Handling Facility Objections Travis McCready, Principal Fidere Consulting Group.

Handling Facility Objections

Travis McCready, Principal

Fidere Consulting Group

About Fidere

• Fidere Consulting Group provides strategic planning and project implementation services for large institutions and non-profits.  Our primary sectors of expertise are tourism/convention centers, universities, hospitals and museums.

• We provide consulting expertise and turnkey solutions for: – Strategy & operations– Sustainability initiatives– Strategic Vendor Search Services™, and– Business development.

My background with institutions

• Hands-on…– Public School teacher

– Corporate & Non-Profit Attorney

– University administrator

– Foundation administrator

– Convention Center executive

• …Board leadership– Charter & private schools

– Hospital

– Art Museum

– Economic development agency

• In my experience, even large institutions need “couch time”

– Strategic, operational and organizational bridge between mission & results

Recent “Green” Projects

• Convention Center sustainability program– Massachusetts Convention Center Authority recycling,

composting, and energy efficiency operations

• Planning and Customer Development Strategy for Public Market Association– Boston Public Market Association

• Hospital environmental sustainability operations– Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Three things to remember when it comes to dealing with facility objections…• Beware the hidden pitfalls of the ROI rationale (also

known as “What’s In It For Me?”)– There’s political, social, and economic ROI…which are you

talking about?– Like ripping off a band-aid…it’s supposed to hurt…

• Follow the money– For some facilities, brown = $$$, e.g.

• Bottled beverage incentives or purchasing arrangements• Increased operational costs to recycle/compost

• Are the right people in the room?– Get an org. chart!– Ignorance v. Insouciance; breaking through personalities…

Contact information

• Travis McCready• Principal

• Fidere Consulting Group• 22 Cliffe Avenue

• Lexington, MA 02420• [email protected]

• 617.331.9701

Our moderator is stuck in snow in Washington DC

Matthew Stone

Assistant Professor

Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts

Prince George’s Community College

Largo, Maryland

[email protected]

Objection, Your Honor

Herding Cats

• How to work with multiple constituencies• How to deal with outsourced vendors & contractors• Corporate vs. Local policies & implementation

That Costs Money

• Possibly the most obvious objection• Don’t accept at face value• Define in terms of time and resource costs• Are there operational solutions for the

infrastructure/capital roadblocks to greening?

I Gotta Sell What?

• Facility salespeople may not want to sell green• Why are they afraid to sell green?• Is it an actual (or just perceived) customer concern?• Urban hotels competing with resorts

Green Fatigue

• When everything says it’s green, what does green mean?

• How do we get guests to participate?• What happens when we don’t follow through on our

environmental promises? – (towel/sheet reuse, for example)

Low Hanging Fruit

• Getting started• Any action is positive action• Break a long-term plan into small steps• Encourage SHADES OF GREEN

Guest Objections

• Do your customers really object?• Or is it a perceived objection?• Luxury hotels are most apt to fear negative guest

response• Some case studies

Red State Blue State

• “Greening” is often thought of as a political statement• Can be objection from ownership, management, or

customer• How to focus on outcomes & objectives