Salesmanship |
A Computer in my Camper? By: Bob Zagami
I'm getting a chance to relax this summer and do some touring. As I observe my neighbors in the various campsites, within eyesight of my picnic table under the trees, it has become very evident that the standard camping gear now includes a portable computer for many of today's RVers. The morning newspaper routine has been replaced with the morning log on routine. We get a quick update of USA Today, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC -- all online, all very convenient. The early morning telephone calls to the office have been replaced by a rapid dose of e-mails to let everyone know that we are awake and on top of things back at the office. I suppose there are some who will bemoan this mobile society and need for instant information no matter where you are or what you are doing. Computers, cell phones, e-mail, voice mail, digital documents, pictures over the Internet -- we've got it all. You don't have to like this stuff, and you can complain and criticize all you want, but these are your customers and this is the world they live in. It may not be the same world you grew up in. They may not have the same work ethic and morals that you possess, but this is real and this is who you have to be selling and marketing to as we approach the 21st century. It's a whole new ball game, on a brand new field, in an entirely new community of immense digital proportions. Like many of you, I was intrigued by the serenity and peacefulness displayed in the fishing picture that adorned the cover of the June issue of this publication. Perhaps like many of you, I was immediately drawn to the fact that it didn't have anything to do with RVs -- certainly not from an industry standpoint -- or so we thought. I was so intrigued; I went right to the story to read about the editor's childhood fishing memories. As I read, I was constantly thinking that this did not have anything to do with our industry and why would such an article be taking up valuable space in the magazine? Then the story line took a dramatic turn toward our livelihood and the intent was very clear. It was that damn Internet stuff again. The computers are everywhere -- and they are. Now some of you may have really been upset when you finally discovered the intent of the article, but step back and think about the message. Whether you liked the article or not, you had to appreciate the masterful literary manipulation that quickly drew your thoughts and mind in to a far away world that we could all relate to. A good artist will always appreciate the work of a contemporary when seen on display in the museum. A professional photographer will admire and respect an award-winning photograph that shows up on the front page of a national newspaper. A world-class chef will delight in a sumptuous meal prepared by a competitor. And many of us who write can appreciate the wordsmith capabilities that provide us education and enjoyment in print. If this is the RV industry -- why do we have to keep reading about computers? Because they are in our RVs and at our campsites. Is this a problem or an opportunity? It all depends on how you look at the situation and what you do about it. If you, or your sales team, are not well versed in this phenomenon, then you may start to lose customers or market share. That may seem like a bold statement, but it's a simple fact of life in today's marketplace. You have to be computer literate, or someone in your organization must be the designated "nerd." Let's take a look at some of the ways that these
conditions may be impacting your business without you even realizing it. Configuring RVs For The Computer Generation As someone who has been working with computers since I wrote my first program using 80-column tab cards, card readers, and paper tapes -- I speak from experience. My first home PC was an Atari 64 and my first online exposure was CompuServe in DOS, before we had Windows. My point here is that computers didn't just arrive over-night. We've had them for almost fifty years! The advent of new technologies that let us put more power in smaller spaces and an Internet that developed into something very few people could ever imagine -- propelled us into a world of unknowns that few of us could have imagined. Well here we are, so we might as well accept it and enjoy it, because we are never going back to "the good ol' days." The two most important items for the mobile generation and their computers are a telephone jack and an electrical outlet. I like to see an outlet above the table so that the connection is relatively easy. If I were designing RVs today I would put a telephone jack and electrical outlet within easy reach of anyone sitting at the dinette. Another idea would be the outdoor communications center. Many manufacturers offer outdoor entertainment centers. These may range from a simple audio radio behind a panel on the side of the RV, to an elaborate home theater in a bay below the coach. I'd like to see an outdoor communications center that
would include a telephone jack, a cable jack, an electrical outlet, and some type of
folding table for the computer and related items. The communication connections must have
fault tolerance protection to protect against power surges that could damage valuable
equipment. Experienced RVers who travel with computers bring along a spare power strip
