Chamber News
Springerville-Eagar Regional Chamber of Commerce
February 26, 2021
~ Get Ready for the Summer Season ~
By Verda La Rue, Marketing Chair
It’s March already, and it feels like time to start thinking about the upcoming tourist season. Have you stocked enough products for the season? Is your staff up on quality customer service for when the crowd hits? Is your website or Facebook page up to date?
The Chamber of Commerce has been preparing for this burst of tourists by creating day trip brochures to hand out to travelers coming to our area. These brochures are designed to show them beautiful locations that are approximately a two-hour drive from Round Valley, such as the Coronado Trail, Red Rock Lavender Farm, El Malpais National Monument, Zuni Salt Lake, Mogollon Ghost Town, Alpine Golf Club and John Wilhelm’s amazing metal sculpture display. The chamber staff is here six days a week to help travelers find our local hotels, motels, B&Bs, cabin rentals and restaurants along their path.
Keep doing what you're doing – but take in these following tips to improve the tourist season experience for everybody:
Give Your Local Customers Some Attention
The run-up to summer is the time to nurture your best clients. Let them know when you’ll be open for business over the summer. Phone them, drop them an email or use social media to keep them up to date with any developments. And, if you can, spend quality time with your most valuable clients.
Start Hiring and Training
One of the most important things to focus on right now is building your team for the tourist season. Plan ahead and think about hiring enough staff or taking on temporary help to handle the tourism load. Make sure you train your staff to deliver the quality customer service you want for your business.
Keep the Money Coming In
Managing cash flow is vital. Contact your clients and find out who’s responsible for payments during the summer to make sure you’re still going to get paid. And always invoice as soon as you can.
Capture New Customers on SaveCents.com
To stay relevant amid changing customer expectations, use technology to your advantage. Use SaveCents.com to help make your retail, restaurant, and tourism-related small businesses refine and promote their concepts to the public. Have you gotten listed in the Buy Local Save Cents database at savecents.com? This is a free service for local businesses to get their businesses listed digitally for travelers searching for local offerings on their cell phones. Call the Chamber of Commerce staff at (928) 333-2123 to add your business to the free, searchable local listings.
Being prepared for the summer season will help you attract the tourists you want and ensure your business is having the most optimal presence while using the best marketing techniques.