By Dave Millhouser

It sounded like a catastrophe of biblical proportions: A woman in the hotel parking lot was wailing that someone had broken into her smart car and stolen her GPS.

Her point of outrage wasnt the cost of losing the gizmo but the fact she couldnt find her way home without it.

Technology is terrific but theres something to be said for not totally depending on it. Technology serves best when it enhances our abilities, rather than replaces them.

Many coach operators are accelerating their use of the internet as a sales tool. While that isnt a bad thing, it isnt without risk.

Selling is hard. Once you get past the clichés and misconceptions, its a discipline like accounting, management or maintenance. Its tempting to put marketing effort (and dollars) into nifty websites, splashy advertising and using on-line brokers.

Theyre easy, tidy and its fun to see our names in lights.

But, just to confirm your suspicions regarding my intelligence, I still buy Chinese takeout from a local restaurant despite the fact it consistently makes my tummy hurt. The food stinks, but the folks are really nice. It wouldnt be right to abandon friends just because they cant cook. (Heck, my Susan doesnt cook very well).

Sales and business are almost always about relationships. One exception is self-serve gasoline, which is a commodity sold almost exclusively by the lowest bidder.

It can only hurt the charter/tour part of our industry if we sell high-quality service as a commodity, like pork bellies. When we become too dependant on technology for marketing, we come dangerously close to that position.

A lot of fine operators just dont like "selling." For a long time, many depended on the Yellow Pages for marketing ("Bus" comes right after "Burglar"). For some, that thinking has evolved into depending on brokers and leads generated by websites.

While you need a good internet presence, dont fool yourself into believing potential customers visit your site for the great graphics or prose. If they found you electronically, they are "shopping," and its already about price. There will be minimal opportunity to show them why youre worth more than your competitors.

For those of you who love selling, and hanging out with clients, keep it up. You can skip to the last paragraph where therell be an attempt at humor.

On the other hand, many of you dont have the time, or inclination, to sell. That isnt a good reason to abandon the effort. You hire mechanics, lawyers and accountants to handle specialized parts of your business -- why not a sales person? Heck, you wouldnt remove your own appendix.

Were not just talking about telephone sales but rather going out and meeting folks. Hire someone to tell customers why your company adds value to their trip. They give your company a "face" and they work for you (the internet doesnt really care much about you or your company).

They can hunt down groups that already charter buses and ask for the opportunity to serve them, as well as selling the concept of coach transportation to folks who hadnt considered it.

A wizened bus executive (the same guy as previous columns; I only have one friend) tells of a friend who hired a salesman with hopes hed increase business. The operator had decided on a six-month trial effort.

Wizened Executive asked his buddy how long it took for the sales person to pay for himself. "Six weeks." That may not happen every time, but consider it.

Were in a seasonal business, so drivers are sometimes looking for extra work. Your best drivers are good with people (otherwise theyd be driving trucks). Why not give them the opportunity to try sales?

Make sure every electronic inquiry gets a human response, at least by telephone. Train your people to treat phone calls like sales calls, and do more than just give out prices.

Make a valid phone number a mandatory field on website requests for quotes. If a potential customer wont give a phone number, theyre primarily interested in beating you up on price.

Please dont think this is a knock on using every modern tool available. Its not. You need a first-rate website and working with brokers is a good way to fill dead spots. The point is that the only way to control your destiny is to take hands-on responsibility for selling your company.

I was hanging around my buddys scuba shop last week when a gentleman stopped in just to thank the young woman who had sold him the "right" product. The customers kindness made two points. Properly done, salespeople provide a real service . . . and it really is about relationships.

Is there irony (and maybe a lesson) in a person driving a smart car being unable to find their way home?

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him by email at Davemillhouser@gmail.com.