with fault-tolerance built-in for both telephone and electrical connections. CAMPSITE HOOKUPS This is going to be a challenge due to the limitations of the technology we are working with today. It is just not practical to have a telephone line connected to every campsite. Within a few years, we will have telephonic capabilities through the cable TV system. Therefore, if a campground does not currently offer cable connections, it will become more important as these new features are added through cable providers and your customers will expect you to have them. If they have them at home, they are going to demand that they have them at their campsites. A note about money here. Like you, I'm a business owner. Decisions should be made based on their impact to the bottom-line of the balance sheet. When you consider these innovations and the potential cost impact to your business, don't think of all the negatives and reasons that you should not make this investment. Instead, look at the market conditions, and turn this investment into a profit center. This mobile generation will pay for services they demand. You don't have to give this stuff away. Many campgrounds charge for extra people, pets, and air conditioners. You can also charge for cable television and phone hookups. I would gladly pay a few dollars extra each night to have
the conveniences I want at my campsite and within easy reach of my computer. CAMPGROUND OFFICES Do you charge for incoming and outgoing faxes? Many campgrounds do -- and should. I'd venture a guess that the guests who use this service seldom complain about the charges. I have paid as much as $1.00 per page to have the convenience of being able to receive or send a fax while traveling. We can send and receive these same faxes on our computers, but will need the connections. I would encourage campground owners to establish a mobile office environment that will become a revenue generator for your business. Contact your local telephone representative and see what types of systems they provide that would allow you to monitor and charge for telephone line usage. It's no different than going to a self-serve car wash. You put in your quarters and you get water. Set up an electronics center that allows users to put in their money in return for the online telephone connection and power usage. You can also explore the use of vendor-cards for such equipment. Vendor-cards are pre-paid cards, dispensed from machines that are purchased by the user. The machines accept different denominations of paper money and dispense a credit-card type plastic card that has the monetary value encoded on the magnetic stripe. Users input this into a receiving device located on a piece of equipment or telephone line. You can see these systems in use in many public libraries and universities for their copier and microfilm systems. In fact, many universities are now going to what they call the "universal" card that will allow students to use the card for everything from soft drink machines to laundry room facilities and even the dining room meal plans. You can't lose money on these systems. In fact, many establishments using them are well aware of the added profit that comes their way when a student loses the card that still has a residual monetary value on it, or moves from the area without using the full value of the card they had paid for. The technology is here today that could be adapted to campground use and the industry should start to explore how it could be implemented as a convenience service for today's mobile generation. RV prospects will be comparing us to the benefits of other forms of leisure travel. If you've been in a hotel room lately, you know they are making dramatic changes to accommodate this new environment. In addition to room modifications, many have installed on-site business centers to cater to the needs of their visitors while away from home. The RV industry must do the same thing. BUILT-IN COMPUTERS Today's technology is affordable -- period. You can now purchase a complete computer system for less than $1,000. I don't think I've seen any RVs with built-in computer systems, but we are probably going to start seeing this as an option. Options are things the consumer expects to have available and expects to pay an additional charge for. Today's options include icemakers, washers and dryers, slide-out rooms, automatic leveling systems, and more. Why not computers. Several manufacturers have started down the technology road by recognizing, and providing, home office type spaces inside the RV. It's only a matter of time before we start seeing computers on that options list. Our industry also has devices that will allow you to view your computer images directly on your television set. So our communications center of the future may include a television set so that we connect our computer to that, rather than a small monitor or viewing screen on the portable. A built-in computer could also have connections to the communications center so that we could have access to the computer by simply connecting the keyboard and mouse outside at the communications center for full access to our data and information. This is not the future -- this is how we communicate today. To prove my point, I've written this article at the picnic table, watching the sun come up over the still waters of a lake in Maine. Most people are still sleeping. The ducks and birds are up and every now and then a deer will saunter by. I'm going to wrap this one up, plug in my telephone connection, go online and transmit the story electronically to the RV News host computer in Tempe. It will be there before Dan and Don wake-up and ready for processing into the next publication schedule of this magazine. Time for another cup of coffee. This is your customer of the future. Be ready. Good luck and good selling. RVN
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