July 27, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode of RV Rental Secrets, co-hosts Garr Russell and Stacy Maxon dive into a powerful phrase coined during a Fireside Franchise Chat: “Hard times equal hard lines.”
They explore how difficult moments in business—whether it’s dealing with disgruntled renters, unexpected breakdowns, or last-minute bookings—can actually become catalysts for creating strong systems and boundaries that protect your time, energy, and sanity.
Topics Covered:-
Why pain is the ultimate motivator for change (Tony Robbins-style!)
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Creating SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to remove emotion from decisions
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How to set clear refund policies and renter communication protocols
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Using boundaries like “closed on Sundays” to avoid burnout
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Charging convenience fees for last-minute bookings
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Why minimum night stays can make your business more profitable and less stressful
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The power of automation and AI tools like ChatGPT to build your SOPs quickly
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Real-life examples from Garr & Stacy’s own RV rental journeys
When hard situations arise in your business, don’t just survive them—learn from them. Let the frustration you feel in the moment become the foundation for a new policy or system that prevents future stress. Hard times can shape better businesses—if we let them.
Quote Worth Repeating:“Worrying about something not working robs you of the energy you need to actually make it work.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Welcome to the RV Rental Secrets Podcast.
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.999I'm your host, Stacey Maxson, and I'm thrilled to guide you through the journey of launching, growing, and managing a profitable RV rental business. 3 00:00:09,330.9977324263 --> 00:00:10,303.725005154 All right everybody. 4 00:00:10,303.725005154 --> 00:00:10,903.725005154 Happy day. 5 00:00:10,903.725005154 --> 00:00:14,923.725005154 Welcome to another episode of RV Rental Secrets podcast. 6 00:00:15,553.725005154 --> 00:00:20,503.725005154 I'm your co-host Gar Russell, along with Stacy Straightener Hair Maxon. 7 00:00:20,533.725005154 --> 00:00:22,813.725005154 How you doing girl? I'm good. 8 00:00:22,813.725005154 --> 00:00:24,703.725005154 How are you? I'm happy. 9 00:00:25,423.725005154 --> 00:00:26,323.725005154 I'm happy. 10 00:00:26,413.725005154 --> 00:00:27,913.725005154 It's a beautiful day here in Florida. 11 00:00:27,913.725005154 --> 00:00:29,23.725005154 The sun is shining. 12 00:00:29,173.725005154 --> 00:00:30,73.725005154 It's not too hot. 13 00:00:30,73.725005154 --> 00:00:38,533.725005154 The other day it was like, it said, felt like one 16, but I think we're only in the nineties right now, so we're we're cool. 14 00:00:39,373.725005154 --> 00:00:39,763.725005154 Great. 15 00:00:40,3.725005154 --> 00:00:44,743.725005154 Yeah, that's why I was able to actually straighten my hair today because we don't have any humidity here in New York. 16 00:00:44,743.725005154 --> 00:00:45,223.725005154 So. 17 00:00:46,333.725005154 --> 00:00:47,503.725005154 Oh yeah, that's a good point. 18 00:00:47,503.725005154 --> 00:00:52,873.725005154 Yeah, I got a curly haired 8-year-old, and yeah, the weather definitely affects her hair for sure. 19 00:00:52,873.725005154 --> 00:00:56,83.725005154 Huh? Didn't, didn't think about that. 20 00:00:56,833.725005154 --> 00:01:00,403.725005154 All right, so we were in our fireside chats last night. 21 00:01:00,403.725005154 --> 00:01:00,674.725005154 That's our. 22 00:01:01,568.725005154 --> 00:01:10,958.725005154 Weekly media meetup that we do with our franchisees, and we were just sharing some stories and I came up with a saying, and I think that's what we're gonna talk about today. 23 00:01:11,198.725005154 --> 00:01:14,198.725005154 I said, hard times equal hard lines. 24 00:01:14,888.725005154 --> 00:01:18,128.725005154 And so let's go ahead and talk about that today and kind of unpack. 25 00:01:18,683.725005154 --> 00:01:19,493.725005154 What that means. 26 00:01:19,493.725005154 --> 00:01:29,453.725005154 And it's kind of a good follow up to last week episode where we talked about just kind of keeping the emotions outta business and so yeah, hard times equal hard lines. 27 00:01:29,963.725005154 --> 00:01:32,243.725005154 And I'm sure y'all have heard me say this before. 28 00:01:32,933.725005154 --> 00:01:35,723.725005154 Pain is the ultimate motivator in life. 29 00:01:36,383.725005154 --> 00:01:41,213.72500515 We do things, first of all to avoid pain and then second to move towards pleasure. 30 00:01:41,513.72500515 --> 00:01:43,883.72500515 And I got that from Tony Robbins years ago. 31 00:01:44,123.72500515 --> 00:01:45,623.72500515 And really what that means is. 32 00:01:47,93.72500515 --> 00:01:52,763.72500515 When hard times hit, when pain hits, that's what caused us to get off our butts and make a change. 33 00:01:53,303.72500515 --> 00:02:01,913.72500515 And so what we had talked about in fireside chats last night is when we have these hard times and then we decide to make these decisions. 34 00:02:02,843.72500515 --> 00:02:06,233.72500515 A cool way of implementing that is really just writing down. 35 00:02:07,298.72500515 --> 00:02:12,488.72500515 What you would call in business, SOP or a standard operating procedure. 36 00:02:12,548.72500515 --> 00:02:15,78.72500515 So let me give an example of that. 37 00:02:15,138.72500515 --> 00:02:18,828.72500515 You wanna say anything before I do that, Stacy? No, go ahead and give your example. 38 00:02:19,188.72500515 --> 00:02:19,578.72500515 Okay. 39 00:02:19,758.72500515 --> 00:02:43,738.72500515 So a great example of that in this industry right, is disgruntled renters from, Hey, why is this refrigerator not cool? To, Hey, the AC stopped work into whatever the issue is, right? And in those moments when the renters are feeling the pain, whatever's not working, and most y'all could agree with me, it's typically comes down to operator error. 40 00:02:44,638.72500515 --> 00:02:48,298.72500515 Is it's easy to get caught up into the emotions of that moment. 41 00:02:49,168.72500515 --> 00:02:51,808.72500515 And then what do we do? We give a discount. 42 00:02:51,808.72500515 --> 00:02:57,658.72500515 We give whatever to appease the renter, to basically get that painful situation to go away as quick as possible. 43 00:02:58,168.72500515 --> 00:03:07,558.72500515 But what if we didn't have to do that? What if we actually had a standard operating procedure when a renter reaches out and something goes wrong and we could literally look at. 44 00:03:07,933.72500515 --> 00:03:13,438.72500515 The post-it next to our computer, we could look at the the, the note on our, on our todo. 45 00:03:13,738.72500515 --> 00:03:15,688.72500515 I used a app called Todoist. 46 00:03:15,688.72500515 --> 00:03:19,258.72500515 It's kind of like you just put on to do things there and categorize 'em and stuff. 47 00:03:19,528.72500515 --> 00:03:23,548.72500515 We had some where we could just pull up that reference sheet and says, oh, disgruntled renter. 48 00:03:23,728.72500515 --> 00:03:24,988.72500515 Here's the process. 49 00:03:25,498.72500515 --> 00:03:39,328.72500515 So instead of responding in the emotion of that moment, you simply go to your SOP and you say, oh, disgruntled renter, sOP? Well first of all, we know part of our SOP is we don't talk about any sort of refunds. 