Good, stable, reliable local businesses
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2014-11-23 07:06:41 - Graham Ellis
I took a phone call from Robin Denton, of Denton's directories. For as long as we've lived in Melksham, "Denton's" has been delivered every year and has been the direcory of choice that we keep to hand when looking for local numbers. We have a limited marketing budget (and a limited need to advertise the hotel; even yesterday - a wet November Saturday - we had to turn down walk-in would-be guests because we were fully booked). However, Denton's does get looked at, and does bring the occasional enquiry which turns into a visitor then an annual repeat visitor.Good, stable, local businesses mean so much to us and to the local economy. It's a testimony to both of our companies that I knew Robin when he called, discussed his IT, and was able to give him the go-ahead with unaltered working for the coming year. Both of our companies move forward from a strong base, with things changin, but with things changing to mirror the times. When Denton's was set up in 1967, no-one would have thought of online, but they now have an online dietory, and facebook and twitter. And when Well House Consultants was set up in 1995, we would not have through of a hotel and accommodation.
Last night, we had a split between business and leisure (event in Melksham) guests. Everyone staying with is was with a company or group that has stayed before - guests become friends who know how the place works, and when it works for them, that leaves them in their comfort zone and coming back to us.
And tomorrow I start a series of courses for an organisation I have trained before. Not for a very long time, let it be said. But then in the training business, I certainly don't want the same person to take the same course a second time as that would indicate a degree of failure the first time ... it does - and acceptably - happen on rare occasions where someone learns but gets pulled from a project, only to find him / herself on a similar project a number of years later. Testimony to our training, I think, that they come back to us.
Things do change, and do need to change. I said to Robin that exactly the same text suits for 2015 as suited for 2014 (and 2013) on our adverts. It's too early to say what the case will be for 2016 yet, but I am very much aware of 2000 new homes, and a number of businesses, moving to Melksham, and I'm also aware of plans to include a 125 room hotel as part of one of the developements. For sure, the coming of the canal will help Melksham move itself into a leisure and tourism niche, but thats going to call in some adjustments and changes just as we've seen changes at Denton's and at Well House Consultants over the years.