Grand safari greetings

I sincerely trust you have been keeping well!

I recently was reminded rather vividly that reputation has a manner of sticking around – long after you’ve gone! And one would truly, most sincerely, hope, trust and pray that your reputation for excellence precedes you – and not the other way around.

We’ve all heard the saying that “you’re only as good as your last job” right?

Well what about this as a viewpoint…?

“Your reputation to deliver what you promise is more important than just your last job”.

Imagine this scenario. A senior executive of our team goes into a top South African bank to do a presentation on our Grand Safari tented camp services.

Much to this execs surprise, the client pulls a brochure from 2005 plus an ancient DVD on Hayward’s out of her filing cabinet and pronounces – ” I’ve been yearning to get back to Hayward’s for 15 years and finally I’ve achieved this for our group executive breakaway once again!”

Well bowl me over. Can you imagine this situation #fname?

She went on to say that the event they attended all those years ago never left her, and she was so overjoyed to hear I’m still around, I’m still going strong and building the brand with my team and wanted to find out all about our various highlights since those days.

* Hayward’s Marketing Archive – 2002

Such a pleasant meeting for my partner and it truly made her day. But of course what if this client had remembered her most unfavourable experience? Well obviously we would not even have been called in for the meeting. Or the meeting may have started out in brash antagonism.

Those were truly tough years as I pioneered the concept of the grand safari tented camp for groups of over 100 at a time. There was always so much at stake and never any secret funder or bank supporting us to build this model. It was done one job at a time. I realised early on that it was never going to be a decor war – a war no lodge ever wins as there is always someone with more money than you who can out decorate you at the spin of a coin.

So I took the decision in early 2000 that the war I would win ( because I realistically could) would be the service war. Yes, Service Excellence!

The rest is history.

* Hayward’s Head Quarters – 2020

So here we are 27 years later , and we’ve got clients that still remember their tented camp experience with us – decades later.

It’s music to my ears and for me and my team this is what drives us, motivates us and keep the passion for service delivery burning.

I better keep my FACULTIES electric sharp, my body elastic and strong and my vision very bright and clear.

The best is yet to come.

Happy explorations and travels,