50 00:03:39,568.72500515 --> 00:03:48,898.72500515 We don't talk about any sort of discounts or this or that and our SOP until 24 hours after the rental is done, the RV is checked back in. 51 00:03:49,288.72500515 --> 00:03:57,868.72500515 What if you just had something as simple as that, Stacy, you think that when you started your RV rental business, that would've helped alleviate some of the emotions and stress of running your. 52 00:03:58,288.72500515 --> 00:03:58,978.72500515 Fireside. 53 00:03:59,518.72500515 --> 00:04:00,538.72500515 Yeah, definitely. 54 00:04:00,538.72500515 --> 00:04:05,848.72500515 I mean, we had so many issues, especially the first season because we were so new. 55 00:04:06,218.72500515 --> 00:04:14,728.72500515 Like you mentioned, air conditioners would break or you know, they wouldn't have water in their fresh water tank and then they would want money back. 56 00:04:14,798.72500515 --> 00:04:16,88.72500515 Just so many things. 57 00:04:16,88.72500515 --> 00:04:19,718.72500515 And yeah, that's the customer's first thing is asking for a refund. 58 00:04:20,138.72500515 --> 00:04:22,208.72500515 And if you don't have those operating procedures. 59 00:04:23,333.72500515 --> 00:04:29,273.72500515 It takes like a lot of thought for you to work through each scenario. 60 00:04:29,723.72500515 --> 00:04:35,723.72500515 You know, and you're using like more brain power than you should as well, where if you just have it written down on paper. 61 00:04:36,53.72500515 --> 00:04:38,363.72500515 You don't have to have that thought process. 62 00:04:38,363.72500515 --> 00:04:41,63.72500515 You immediately know what the answer is going to be. 63 00:04:41,273.72500515 --> 00:04:46,103.72500515 And you don't have to come up with, you know, a new outcome for every situation. 64 00:04:46,103.72500515 --> 00:04:54,203.72500515 You're just looking at that piece of paper and giving the answer that you've already figured out prior to having those emotions involved. 65 00:04:54,633.72500515 --> 00:04:56,373.72500515 So yeah, I think that's a great thing. 66 00:04:56,373.72500515 --> 00:04:59,253.72500515 And also I think being part of the franchise. 67 00:04:59,598.72500515 --> 00:05:06,758.72500515 It was like, even though you're the franchise owner, I feel like in some situations you know, I would kind of blame it on the franchise. 68 00:05:06,938.72500515 --> 00:05:12,638.72500515 Like, oh well this is Firesides policy and you know, this is what we have to follow. 69 00:05:12,848.72500515 --> 00:05:15,188.72500515 So I feel like that kind of helped in situations. 70 00:05:15,188.72500515 --> 00:05:19,508.72500515 Like, I didn't wanna be the bad guy, but I could blame it on the franchise as a whole. 71 00:05:20,828.72500515 --> 00:05:26,138.72500515 You know, that's exactly what my next point was gonna be, is find a scapegoat. 72 00:05:27,158.72500515 --> 00:05:31,298.72500515 So the scapegoat could be, Hey, our company policy, just as simple as that. 73 00:05:31,298.72500515 --> 00:05:33,308.72500515 Like, oh my gosh, that's such a bummer. 74 00:05:33,788.72500515 --> 00:05:36,338.72500515 Here's our company policy for a situation like that. 75 00:05:36,668.72500515 --> 00:05:38,258.72500515 Or, oh, that's such a bummer. 76 00:05:38,528.72500515 --> 00:05:45,513.72500515 Let me talk to my spouse who handles that side of the business, or whatever the case is, you know? And, and another thing in regards to that is. 77 00:05:46,228.72500515 --> 00:05:51,898.72500515 It's not hard to put together an SOP, especially with the power of AI nowadays. 78 00:05:52,168.72500515 --> 00:05:59,888.72500515 You know, so you could simply say in the chat, GPT, if you don't have that yet, get that like ASAP or there's many other apps out there. 79 00:05:59,888.72500515 --> 00:06:00,758.72500515 I just stick with chat. 80 00:06:00,758.72500515 --> 00:06:05,958.72500515 GPT 'cause it works for me is, Hey, I'm putting together a standard operating procedure. 81 00:06:05,958.72500515 --> 00:06:07,338.72500515 I have an RV rental business. 82 00:06:07,548.72500515 --> 00:06:12,468.72500515 Here's the common issues that I feel get me emotional and frustrated. 83 00:06:12,918.72500515 --> 00:06:15,678.72500515 And then it will help you whip one out and then you have that. 84 00:06:16,158.72500515 --> 00:06:18,318.72500515 And, and so just to go back to the topic. 85 00:06:19,268.72500515 --> 00:06:20,408.72500515 Of our podcast today. 86 00:06:20,528.72500515 --> 00:06:22,598.72500515 Hard times equal hard lines. 87 00:06:23,318.72500515 --> 00:06:27,788.72500515 Emotions are such a great indicator that something needs to change. 88 00:06:28,328.72500515 --> 00:06:36,818.72500515 So when you feel the emotions arise in the moment, know, Hey, this is an opportunity for me to create a positive change. 89 00:06:37,188.72500515 --> 00:06:41,28.72500515 Instead of the emotions arise and you're like, oh, this sucks, blah, blah, blah, blah. 90 00:06:41,28.72500515 --> 00:06:41,538.72500515 All the things. 91 00:06:41,778.72500515 --> 00:06:44,838.72500515 No, just get curious about those emotions and say, Hey. 92 00:06:45,508.72500515 --> 00:06:48,688.72500515 I wonder how I could address this situation with these emotions. 93 00:06:48,808.72500515 --> 00:06:50,858.72500515 So next time it's not so hard. 94 00:06:50,900.39167182 --> 00:07:00,940.39167182 Yeah, and I think something that we kind of talked about last night was like those hard lines, they, having those, they can really help you avoid burnout. 95 00:07:00,940.39167182 --> 00:07:03,970.39167182 So something that was mentioned last night was. 96 00:07:04,345.39167182 --> 00:07:07,225.39167182 Having set hours for your business. 97 00:07:07,475.39167182 --> 00:07:11,105.39167182 You can have the operating hours of your business. 98 00:07:11,165.39167182 --> 00:07:15,185.39167182 So you had mentioned, you're gonna be closed Sunday and that's a family day. 99 00:07:15,495.39167182 --> 00:07:21,675.39167182 And another thing I had mentioned was, I know the first couple of seasons I was in business, I was not good at it. 100 00:07:21,675.39167182 --> 00:07:25,365.39167182 I would just take reservations all time, anytime. 101 00:07:25,695.39167182 --> 00:07:27,795.39167182 But I was learning that, you know. 102 00:07:28,110.39167182 --> 00:07:31,830.39167182 We wouldn't get to do anything fun as a family during the summer. 103 00:07:32,40.39167182 --> 00:07:41,580.39167182 So I started planning vacations again and making sure if we had family functions, that I was actually there when I said I was going to be there. 104 00:07:41,860.39167182 --> 00:07:49,240.39167182 So I would stop doing deliveries or pickups on those days so that we could be together as a family. 105 00:07:49,720.39167182 --> 00:07:54,610.39167182 You know, that might also look like hiring drivers for that days, if that's a possibility for you. 106 00:07:55,275.39167182 --> 00:08:04,635.39167182 Or I know you had a creative option of offering like discounts to stay a day later so that it would work with your schedule. 107 00:08:06,285.39167182 --> 00:08:06,465.39167182 Yeah. 108 00:08:06,465.39167182 --> 00:08:13,785.39167182 There's so many ways that you can set up, set a hard line, but then pitch it to the customer as a benefit for them. 109 00:08:14,55.39167182 --> 00:08:16,185.39167182 Like, Hey, we're actually closed on Sundays. 110 00:08:16,545.39167182 --> 00:08:21,885.39167182 But the cool thing about that for you is you can actually add one day to your rental for a 50% discount. 111 00:08:22,395.39167182 --> 00:08:24,645.39167182 Or, hey, we're actually closed on Sundays. 