| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/07/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 61 |
| Copyright: Other |
meetthe
MD
This week: Steve Foster, Holiday Cottages Group
Age: 42
If there is one mantra which I believe all businesses should embrace, it is understand your customer.It is such a basic concept and so fundamental to business success yet it is ignored by so many.
Knowing yourself, however, is the first hurdle. I went straight into banking after leaving school, following the careers advisor’s advice to utilise my love of maths. This was not a good choice as the pace of progression even for ambitious individuals was painfully slow. So I escaped and moved on to the local newspaper’s sales department. This was a lively environment and it was here I discovered the impact that telephone technique has on individual and overall company sales performance – this experience proved useful later in my career.
From there I decided to combine my sales experience with my original love and joined a company selling financing to used car dealers – an interesting challenge. I quickly appreciated the key role negotiation plays in business and, as a trained negotiator, this is an area that continues to fascinate me – or is it just because I am a tight Yorkshireman?
However I decided I needed a complete change and secured my first position in the travel industry as a campsite manager in the south of France – still one of my top five holiday spots. I knew straight away I had made the right decision because although the work was hard and the hours long just knowing I had delivered a holiday experience which exceeded customers’ expectations gave me considerable satisfaction.
In addition, my commercial understanding improved dramatically and I made serious money – for someone getting paid £50 per week – organising beach parties and BBQs for around 200 people.
But the real buzz was running the show, making the decisions, maximising on site income, dealing with problems and keeping customers happy. I was hooked.
I worked overseas for four years as regional manager for Sunscene Holidays, mainly in northern Italy and Yugoslavia. We were the first company to operate coach camping holidays to Yugoslavia. I remember having our equipment stuck at the Yugoslav/Italian border for two weeks until I realised that the head of Yugoslav customs had his eye on our patio furniture!
In 1984 I returned to the UK to take up the position of operations manager and then operations director – which covered a multitude of activities including responsibility for the planning and overseeing of all our coach movements overseas. We usually had 40 coaches a week travelling to and from France, Spain, Italy and Yugoslavia. The experience was invaluable.
One occasion made me appreciate the importance of staff training. One of our double-decker coaches with 70 customers on board burst into flames on the French autoroute but thankfully the coach hostess followed our training to the letter and led all customers to safety. It is so important to train and continually develop staff as it makes a difference to business performance.
My next role was product director and general manager with ILG. I was responsible for creating and running Drive Europe, a French self-drive programme which operated as an autonomous business within ILG. This was a very successful brand and it was this experience that really taught me the importance of understanding your customers and also clarity of marketing communication. The demise of ILG in 1991, which was a big disappointment at the time, proved to be a blessing in disguise – I joined Holiday Cottages Group, met my wife Sue and now live in one of the most beautiful parts of England, the Yorkshire Dales.
During the past eight years at Holiday Cottages Group, I have been responsible for most functions within the business but one of the most rewarding projects has been the creation of our European self-drive division. This involved two start-up programmes and the acquisition of Chez Nous. Since becoming Holiday Cottages Group managing director last year, my key focus has been the development of our brand and Internet strategies.
CURRICULUM VITAE
1975-1978: Lloyds/TSB as bank clerk/cashier.
MY TOP TIPS
l What gets measured gets done.
* Get on-line now.
* Walk the job – be human and approachable.
* Give your customers what they want.
* Utilise the power of your people – they usually have the answers.
* Look for persistence in your team.
* Drive the top line sales as no company ever shrank to greatness.
* Don’t forget product and service excellence.l Don’t be afraid of change.
* Involve your team in decision making.