My “heart of the plan” thinking has a lot to do with targeting well and focusing, which often starts with what ‘Chelle Parmele calls A lesson in saying “You aren’t my customer.”
There was a video report on MSNBC recently about a campground in the Great Smoky Mountain Park, Punkin Center Campground, that caters exclusively to motorcyclists. Have a car? Keep on driving, you won’t find a place to sleep there.
What struck me as most interesting was how they came to their success. Instead of going the traditional route of advertising and accepting anyone who came their way, they knew exactly who they wanted to cater to, and stuck to it. Through word of mouth they see approximately 3 to 5 thousand motorcycles a week during the busy vacation season. Because of their decision to narrow the focus of their business, Jody Montgomery, one of the owners, estimates they have increased their business 10 to 1 over what it would have been as a traditional campground.
Impressive results for a campground that turns anyone with a car away.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and Bplans.com. Follow him on Twitter @Timberry.