112 00:08:24,955.39167182 --> 00:08:30,835.39167182 But I might have a driver that will pick it up, but they charge a convenience fee of an extra a hundred dollars. 113 00:08:30,835.39167182 --> 00:08:36,415.39167182 Is that something you'd like me to ask them about and people that are gonna say, yeah, that would be cool, or. 114 00:08:36,415.39167182 --> 00:08:40,730.39167182 Most people probably wanna save the a hundred dollars, so they're gonna say, yeah, no, that's not a big deal. 115 00:08:40,730.39167182 --> 00:08:42,740.39167182 We'll just go ahead and extend our reservation. 116 00:08:43,130.39167182 --> 00:08:48,50.39167182 You know, the, the thing about it's, people just want options when they're just told no. 117 00:08:48,500.39167182 --> 00:08:49,760.39167182 That's when people get frustrated. 118 00:08:49,760.39167182 --> 00:08:55,580.39167182 Right? But if you have options, whether it's the hard lines you're setting of your operating hours, the hard lines you're setting of. 119 00:08:56,360.39167182 --> 00:09:10,190.39167182 Here's our SOP for handling, you know, disgruntled customers, as long as they have options, you present them with a couple options, you know, things are gonna work out, you know, and, and, and definitely, yeah, get creative. 120 00:09:10,940.39167182 --> 00:09:13,520.39167182 If you don't wanna be open on Sunday, don't be open on Sunday. 121 00:09:13,550.39167182 --> 00:09:17,805.39167182 And guess what? It's, it's kind of a fearful thing to do that you think you're gonna lose business, but. 122 00:09:18,545.39167182 --> 00:09:31,255.39167182 It's gonna work out, you know, like my wife and I were just talking about this the other day with a scenario with our 16-year-old that worked out, and after it worked out, we said, you know what? Most of the things that we stress out about. 123 00:09:31,840.39167182 --> 00:09:33,760.39167182 Don't end up coming to fruition. 124 00:09:33,880.39167182 --> 00:09:40,270.39167182 Most of the things that we play out in our imagination, these worst case scenarios, they don't end up coming to pass. 125 00:09:40,840.39167182 --> 00:09:45,520.39167182 So figure out what's gonna make business enjoyable for you. 126 00:09:45,520.39167182 --> 00:09:48,250.39167182 Set those hard lines and it's all gonna work out. 127 00:09:48,250.39167182 --> 00:09:49,840.39167182 Like it makes me think of Chick-fil-A. 128 00:09:50,845.39167182 --> 00:10:02,845.39167182 They're closed on Sundays, which the weekend is when most people are, they got their paycheck on Friday, they're eating out all weekend long, they're closed on Sundays, and they're one of the fastest growing, most successful franchises out there. 129 00:10:03,205.39167182 --> 00:10:09,235.39167182 Like figure out what are the lines that you need to draw and know the rest is gonna work out. 130 00:10:10,15.39167182 --> 00:10:12,25.39167182 Yeah, your customers will adapt. 131 00:10:12,325.39167182 --> 00:10:16,25.39167182 And I think along with that too, as a business owner. 132 00:10:16,625.39167182 --> 00:10:19,175.39167182 You can't be expected to work 24 7. 133 00:10:19,175.39167182 --> 00:10:23,555.39167182 And if you want this business to work long term, you have to have those lines. 134 00:10:23,875.39167182 --> 00:10:33,635.39167182 Another one that I had to make with my husband because we were operating the business together is, I was taking the reservations. 135 00:10:33,635.39167182 --> 00:10:40,295.39167182 He was the one that was delivering, setting up, picking up the RVs, and he hated when I took last minute reservations. 136 00:10:40,565.39167182 --> 00:10:45,415.39167182 So, you know, it would be the day of, and I'd be like, oh Garth, we have another reservation you gotta deliver. 137 00:10:45,475.39167182 --> 00:10:47,305.39167182 And he is like, well, I already have four. 138 00:10:47,335.39167182 --> 00:10:56,965.39167182 There's no other drivers, like, how do you expect me to do that? So he probably got to the point where he is like, no, just do not take that last minute reservation before pecking with me. 139 00:10:57,395.39167182 --> 00:11:04,115.39167182 So sometimes you have to set those hard lines internally as well so that you're making sure that everyone in the business is happy. 140 00:11:05,885.39167182 --> 00:11:06,215.39167182 Yeah. 141 00:11:06,215.39167182 --> 00:11:13,595.39167182 And two, I think you all can agree typically the renters in the reservations that end up being the most work are the last minute ones. 142 00:11:14,825.39167182 --> 00:11:17,345.39167182 Where I call 'em the weekend warriors, it's last minute. 143 00:11:17,345.39167182 --> 00:11:18,605.39167182 They just want it for the weekend. 144 00:11:18,605.39167182 --> 00:11:21,215.39167182 It was a random idea they came up with. 145 00:11:21,635.39167182 --> 00:11:24,875.39167182 And camping is not like going to a hotel or Airbnb. 146 00:11:25,85.39167182 --> 00:11:37,715.39167182 There's some planning that has to go into it as far as, okay, what are we gonna do for food? And if we're doing certain things for food, where are we gonna have to cook the food and prepare and, and bedding and all the things, you know, oh, now we wanna bring the kids' bikes. 147 00:11:37,715.39167182 --> 00:11:40,895.39167182 All those weekend warriors, those last minute bookings. 148 00:11:41,195.39167182 --> 00:11:44,225.39167182 Sometimes can end up being the worst bookings you could potentially have. 149 00:11:44,525.39167182 --> 00:11:49,785.39167182 You know, and so we talked about that last night in the fireside chats is for these last minute bookings. 150 00:11:50,185.39167182 --> 00:11:51,385.39167182 Add a convenience fee. 151 00:11:51,385.39167182 --> 00:11:58,75.39167182 Make it worth your while to do it to where when the last minute booking comes in, you're not like, oh, darn it, last minute booking. 152 00:11:58,345.39167182 --> 00:11:59,785.39167182 You're actually excited. 153 00:12:00,130.39167182 --> 00:12:05,170.39167182 Because you know, you're getting overcompensated for inconveniencing yourself on a Friday. 154 00:12:05,380.39167182 --> 00:12:14,590.39167182 You know? And, and on that note, I'm sure y'all have heard me say this, if you've been following our podcast for any amount of time, I am a huge proponent on a five to seven night minimum. 155 00:12:15,40.39167182 --> 00:12:17,950.39167182 These two night minimums, oh my gosh. 156 00:12:18,640.39167182 --> 00:12:23,110.39167182 Let, let let the others do the two night minimums and let their calendars book up. 157 00:12:23,440.39167182 --> 00:12:28,780.39167182 You stay with the five to seven night minimum, you're gonna end up doing the same or more. 158 00:12:29,500.39167182 --> 00:12:32,440.39167182 And reservation nights, and you're gonna do half the amount of work. 159 00:12:33,40.39167182 --> 00:12:36,880.39167182 You know, think about it, people have two night minimums and they're, and they're booking up every weekend. 160 00:12:36,880.39167182 --> 00:12:46,330.39167182 That's eight nights where if you have a five to seven night and you're only doing one or two bookings, you're doing the same or more amount of business and you're working half the amount. 161 00:12:47,260.39167182 --> 00:12:47,620.39167182 Yeah. 162 00:12:47,620.39167182 --> 00:12:50,620.39167182 I feel like the people with the two night minimums, those are. 163 00:12:51,295.39167182 --> 00:12:56,305.39167182 Or they should be the people that just have their own personal RV that they're renting out. 164 00:12:56,545.39167182 --> 00:12:59,5.39167182 So they're just trying to make a little extra cash. 165 00:12:59,185.39167182 --> 00:13:04,615.39167182 You know, they're not trying to have a business and have a large profit. 