outfitters & the property july 21 2016july 29 2016 ramon leave a comment no hunting trip is complete without accommodations food and lodging . the hunter is paying as much for the experience as here she is for the hunt . regardless of the gender of your hunter the accommodations for sleeping eating and evening fellowship are critical to the survival of any hunting operation . that being said it is important to note that customer service must be at the forefront of an owner s mind when here she develops property to serve the hunter . after the proper environment for the development of a high quality game animal has been established and maintain several years the development of accommodations is the next priority . in relation to the hunter the accommodations must meet certain standards however the accommodations must also meet the standards of the men and women who are acting as guides cooks and other service personnel . it may startle some of you to read that these employees and or contract labor should be thought of as customers but any world where guidance serves more than one hunting outfitter the guy you pay is just as much a customer is the hunter . additionally cooks and other service personnel often moonlight to service hunting trips rather than this being their primary occupation . understanding this is the key to developing a proper relationship with these servicemen and women so that they can best serve you and in times of need choose to serve you rather than choosing to serve another organization . business is a cutthroat operation . so customer service and the development of high quality personnel must be just as serious . while developing property to service your hunters