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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
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
