These were a series of questions sent to me through Alexander Communications regarding my business travel experiences.

This is due to be published in The Independent next week.

What are the best/worst airports – and why?
Auckland – based on the fact that I know it; the short-cuts, check-in counters and Customs.  Delhi airport is the worst – there is no APEC; it’s ciaos as you come through and baggage takes at least half an hour.  I do know however that they are building a new airport which is understood to be the biggest in the world, hence why it probably isn’t so great now.

What is the best/worst hotel/accommodation – and why?
The Westin in Shanghai.  It’s centrally located but one of the few hotels that actually has an area around it, which is unusual in such a heavily populated city.

Your best/worst hotel experience? (eg. Did you ever get stuck in a lift for 12 hours, or find your hotel was actually a brothel, or have your best wool suit shrunk by the laundry service?)
The worst hotel was a capsule hotel I had to stay in because of a plan diversion into Hong Kong. A very unusual experience – I probably know how a morgue feels.  It had a very claustrophobic feeling to it.

Best/worst airline for service – and why?
Emirates.  The feeling is very calm on their flights; unobtrusive service and they seem to rely on the passenger to be the best judge of their behaviour.
The worst airline is Dragon Air.  Two reasons for me personally; firstly, I don’t understand Chinese and secondly the age of their planes seemed to be more dated than most other airlines.

Which is the best airline on the Tasman (NZ-Australia) route?
Air New Zealand is the best airline for the Tasman.  They have a number of services which makes flying easier and the process quicker.  They have very much lifted their processing points across the Tasman route to now be the best.

Which domestic airline do you rate best?
Air New Zealand is the best domestic airline.  The introduction of the e-tag Fast Bag and their valet parking services takes them to the top of the list.

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Over the last 15 years I have been in New Zealand our company has had varying opportunities with other companies.  One of the very first of these opportunities was in Christchurch where we looked at a business that had its geographical presence just in Canterbury and we went through and did a lot of work and because of the nature of the opportunity their company also looked into how we ran our business.  The deal didn’t happen.  About a year later one of the people from within the company that we were in talks with used information that he had gained through this period for his own personal commercial advantage.  From that day forward I began to understand about confidence, trust and commercial sensitivity. We did successfully go on to complete another opportunity with the Kent Prier Group – they we the epitome of trust.

Our business has grown progressively over the last 15 years.  We have taken doubled our marketshare to new record highs through our current membership and organic growth.  The business we are in has had an has a lot of competitors.  Over the years different competitors have had varying degrees of success with their model.  Some of our competitors are no longer here. 

When you get to a certain level in business (generally leadership) you must look for opportunity.  It is part of growth and the way a business evolves.  When you look for opportunity, you have to talk to people within your own company and those in other companies and in doing so respect of the information that you have learned for your own benefit is of the utmost importance. Ice and thin ice.

Recently I became aware of another company who have passed information onto their members about a commercially sensitive discussion and for the second time in my career I find myself questioning some of those who are at the leadership level of business.  The best companies build their reputation through their leaders.  The key leadership qualities that are known are trust, confidence and the ability to see the big picture.  A couple of questions arise for me when I deal with people in regards to opportunities.  Firstly, can I trust them?  Secondly, do I have confidence in their ability to focus on opportunity rather than gain? And, do I know that they can look beyond the deal to see the growth? 

Across the world of business those who can fit these categories will take their companies from good to great.  Those who don’t understand trust, confidence and commercial sensitivity will find their businesses losing opportunity and amongst those that are dropping in marketshare because when it all comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what the colours are or what the brand is, the leader reflects the business.

How do you market a business, a product or a service successfully while keeping in line with a marketing budget?  The first thing is to work out your marketing budget.  I was fortunate to be taught early in my career about percentages.  Understanding of total revenue base and how a business can maintain a profit by working in percentages. 

I was with my friend this morning and he has a car wash business.  He will have an annual turnover of about $300,000 per year.  He has run this business for just on 3 months.  What should he spend on marketing? What marketing should he do? How does he measure the results? 

When you take into account a business and the three key costs which are generally labour, premises and marketing, usually labour will be approximately 45% of total turnover, premises 5%, and marketing should be no more than 4%.  The balance are generally sundry costs which add up to around 20%.  This gives the business a target of 25% gross to net profit.  If we quarantine marketing then he has a total spend available of $12k.  It doesn’t seem much but there again he is in the business of making people feel good about their car 

What we all know is who our customer is.  80% of his customers are known.  So immediately he has a target but if he can only spend on average 4% of his total turnover to attract a customer then where does he target it? 

The best form of marketing for his business is brand marketing through the customers that he currently is getting.  Emphasising loyalty and referral will be the best way for his business to continue to grow at a steady rate.  Remembering that the customer of his business will always want their car washed.  The question for him is “will they come back?” 

It is important to know the percentages within your business, they are standard and how you market your business or your product, linked with your service, is a key to new customers and customer retention.  In our business of real estate, generally the focus is on the product and rarely on the brand but with many businesses the focus is on the brand and then it drills through to the product.  My recent experience at looking at cars shows an emphasis on the brand which then provides the different products within that brand.  How much do you spend on marketing and is it at the 4% level?

Our newspapers every day are full of headlines about the economy, crime, the political scene and other world events and you read those articles and that is what makes up our news.

When you go to the airport and you are going through the process of boarding a plane, leaving aside the sometimes frustrating experience that surrounds the process, when you look around at airports, they are an incredible place in the fact that the real news within us could be seen at an airport.  Rarely any other place will you see the emotion of families about to be separated and how that is expressed.  Conversely in the arrivals hall the joy that people have in being reunited with friends and family.  It really is amazing that the real news of the day can be seen at an airport. 

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There is a lot of hype surrounding social media. 

I read a statement recently that social media is the new high ground for successful business leaders.  I would strongly debate that under the basis that social media falls into the non- contact mode.  I would agree with the commentators that say that having  a social media position is vitally important, but in saying that, I would strongly disagree with any business leader who believes that social media is the new high ground. 

There has always been two forms of high ground in business.  The first is recognition and the second is reputation.  There is an old saying that “charity begins at home”.  The high ground in business is with your own people.  I have on most occasions been able to keep the high ground in recognition.  I am not saying that this is unchartered territory but I would stand by two disciplines that I believe will serve any business leaders or person in sales better than social media presence will ever serve.

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