166 00:13:05,65.39167182 --> 00:13:19,285.39167182 So yeah, leave those two night rentals to those people that are just, you know, renting out their personal rv and you run your fleet or your RV like a business and make sure you're getting the most profit and. 167 00:13:20,50.39167182 --> 00:13:23,20.39167182 The most efficiency with your time as well. 168 00:13:23,770.39167182 --> 00:13:24,220.39167182 Yeah. 169 00:13:24,280.39167182 --> 00:13:30,910.39167182 And on that note, we, I just looked in our software yesterday of the thousands of bookings we've got so far this year. 170 00:13:31,210.39167182 --> 00:13:34,330.39167182 Our average across all those bookings is six nights. 171 00:13:34,780.39167182 --> 00:13:40,420.39167182 So it is possible it can be done and like Stacy said, yeah, you've gotta look at it like a business. 172 00:13:40,870.39167182 --> 00:13:49,480.39167182 And one of the biggest things we don't do as business owners, kind of like we're talking about these hard times, bring the hard lines, is we don't put a value on our time. 173 00:13:50,325.39167182 --> 00:13:58,35.39167182 And so, you know, you being swamped all Friday and all Sunday 'cause you're delivering and picking up and turning over campers. 174 00:13:58,575.39167182 --> 00:14:02,775.39167182 Those are like two of the most valuable days of the week, especially if you have a family. 175 00:14:02,775.39167182 --> 00:14:05,235.39167182 So just keep those things in mind. 176 00:14:05,385.39167182 --> 00:14:14,355.39167182 When the emotions rise, when those hard times hit, those are the times where you actually gotta stop and slow down for a minute and put together a standard operating procedure. 177 00:14:14,685.39167182 --> 00:14:16,425.39167182 You know, one final thought on that is. 178 00:14:17,680.39167182 --> 00:14:22,570.39167182 Usually what we would say is in that moment is, oh my gosh, I'm gonna change this for next year. 179 00:14:22,660.39167182 --> 00:14:29,770.39167182 But guess what happens if we don't make that change right in that moment, three months down the road when we're stepping into fall and winter. 180 00:14:30,610.39167182 --> 00:14:32,710.39167182 And everything is all cool and calm. 181 00:14:32,980.39167182 --> 00:14:34,660.39167182 We're actually not gonna make that change. 182 00:14:34,660.39167182 --> 00:14:39,400.39167182 Why? Because we're not feeling that emotion of that hard time anymore. 183 00:14:39,580.39167182 --> 00:14:45,460.39167182 So now looking back at it, three, four months in the, in the rear view mirror, it's not as painful to us. 184 00:14:45,520.39167182 --> 00:14:51,130.39167182 So let pain be that ultimate motivator to get you to make that change in that moment. 185 00:14:51,130.39167182 --> 00:14:58,250.39167182 And like I said, y'all with chat, GPT, you can crank out a standard operating procedure in, in seconds and minutes. 186 00:14:58,775.39167182 --> 00:15:07,535.39167182 So just when you see that, when you say, okay, man, I keep noticing my delivery drivers, or when I'm delivering, there's things we're missing on the cleaning or the setup. 187 00:15:08,15.39167182 --> 00:15:18,740.39167182 Take the time, right during that delivery, while you're doing it, document what you're doing, plug into chat GPT and let it crank out a standard operating procedure for you so you know. 188 00:15:19,925.39167182 --> 00:15:20,345.39167182 Alright. 189 00:15:20,345.39167182 --> 00:15:31,85.39167182 I know next time when I go to deliver this camper, I'm not gonna forget to put the stabilizers down and the renters are gonna call me wondering why the camper's shaking, or I know next time I'm not gonna leave the awning out. 190 00:15:31,115.39167182 --> 00:15:39,755.39167182 When I went to check it to make sure it was working before I left, because then the winds kicked up and the awning was damaged, and the renter said, well, I didn't ask you to put that awning out. 191 00:15:39,995.39167182 --> 00:15:43,85.39167182 You'll know because you have that standard operating procedure in place. 192 00:15:43,760.39167182 --> 00:15:49,340.39167182 Yeah, and taking those couple hours now to get that in place is gonna save you so many hours later. 193 00:15:49,460.39167182 --> 00:15:51,200.39167182 So definitely take that time and do it. 194 00:15:51,950.39167182 --> 00:15:52,490.39167182 Yes. 195 00:15:52,850.39167182 --> 00:15:53,480.39167182 Yes ma'am. 196 00:15:53,480.39167182 --> 00:15:55,340.39167182 It sure is awesome, y'all. 197 00:15:55,340.39167182 --> 00:16:03,680.39167182 Well, I was reading my post-its here as, as Stacy was sharing a point and there was one that jumped out at me and I thought, let me end with this, post-it, and now I forgot about it. 198 00:16:03,860.39167182 --> 00:16:04,730.39167182 Oh, there it is, right there. 199 00:16:05,30.39167182 --> 00:16:12,590.39167182 It says, worrying about something not working robs you of the energy you need to actually make it work. 200 00:16:13,325.39167182 --> 00:16:17,345.39167182 Isn't that good? Like yeah, we only have so much energy. 201 00:16:17,345.39167182 --> 00:16:27,905.39167182 We only have so much brain space, so we can either take that energy worrying about it not working, or we can take that energy into actually giving it a shot and finding out if it will work. 202 00:16:28,235.39167182 --> 00:16:34,475.39167182 And guess what? If we're so confident in making something work, when we run into that little pits, that little pitfall. 203 00:16:35,150.39167182 --> 00:16:41,540.3916718 We'll have the energy to figure out the way to overcome that pit, that pitfall, and continue on towards the end goal. 204 00:16:41,540.3916718 --> 00:16:48,650.3916718 So just remember that y'all worrying about something not working robs you of the energy you actually need to make it work. 205 00:16:50,155.3916718 --> 00:16:50,925.3916718 Yeah, I love that. 206 00:16:51,590.3916718 --> 00:16:52,580.3916718 Yeah, that's good. 207 00:16:53,150.3916718 --> 00:16:57,860.3916718 It's funny 'cause I haven't been in my office in several weeks and I'm looking at these post-its, I'm like, oh, that's good. 208 00:16:57,860.3916718 --> 00:16:58,460.3916718 That's good. 209 00:16:58,490.3916718 --> 00:16:59,360.3916718 Oh, I like that. 210 00:16:59,390.3916718 --> 00:17:01,520.3916718 Yeah, so awesome, y'all. 211 00:17:01,520.3916718 --> 00:17:04,160.3916718 All right, well let's go ahead and call this a wrap for this episode. 212 00:17:04,520.3916718 --> 00:17:06,800.3916718 Of RV Rental Secrets podcast. 213 00:17:07,40.3916718 --> 00:17:08,600.3916718 We will see y'all on the next. 214 00:17:08,780.3916718 --> 00:17:10,970.3916718 Actually, lemme close this out in a, a quick prayer. 215 00:17:11,210.3916718 --> 00:17:19,640.3916718 Lord, thank you for this busy, fun season of family, of food, of faith, of traveling, of the RV rental business. 216 00:17:19,880.3916718 --> 00:17:32,610.3916718 God, we just ask for just an extra measure of your grace, your peace, your patience to get us through the RV rental season, to get us through the season with kids being home and off school, just all the different things. 217 00:17:32,915.3916718 --> 00:17:36,155.3916718 The craziness that comes along with all the fun of summer. 218 00:17:36,365.3916718 --> 00:17:42,155.3916718 So we just ask for your peace and wisdom and guidance to get us through, and we pray this in Jesus' name. 219 00:17:42,155.3916718 --> 00:17:42,635.3916718 Amen. 220 00:17:42,635.3916718 --> 00:17:42,785.3916718 Amen. 221 00:17:44,375.3916718 --> 00:17:44,915.3916718 All right y'all. 222 00:17:44,915.3916718 --> 00:17:46,685.3916718 We will see you on the next episode.
