Ken Whiting is President of Whiting's Foods out of Santa Cruz, CA.  His family has been operating food concessions at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for 65 years!  Ken shares his incredible journey, starting as a banana peeler, all the way to present day where he serves on the IAAPA Board of Directors.

Ed Hodgdon has worked at Funtown Splashtown in Maine since he was 16 years old.  He brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to his job from the years he spent in the park.  Ed is also the secretary of NEAAPA, a very active and robust trade association serving the parks and attraction in the New England region.

Nerd alert! Mark Rosenzweig of Ride Entertainment enters the big top to nerd out with Matt and Josh on all things park-related. Included in the discussion: Skycoaster's new harness, the impact of indirect-ROI experiences and the evolution of a company that set out to meet a need.

NiceJob is a reputation management company that helps businesses get more reviews, referrals and sales. Here are some stats that Lars shared during the podcast:

13% of companies ask for reviews

75% of customers want to leave feedback

78% of customer don’t trust a perfect review rating

90% of consumers trust review content vs. marketing

We had a fascinating discussion with Sherry Howell of Centeredge Software. Surprisingly enough, we talked about everything BUT software... just goes to show that no matter what, this IS a people business.

It started with a question that flipped the tables... we usually talk about how companies can provide better service and lead their teams in more effective ways... in this episode we ponder the concept of deriving better service from being a better customer.  AND, influencing better leadership by being a better employee.

Josh shared some information from his thesis about being able to sell better... SPOILER ALERT: we agreed that a lot of these items just make you a better human.  

Establish common ground

Be prepared to listen

Define the objectives

Articulate your deal-breakers

Consider concessions

Consult the experts

Strategize small victories

Be positive

Self-belief is a requirement

Use pressure strategically

Choose the correct communication channel

Be passionate and exciting

Use humor

Make a positive first impression

Sell the benefits

Do not be tough or make threats

Do not make assumptions

Close by repetition

Close by association with competition

Work it down to a unit cost

Define the opportunity cost of rejection

Identify a list of their needs

Despite an inordinate number of outer space puns, Josh and Matt return to Earth with a discussion of value-priced hotels and their potential impact on attractions.

 

Amusement Advantage

Performance Optimist Consulting

Nick Gray, Founder and former CEO of Museum Hack, talks to us about how his frustration of museums led him to forming a multi-million dollar tour company with over 65 employees, providing dynamic and engaging tours at museums all over the country.  Nick talks about passion-based storytelling, his methods of hiring the best people, and the importance of the “mic drop moment” for guests at the end of their tour.

Learn more about Nick here:

www.museumhack.comTwitter: @nickgraynews

If you have ever painted a room, ran out of paint, went to the store to get more paint only to get the wrong color, you'll love this episode!  Josh and Matt demolish a guest service situation that happened to Josh over the weekend, then break it down some more. Just when you think it can't go any further, it does.  As a bonus, Matt shares an unbelievably bad social media response from a restaurant.  Josh needed a moment to compose himself. 

Mentioned on this episode: the NEAAPA Supervisor Training Seminar on May 21-22, 2018.