The Barkley Pet Hotel featured in No BS Marketing to the Affluent Series by Dan Kennedy

FIELD TRIP OF THE MONTH

Where: Cleveland, Ohio

Revealed: Playhouse Square, The Barkley Pet Hotel & Spa, Blue Canyon Restaurant

A small group gathered with me for 2 days of intense discussion of marketing to the affluent, and we boarded limousines – one with a working fireplace* – for three field trips. First, we went to Playhouse Square, a complex of authentically restored theaters, making up a thriving live theater district second only to New York’s. Its size and magnificence was a surprise to all. In addition to the tour, we met with Michelle Ryan Stewart, who directs “donor development”, and is responsible for raising tens of millions of dollars in increments from $25,000.00 to $200,000.00 and up from individual patrons, as much or more from corporate and institutional sponsors. (Carla and I are members of the Donor Circle.) She described the constant search for new donors, the nurturing of donors for retention and refer-rals, and the micro-management of thousands of details in the planning of donor events, and catering to different individuals’ interests and preferences. (PlayhouseSquare.com)

Next, we went to The Barkley Pet Hotel and Spa, where our Million Dollar Dog stays on occasion. This tour amazed and fascinated every one in the group, as the owner, Howard Perlmuter, spent slightly more than an hour not only showing off the large, mansion-like property’s amenities but also explaining the thinking and psychology behind everything presented. The facility features an indoor pet pool, health and wellness center, different size suites, organized group play and private play times, limousine transportation, grooming, training and more. Howard is a highly skilled promoter, originally a developer and manager of bands, and he is constantly creating opportunities to publicize The Barkley – for example, on Thanksgiving this year, 185 pet guests received special Thanksgiving dinners with fresh turkey with lams-brand dog food gravy, a mashed potato filled Kong toy, a turkey shaped dog bone cookie – and each dog guest had his Thanksgiving Day photo taken, then treated to tuck-in tummy rubs at bedtme.

(Part of one of the attendees’, attorney Bill Hammond’s report on his thoughts about The Barkley, from his newsletter for attorneys, is reprinted on the Page 5. And you can visit The Barkley at TheBarkleyPetHotel.com)

Finally, we had dinner at the outstanding upscale restaurant The Blue Canyon, preceded by a presentation and Q/A session with one of its two owners, Val Voelker, and the marketing director, Katie K. covering a wide range of topics, from the crafting of precise language used by wait staff, to pricing strategies, to hiring, training, motivation and supervision.

(BlueCanyonRestaurant.com)

Regrettably, there’s simply no way in our limited space here to give you even a good look at everything we saw, heard and dis-cussed. The entire two days including the field trips was recorded, with uncertain plans for its future release. But what I can do here is summarize the unanimously agreed on “big thing”, that everyone recognized in common at all three exceptionally successful businesses, and that everyone was impressed – and to some extent, admittedly intimidated by: the incredible, in-depth, con-stant, relentless attention to detail. Everyone in the group made extensive notes and commented on how amazed they were at how

“micro” the owners’ thinking was about their customers’ conscious, subconscious and emotional responses. In all three cases, for example, language was chosen, crafted, and staff trained in its use, and insistence on its use strictly enforced. Each of these leaders is very thoughtful and strategic about what they do. Ultimately, the message was: “little things are the big thing.”