Welcome to the RV Rental Secrets Podcast.
(00:02):
.999I'm your host, Stacey Maxson, and I'm thrilled to guide you through the journey of launching, growing, and managing a profitable RV rental business. 3 00:00:09,330.9977324263 --> 00:00:10,303.725005154 All right everybody. 4 00:00:10,303.725005154 --> 00:00:10,903.725005154 Happy day. 5 00:00:10,903.725005154 --> 00:00:14,923.725005154 Welcome to another episode of RV Rental Secrets podcast. 6 00:00:15,553.725005154 --> 00:00:20,503.725005154 I'm your co-host Gar Russell, along with Stacy Straightener Hair Maxon. 7 00:00:20,533.725005154 --> 00:00:22,813.725005154 How you doing girl? I'm good. 8 00:00:22,813.725005154 --> 00:00:24,703.725005154 How are you? I'm happy. 9 00:00:25,423.725005154 --> 00:00:26,323.725005154 I'm happy. 10 00:00:26,413.725005154 --> 00:00:27,913.725005154 It's a beautiful day here in Florida. 11 00:00:27,913.725005154 --> 00:00:29,23.725005154 The sun is shining. 12 00:00:29,173.725005154 --> 00:00:30,73.725005154 It's not too hot. 13 00:00:30,73.725005154 --> 00:00:38,533.725005154 The other day it was like, it said, felt like one 16, but I think we're only in the nineties right now, so we're we're cool. 14 00:00:39,373.725005154 --> 00:00:39,763.725005154 Great. 15 00:00:40,3.725005154 --> 00:00:44,743.725005154 Yeah, that's why I was able to actually straighten my hair today because we don't have any humidity here in New York. 16 00:00:44,743.725005154 --> 00:00:45,223.725005154 So. 17 00:00:46,333.725005154 --> 00:00:47,503.725005154 Oh yeah, that's a good point. 18 00:00:47,503.725005154 --> 00:00:52,873.725005154 Yeah, I got a curly haired 8-year-old, and yeah, the weather definitely affects her hair for sure. 19 00:00:52,873.725005154 --> 00:00:56,83.725005154 Huh? Didn't, didn't think about that. 20 00:00:56,833.725005154 --> 00:01:00,403.725005154 All right, so we were in our fireside chats last night. 21 00:01:00,403.725005154 --> 00:01:00,674.725005154 That's our. 22 00:01:01,568.725005154 --> 00:01:10,958.725005154 Weekly media meetup that we do with our franchisees, and we were just sharing some stories and I came up with a saying, and I think that's what we're gonna talk about today. 23 00:01:11,198.725005154 --> 00:01:14,198.725005154 I said, hard times equal hard lines. 24 00:01:14,888.725005154 --> 00:01:18,128.725005154 And so let's go ahead and talk about that today and kind of unpack. 25 00:01:18,683.725005154 --> 00:01:19,493.725005154 What that means. 26 00:01:19,493.725005154 --> 00:01:29,453.725005154 And it's kind of a good follow up to last week episode where we talked about just kind of keeping the emotions outta business and so yeah, hard times equal hard lines. 27 00:01:29,963.725005154 --> 00:01:32,243.725005154 And I'm sure y'all have heard me say this before. 28 00:01:32,933.725005154 --> 00:01:35,723.725005154 Pain is the ultimate motivator in life. 29 00:01:36,383.725005154 --> 00:01:41,213.72500515 We do things, first of all to avoid pain and then second to move towards pleasure. 30 00:01:41,513.72500515 --> 00:01:43,883.72500515 And I got that from Tony Robbins years ago. 31 00:01:44,123.72500515 --> 00:01:45,623.72500515 And really what that means is. 32 00:01:47,93.72500515 --> 00:01:52,763.72500515 When hard times hit, when pain hits, that's what caused us to get off our butts and make a change. 33 00:01:53,303.72500515 --> 00:02:01,913.72500515 And so what we had talked about in fireside chats last night is when we have these hard times and then we decide to make these decisions. 34 00:02:02,843.72500515 --> 00:02:06,233.72500515 A cool way of implementing that is really just writing down. 35 00:02:07,298.72500515 --> 00:02:12,488.72500515 What you would call in business, SOP or a standard operating procedure. 36 00:02:12,548.72500515 --> 00:02:15,78.72500515 So let me give an example of that. 37 00:02:15,138.72500515 --> 00:02:18,828.72500515 You wanna say anything before I do that, Stacy? No, go ahead and give your example. 38 00:02:19,188.72500515 --> 00:02:19,578.72500515 Okay. 39 00:02:19,758.72500515 --> 00:02:43,738.72500515 So a great example of that in this industry right, is disgruntled renters from, Hey, why is this refrigerator not cool? To, Hey, the AC stopped work into whatever the issue is, right? And in those moments when the renters are feeling the pain, whatever's not working, and most y'all could agree with me, it's typically comes down to operator error. 40 00:02:44,638.72500515 --> 00:02:48,298.72500515 Is it's easy to get caught up into the emotions of that moment. 41 00:02:49,168.72500515 --> 00:02:51,808.72500515 And then what do we do? We give a discount. 42 00:02:51,808.72500515 --> 00:02:57,658.72500515 We give whatever to appease the renter, to basically get that painful situation to go away as quick as possible. 43 00:02:58,168.72500515 --> 00:03:07,558.72500515 But what if we didn't have to do that? What if we actually had a standard operating procedure when a renter reaches out and something goes wrong and we could literally look at. 44 00:03:07,933.72500515 --> 00:03:13,438.72500515 The post-it next to our computer, we could look at the the, the note on our, on our todo. 45 00:03:13,738.72500515 --> 00:03:15,688.72500515 I used a app called Todoist. 46 00:03:15,688.72500515 --> 00:03:19,258.72500515 It's kind of like you just put on to do things there and categorize 'em and stuff. 47 00:03:19,528.72500515 --> 00:03:23,548.72500515 We had some where we could just pull up that reference sheet and says, oh, disgruntled renter. 48 00:03:23,728.72500515 --> 00:03:24,988.72500515 Here's the process. 49 00:03:25,498.72500515 --> 00:03:39,328.72500515 So instead of responding in the emotion of that moment, you simply go to your SOP and you say, oh, disgruntled renter, sOP? Well first of all, we know part of our SOP is we don't talk about any sort of refunds. 50 00:03:39,568.72500515 --> 00:03:48,898.72500515 We don't talk about any sort of discounts or this or that and our SOP until 24 hours after the rental is done, the RV is checked back in. 51 00:03:49,288.72500515 --> 00:03:57,868.72500515 What if you just had something as simple as that, Stacy, you think that when you started your RV rental business, that would've helped alleviate some of the emotions and stress of running your. 52 00:03:58,288.72500515 --> 00:03:58,978.72500515 Fireside. 53 00:03:59,518.72500515 --> 00:04:00,538.72500515 Yeah, definitely. 54 00:04:00,538.72500515 --> 00:04:05,848.72500515 I mean, we had so many issues, especially the first season because we were so new. 55 00:04:06,218.72500515 --> 00:04:14,728.72500515 Like you mentioned, air conditioners would break or you know, they wouldn't have water in their fresh water tank and then they would want money back. 56 00:04:14,798.72500515 --> 00:04:16,88.72500515 Just so many things. 57 00:04:16,88.72500515 --> 00:04:19,718.72500515 And yeah, that's the customer's first thing is asking for a refund. 58 00:04:20,138.72500515 --> 00:04:22,208.72500515 And if you don't have those operating procedures. 59 00:04:23,333.72500515 --> 00:04:29,273.72500515 It takes like a lot of thought for you to work through each scenario. 