Camp is just around the corner, and you’ve still got to pack! You might be a pro at packing for camp, but there are always a few things you might forget. That's why The Clorox Company is partnering with the ACA to bring you a simple list of great suggestions for what counselors and staff should make sure is on their packing list this summer. Take a look – it just might save you from leaving something really important off your list!
Learn the skills you need to succeed. Camping Magazine is your primary source for the most recent trends in the camp industry, the latest research in the field of youth development, critical management tools, and innovative programming ideas. The July/August 2010 issue features articles that address programming, history, 20/20 Toolbox, and more.
Children and youth need a community that: encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; teaches in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow.
ACA's Because of Camp…™ outdoor advertising campaign officially launched in early January. Since that time, orders have been arriving daily for billboards, posters, and transit shelters. Several orders have been placed already, and are being shipped to vendors nationwide. Visit ACA's Say It Big Web page to view a map of advertising placements as they are confirmed.
Preserving the rich history of the camp experience is essential for the future. The American Camp Association (ACA) is proud to celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2010 and the 150th Anniversary of Organized Camping in 2011, and to honor our past with this Web-based tribute.
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Last week a camp director called me in
a panic. "We’re way behind
in registrations and I’ve tried everything! I
don’t know what to do!" While
we talked, I pulled up his web site. I
asked, "Are you aware that your web
site still has your 2007 dates and says "2008
registration coming soon?" Hmm. Tried
everything.
Here’s a different way to look at
it. We spend tens of thousands of
dollars, and days of our most valuable
resource, staff hours, convincing parents
they should consider our camp; to give
us a call. Lots of parents,
lots of calls. But many camps leave
only a small window open for those contacts
to get through, because so many of the
calls from parents have been "deflected" away.
We’ve
inadvertently made the window smaller with
a number of small decisions, which together
make it more and more unlikely that a potential
customer can get through to us. And
they end up somewhere else.
Instead of making assumptions, let’s
immediately examine our "window" from
a parent’s point of view, and fix
anything that’s broke:
Turn off the voice mail during the
day.
Change the voicemail message to focus
on summer camp registration first.
Update the web site: make summer camp
the top choice; make the phone number
obvious on every page; make it easy to
find dates and descriptions; use photos
to answer the most common questions,
like "why is your camp different?"
Extend phone-answering hours during
peak registration months, even if you
have to answer the calls from your home
at night.
Teach your receptionist how to put
second calls on hold, instead of letting
them roll over to voicemail; and encourage
them to transfer summer questions to
those who can best answer them.
"Secret shop" your other
sales points and provide the motivation
(try brownies!) and training to improve
their performance.
Have all of your staff trained to "listen
first" when they take a call,
to fully understand what the parent (or
any customer) is looking for before offering
suggestions.
Parents and campers have so many choices,
and so much research to do in deciding
to go to camp, and then choosing a camp. Some
camps make it easy for them, others make
it nearly impossible. Every day counts.
How fast can you change?
Camp is just around the corner, and you’ve still got to pack! You might be a pro at packing for camp, but there are always a few things you might forget. That's why The Clorox Company is partnering with the ACA to bring you a simple list of great suggestions for what counselors and staff should make sure is on their packing list this summer. Take a look – it just might save you from leaving something really important off your list!
Learn the skills you need to succeed. Camping Magazine is your primary source for the most recent trends in the camp industry, the latest research in the field of youth development, critical management tools, and innovative programming ideas. The July/August 2010 issue features articles that address programming, history, 20/20 Toolbox, and more.
Children and youth need a community that: encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; teaches in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow.
ACA's Because of Camp…™ outdoor advertising campaign officially launched in early January. Since that time, orders have been arriving daily for billboards, posters, and transit shelters. Several orders have been placed already, and are being shipped to vendors nationwide. Visit ACA's Say It Big Web page to view a map of advertising placements as they are confirmed.
Preserving the rich history of the camp experience is essential for the future. The American Camp Association (ACA) is proud to celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2010 and the 150th Anniversary of Organized Camping in 2011, and to honor our past with this Web-based tribute.
