Real-Life Communication
You have been asked to provide some clients with information on
mountain climbing in the Chamonix region of France. You were there a few years
ago leading a climb.
As they come from a marketing background and are
no doubt accustomed to facts and figures, you decide to lay out the information
in a brief summary.
You keep reminding yourself that sometimes a little
goes a long way. You don't want to overwhelm your clients with junk. On the
other hand, you must not play it too cool.
You have 10 minutes to convince
them to hire you as their guide. Securing corporate clients is very good for
a business, especially one as young as yours.
"Business acumen [insight]
is very important," says Karl Klassen, president of a mountain guides association.
"Mountain guides with good business sense are more successful."
Consider
these facts:
TRANSPORTATION -- Train service is adequate
in and out of Chamonix. There are direct trains from Paris, Geneva and several
major cities. A car is almost unnecessary, except for times you want to get
away for a few hours or find accommodation in less "touristy" parts of the
Chamonix Valley.
REST -- Chamonix is a large town with plenty of facilities
and plenty of gear shops. First, there are the "gites," or alpine dormitories.
These places are made for hikers, skiers and mountaineers. There are also
collective dormitories where meals can be prepared going for between $5 and
$10 a night.
CHALLENGE -- The Mont-Blanc Range in the region is compact.
In other words, the approaches are not very long. Despite this fact, Mont-Blanc
is steep and reaches high into the sky. Generally speaking, the climbs are
long and will require courage and climbers of decent physical condition.
STUFF
-- The choice for renting gear in Chamonix is Extreme Sport, which sells everything
but the kitchen sink. Actually, there are gear shops galore, all of them well
equipped to outfit climbers. Your clients will be happy to know that European
gear is considerably cheaper than it is in North America. Of course, there
are the neighboring towns and cities (Albertville being one) as a last outfitting
resort, if the transportation is available.
Your clients
are busy people who trust you to give them advice quickly and succinctly.
Based on the above information, summarize the main details for your clients.