60 00:04:29,723.72500515 --> 00:04:35,723.72500515 You know, and you're using like more brain power than you should as well, where if you just have it written down on paper. 61 00:04:36,53.72500515 --> 00:04:38,363.72500515 You don't have to have that thought process. 62 00:04:38,363.72500515 --> 00:04:41,63.72500515 You immediately know what the answer is going to be. 63 00:04:41,273.72500515 --> 00:04:46,103.72500515 And you don't have to come up with, you know, a new outcome for every situation. 64 00:04:46,103.72500515 --> 00:04:54,203.72500515 You're just looking at that piece of paper and giving the answer that you've already figured out prior to having those emotions involved. 65 00:04:54,633.72500515 --> 00:04:56,373.72500515 So yeah, I think that's a great thing. 66 00:04:56,373.72500515 --> 00:04:59,253.72500515 And also I think being part of the franchise. 67 00:04:59,598.72500515 --> 00:05:06,758.72500515 It was like, even though you're the franchise owner, I feel like in some situations you know, I would kind of blame it on the franchise. 68 00:05:06,938.72500515 --> 00:05:12,638.72500515 Like, oh well this is Firesides policy and you know, this is what we have to follow. 69 00:05:12,848.72500515 --> 00:05:15,188.72500515 So I feel like that kind of helped in situations. 70 00:05:15,188.72500515 --> 00:05:19,508.72500515 Like, I didn't wanna be the bad guy, but I could blame it on the franchise as a whole. 71 00:05:20,828.72500515 --> 00:05:26,138.72500515 You know, that's exactly what my next point was gonna be, is find a scapegoat. 72 00:05:27,158.72500515 --> 00:05:31,298.72500515 So the scapegoat could be, Hey, our company policy, just as simple as that. 73 00:05:31,298.72500515 --> 00:05:33,308.72500515 Like, oh my gosh, that's such a bummer. 74 00:05:33,788.72500515 --> 00:05:36,338.72500515 Here's our company policy for a situation like that. 75 00:05:36,668.72500515 --> 00:05:38,258.72500515 Or, oh, that's such a bummer. 76 00:05:38,528.72500515 --> 00:05:45,513.72500515 Let me talk to my spouse who handles that side of the business, or whatever the case is, you know? And, and another thing in regards to that is. 77 00:05:46,228.72500515 --> 00:05:51,898.72500515 It's not hard to put together an SOP, especially with the power of AI nowadays. 78 00:05:52,168.72500515 --> 00:05:59,888.72500515 You know, so you could simply say in the chat, GPT, if you don't have that yet, get that like ASAP or there's many other apps out there. 79 00:05:59,888.72500515 --> 00:06:00,758.72500515 I just stick with chat. 80 00:06:00,758.72500515 --> 00:06:05,958.72500515 GPT 'cause it works for me is, Hey, I'm putting together a standard operating procedure. 81 00:06:05,958.72500515 --> 00:06:07,338.72500515 I have an RV rental business. 82 00:06:07,548.72500515 --> 00:06:12,468.72500515 Here's the common issues that I feel get me emotional and frustrated. 83 00:06:12,918.72500515 --> 00:06:15,678.72500515 And then it will help you whip one out and then you have that. 84 00:06:16,158.72500515 --> 00:06:18,318.72500515 And, and so just to go back to the topic. 85 00:06:19,268.72500515 --> 00:06:20,408.72500515 Of our podcast today. 86 00:06:20,528.72500515 --> 00:06:22,598.72500515 Hard times equal hard lines. 87 00:06:23,318.72500515 --> 00:06:27,788.72500515 Emotions are such a great indicator that something needs to change. 88 00:06:28,328.72500515 --> 00:06:36,818.72500515 So when you feel the emotions arise in the moment, know, Hey, this is an opportunity for me to create a positive change. 89 00:06:37,188.72500515 --> 00:06:41,28.72500515 Instead of the emotions arise and you're like, oh, this sucks, blah, blah, blah, blah. 90 00:06:41,28.72500515 --> 00:06:41,538.72500515 All the things. 91 00:06:41,778.72500515 --> 00:06:44,838.72500515 No, just get curious about those emotions and say, Hey. 92 00:06:45,508.72500515 --> 00:06:48,688.72500515 I wonder how I could address this situation with these emotions. 93 00:06:48,808.72500515 --> 00:06:50,858.72500515 So next time it's not so hard. 94 00:06:50,900.39167182 --> 00:07:00,940.39167182 Yeah, and I think something that we kind of talked about last night was like those hard lines, they, having those, they can really help you avoid burnout. 95 00:07:00,940.39167182 --> 00:07:03,970.39167182 So something that was mentioned last night was. 96 00:07:04,345.39167182 --> 00:07:07,225.39167182 Having set hours for your business. 97 00:07:07,475.39167182 --> 00:07:11,105.39167182 You can have the operating hours of your business. 98 00:07:11,165.39167182 --> 00:07:15,185.39167182 So you had mentioned, you're gonna be closed Sunday and that's a family day. 99 00:07:15,495.39167182 --> 00:07:21,675.39167182 And another thing I had mentioned was, I know the first couple of seasons I was in business, I was not good at it. 100 00:07:21,675.39167182 --> 00:07:25,365.39167182 I would just take reservations all time, anytime. 101 00:07:25,695.39167182 --> 00:07:27,795.39167182 But I was learning that, you know. 102 00:07:28,110.39167182 --> 00:07:31,830.39167182 We wouldn't get to do anything fun as a family during the summer. 103 00:07:32,40.39167182 --> 00:07:41,580.39167182 So I started planning vacations again and making sure if we had family functions, that I was actually there when I said I was going to be there. 104 00:07:41,860.39167182 --> 00:07:49,240.39167182 So I would stop doing deliveries or pickups on those days so that we could be together as a family. 105 00:07:49,720.39167182 --> 00:07:54,610.39167182 You know, that might also look like hiring drivers for that days, if that's a possibility for you. 106 00:07:55,275.39167182 --> 00:08:04,635.39167182 Or I know you had a creative option of offering like discounts to stay a day later so that it would work with your schedule. 107 00:08:06,285.39167182 --> 00:08:06,465.39167182 Yeah. 108 00:08:06,465.39167182 --> 00:08:13,785.39167182 There's so many ways that you can set up, set a hard line, but then pitch it to the customer as a benefit for them. 109 00:08:14,55.39167182 --> 00:08:16,185.39167182 Like, Hey, we're actually closed on Sundays. 110 00:08:16,545.39167182 --> 00:08:21,885.39167182 But the cool thing about that for you is you can actually add one day to your rental for a 50% discount. 111 00:08:22,395.39167182 --> 00:08:24,645.39167182 Or, hey, we're actually closed on Sundays. 112 00:08:24,955.39167182 --> 00:08:30,835.39167182 But I might have a driver that will pick it up, but they charge a convenience fee of an extra a hundred dollars. 113 00:08:30,835.39167182 --> 00:08:36,415.39167182 Is that something you'd like me to ask them about and people that are gonna say, yeah, that would be cool, or. 114 00:08:36,415.39167182 --> 00:08:40,730.39167182 Most people probably wanna save the a hundred dollars, so they're gonna say, yeah, no, that's not a big deal. 115 00:08:40,730.39167182 --> 00:08:42,740.39167182 We'll just go ahead and extend our reservation. 116 00:08:43,130.39167182 --> 00:08:48,50.39167182 You know, the, the thing about it's, people just want options when they're just told no. 117 00:08:48,500.39167182 --> 00:08:49,760.39167182 That's when people get frustrated. 118 00:08:49,760.39167182 --> 00:08:55,580.39167182 Right? But if you have options, whether it's the hard lines you're setting of your operating hours, the hard lines you're setting of. 119 00:08:56,360.39167182 --> 00:09:10,190.39167182 Here's our SOP for handling, you know, disgruntled customers, as long as they have options, you present them with a couple options, you know, things are gonna work out, you know, and, and, and definitely, yeah, get creative. 120 00:09:10,940.39167182 --> 00:09:13,520.39167182 If you don't wanna be open on Sunday, don't be open on Sunday. 121 00:09:13,550.39167182 --> 00:09:17,805.39167182 And guess what? It's, it's kind of a fearful thing to do that you think you're gonna lose business, but. 122 00:09:18,545.39167182 --> 00:09:31,255.39167182 It's gonna work out, you know, like my wife and I were just talking about this the other day with a scenario with our 16-year-old that worked out, and after it worked out, we said, you know what? Most of the things that we stress out about. 123 00:09:31,840.39167182 --> 00:09:33,760.39167182 Don't end up coming to fruition. 124 00:09:33,880.39167182 --> 00:09:40,270.39167182 Most of the things that we play out in our imagination, these worst case scenarios, they don't end up coming to pass. 125 00:09:40,840.39167182 --> 00:09:45,520.39167182 So figure out what's gonna make business enjoyable for you. 126 00:09:45,520.39167182 --> 00:09:48,250.39167182 Set those hard lines and it's all gonna work out. 127 00:09:48,250.39167182 --> 00:09:49,840.39167182 Like it makes me think of Chick-fil-A. 128 00:09:50,845.39167182 --> 00:10:02,845.39167182 They're closed on Sundays, which the weekend is when most people are, they got their paycheck on Friday, they're eating out all weekend long, they're closed on Sundays, and they're one of the fastest growing, most successful franchises out there. 129 00:10:03,205.39167182 --> 00:10:09,235.39167182 Like figure out what are the lines that you need to draw and know the rest is gonna work out. 130 00:10:10,15.39167182 --> 00:10:12,25.39167182 Yeah, your customers will adapt. 131 00:10:12,325.39167182 --> 00:10:16,25.39167182 And I think along with that too, as a business owner. 132 00:10:16,625.39167182 --> 00:10:19,175.39167182 You can't be expected to work 24 7. 133 00:10:19,175.39167182 --> 00:10:23,555.39167182 And if you want this business to work long term, you have to have those lines. 134 00:10:23,875.39167182 --> 00:10:33,635.39167182 Another one that I had to make with my husband because we were operating the business together is, I was taking the reservations. 135 00:10:33,635.39167182 --> 00:10:40,295.39167182 He was the one that was delivering, setting up, picking up the RVs, and he hated when I took last minute reservations. 136 00:10:40,565.39167182 --> 00:10:45,415.39167182 So, you know, it would be the day of, and I'd be like, oh Garth, we have another reservation you gotta deliver. 137 00:10:45,475.39167182 --> 00:10:47,305.39167182 And he is like, well, I already have four. 138 00:10:47,335.39167182 --> 00:10:56,965.39167182 There's no other drivers, like, how do you expect me to do that? So he probably got to the point where he is like, no, just do not take that last minute reservation before pecking with me. 139 00:10:57,395.39167182 --> 00:11:04,115.39167182 So sometimes you have to set those hard lines internally as well so that you're making sure that everyone in the business is happy. 140 00:11:05,885.39167182 --> 00:11:06,215.39167182 Yeah. 141 00:11:06,215.39167182 --> 00:11:13,595.39167182 And two, I think you all can agree typically the renters in the reservations that end up being the most work are the last minute ones. 142 00:11:14,825.39167182 --> 00:11:17,345.39167182 Where I call 'em the weekend warriors, it's last minute. 143 00:11:17,345.39167182 --> 00:11:18,605.39167182 They just want it for the weekend. 144 00:11:18,605.39167182 --> 00:11:21,215.39167182 It was a random idea they came up with. 145 00:11:21,635.39167182 --> 00:11:24,875.39167182 And camping is not like going to a hotel or Airbnb. 146 00:11:25,85.39167182 --> 00:11:37,715.39167182 There's some planning that has to go into it as far as, okay, what are we gonna do for food? And if we're doing certain things for food, where are we gonna have to cook the food and prepare and, and bedding and all the things, you know, oh, now we wanna bring the kids' bikes. 147 00:11:37,715.39167182 --> 00:11:40,895.39167182 All those weekend warriors, those last minute bookings. 148 00:11:41,195.39167182 --> 00:11:44,225.39167182 Sometimes can end up being the worst bookings you could potentially have. 149 00:11:44,525.39167182 --> 00:11:49,785.39167182 You know, and so we talked about that last night in the fireside chats is for these last minute bookings. 150 00:11:50,185.39167182 --> 00:11:51,385.39167182 Add a convenience fee. 151 00:11:51,385.39167182 --> 00:11:58,75.39167182 Make it worth your while to do it to where when the last minute booking comes in, you're not like, oh, darn it, last minute booking. 152 00:11:58,345.39167182 --> 00:11:59,785.39167182 You're actually excited. 153 00:12:00,130.39167182 --> 00:12:05,170.39167182 Because you know, you're getting overcompensated for inconveniencing yourself on a Friday. 154 00:12:05,380.39167182 --> 00:12:14,590.39167182 You know? And, and on that note, I'm sure y'all have heard me say this, if you've been following our podcast for any amount of time, I am a huge proponent on a five to seven night minimum. 155 00:12:15,40.39167182 --> 00:12:17,950.39167182 These two night minimums, oh my gosh. 156 00:12:18,640.39167182 --> 00:12:23,110.39167182 Let, let let the others do the two night minimums and let their calendars book up. 157 00:12:23,440.39167182 --> 00:12:28,780.39167182 You stay with the five to seven night minimum, you're gonna end up doing the same or more. 158 00:12:29,500.39167182 --> 00:12:32,440.39167182 And reservation nights, and you're gonna do half the amount of work. 159 00:12:33,40.39167182 --> 00:12:36,880.39167182 You know, think about it, people have two night minimums and they're, and they're booking up every weekend. 160 00:12:36,880.39167182 --> 00:12:46,330.39167182 That's eight nights where if you have a five to seven night and you're only doing one or two bookings, you're doing the same or more amount of business and you're working half the amount. 161 00:12:47,260.39167182 --> 00:12:47,620.39167182 Yeah. 162 00:12:47,620.39167182 --> 00:12:50,620.39167182 I feel like the people with the two night minimums, those are. 163 00:12:51,295.39167182 --> 00:12:56,305.39167182 Or they should be the people that just have their own personal RV that they're renting out. 164 00:12:56,545.39167182 --> 00:12:59,5.39167182 So they're just trying to make a little extra cash. 165 00:12:59,185.39167182 --> 00:13:04,615.39167182 You know, they're not trying to have a business and have a large profit. 166 00:13:05,65.39167182 --> 00:13:19,285.39167182 So yeah, leave those two night rentals to those people that are just, you know, renting out their personal rv and you run your fleet or your RV like a business and make sure you're getting the most profit and. 167 00:13:20,50.39167182 --> 00:13:23,20.39167182 The most efficiency with your time as well. 168 00:13:23,770.39167182 --> 00:13:24,220.39167182 Yeah. 169 00:13:24,280.39167182 --> 00:13:30,910.39167182 And on that note, we, I just looked in our software yesterday of the thousands of bookings we've got so far this year. 170 00:13:31,210.39167182 --> 00:13:34,330.39167182 Our average across all those bookings is six nights. 171 00:13:34,780.39167182 --> 00:13:40,420.39167182 So it is possible it can be done and like Stacy said, yeah, you've gotta look at it like a business. 172 00:13:40,870.39167182 --> 00:13:49,480.39167182 And one of the biggest things we don't do as business owners, kind of like we're talking about these hard times, bring the hard lines, is we don't put a value on our time. 173 00:13:50,325.39167182 --> 00:13:58,35.39167182 And so, you know, you being swamped all Friday and all Sunday 'cause you're delivering and picking up and turning over campers. 174 00:13:58,575.39167182 --> 00:14:02,775.39167182 Those are like two of the most valuable days of the week, especially if you have a family. 175 00:14:02,775.39167182 --> 00:14:05,235.39167182 So just keep those things in mind. 176 00:14:05,385.39167182 --> 00:14:14,355.39167182 When the emotions rise, when those hard times hit, those are the times where you actually gotta stop and slow down for a minute and put together a standard operating procedure. 177 00:14:14,685.39167182 --> 00:14:16,425.39167182 You know, one final thought on that is. 178 00:14:17,680.39167182 --> 00:14:22,570.39167182 Usually what we would say is in that moment is, oh my gosh, I'm gonna change this for next year. 179 00:14:22,660.39167182 --> 00:14:29,770.39167182 But guess what happens if we don't make that change right in that moment, three months down the road when we're stepping into fall and winter. 180 00:14:30,610.39167182 --> 00:14:32,710.39167182 And everything is all cool and calm. 181 00:14:32,980.39167182 --> 00:14:34,660.39167182 We're actually not gonna make that change. 182 00:14:34,660.39167182 --> 00:14:39,400.39167182 Why? Because we're not feeling that emotion of that hard time anymore. 183 00:14:39,580.39167182 --> 00:14:45,460.39167182 So now looking back at it, three, four months in the, in the rear view mirror, it's not as painful to us. 184 00:14:45,520.39167182 --> 00:14:51,130.39167182 So let pain be that ultimate motivator to get you to make that change in that moment. 185 00:14:51,130.39167182 --> 00:14:58,250.39167182 And like I said, y'all with chat, GPT, you can crank out a standard operating procedure in, in seconds and minutes. 186 00:14:58,775.39167182 --> 00:15:07,535.39167182 So just when you see that, when you say, okay, man, I keep noticing my delivery drivers, or when I'm delivering, there's things we're missing on the cleaning or the setup. 187 00:15:08,15.39167182 --> 00:15:18,740.39167182 Take the time, right during that delivery, while you're doing it, document what you're doing, plug into chat GPT and let it crank out a standard operating procedure for you so you know. 188 00:15:19,925.39167182 --> 00:15:20,345.39167182 Alright. 189 00:15:20,345.39167182 --> 00:15:31,85.39167182 I know next time when I go to deliver this camper, I'm not gonna forget to put the stabilizers down and the renters are gonna call me wondering why the camper's shaking, or I know next time I'm not gonna leave the awning out. 190 00:15:31,115.39167182 --> 00:15:39,755.39167182 When I went to check it to make sure it was working before I left, because then the winds kicked up and the awning was damaged, and the renter said, well, I didn't ask you to put that awning out. 191 00:15:39,995.39167182 --> 00:15:43,85.39167182 You'll know because you have that standard operating procedure in place. 192 00:15:43,760.39167182 --> 00:15:49,340.39167182 Yeah, and taking those couple hours now to get that in place is gonna save you so many hours later. 193 00:15:49,460.39167182 --> 00:15:51,200.39167182 So definitely take that time and do it. 194 00:15:51,950.39167182 --> 00:15:52,490.39167182 Yes. 195 00:15:52,850.39167182 --> 00:15:53,480.39167182 Yes ma'am. 196 00:15:53,480.39167182 --> 00:15:55,340.39167182 It sure is awesome, y'all. 197 00:15:55,340.39167182 --> 00:16:03,680.39167182 Well, I was reading my post-its here as, as Stacy was sharing a point and there was one that jumped out at me and I thought, let me end with this, post-it, and now I forgot about it. 198 00:16:03,860.39167182 --> 00:16:04,730.39167182 Oh, there it is, right there. 199 00:16:05,30.39167182 --> 00:16:12,590.39167182 It says, worrying about something not working robs you of the energy you need to actually make it work. 200 00:16:13,325.39167182 --> 00:16:17,345.39167182 Isn't that good? Like yeah, we only have so much energy. 201 00:16:17,345.39167182 --> 00:16:27,905.39167182 We only have so much brain space, so we can either take that energy worrying about it not working, or we can take that energy into actually giving it a shot and finding out if it will work. 202 00:16:28,235.39167182 --> 00:16:34,475.39167182 And guess what? If we're so confident in making something work, when we run into that little pits, that little pitfall. 203 00:16:35,150.39167182 --> 00:16:41,540.3916718 We'll have the energy to figure out the way to overcome that pit, that pitfall, and continue on towards the end goal. 204 00:16:41,540.3916718 --> 00:16:48,650.3916718 So just remember that y'all worrying about something not working robs you of the energy you actually need to make it work. 205 00:16:50,155.3916718 --> 00:16:50,925.3916718 Yeah, I love that. 206 00:16:51,590.3916718 --> 00:16:52,580.3916718 Yeah, that's good. 207 00:16:53,150.3916718 --> 00:16:57,860.3916718 It's funny 'cause I haven't been in my office in several weeks and I'm looking at these post-its, I'm like, oh, that's good. 208 00:16:57,860.3916718 --> 00:16:58,460.3916718 That's good. 209 00:16:58,490.3916718 --> 00:16:59,360.3916718 Oh, I like that. 210 00:16:59,390.3916718 --> 00:17:01,520.3916718 Yeah, so awesome, y'all. 211 00:17:01,520.3916718 --> 00:17:04,160.3916718 All right, well let's go ahead and call this a wrap for this episode. 212 00:17:04,520.3916718 --> 00:17:06,800.3916718 Of RV Rental Secrets podcast. 213 00:17:07,40.3916718 --> 00:17:08,600.3916718 We will see y'all on the next. 214 00:17:08,780.3916718 --> 00:17:10,970.3916718 Actually, lemme close this out in a, a quick prayer. 215 00:17:11,210.3916718 --> 00:17:19,640.3916718 Lord, thank you for this busy, fun season of family, of food, of faith, of traveling, of the RV rental business. 216 00:17:19,880.3916718 --> 00:17:32,610.3916718 God, we just ask for just an extra measure of your grace, your peace, your patience to get us through the RV rental season, to get us through the season with kids being home and off school, just all the different things. 217 00:17:32,915.3916718 --> 00:17:36,155.3916718 The craziness that comes along with all the fun of summer. 218 00:17:36,365.3916718 --> 00:17:42,155.3916718 So we just ask for your peace and wisdom and guidance to get us through, and we pray this in Jesus' name. 219 00:17:42,155.3916718 --> 00:17:42,635.3916718 Amen. 220 00:17:42,635.3916718 --> 00:17:42,785.3916718 Amen. 221 00:17:44,375.3916718 --> 00:17:44,915.3916718 All right y'all. 222 00:17:44,915.3916718 --> 00:17:46,685.3916718 We will see you on the next episode.
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