If you were to poll a sampling of both the general public and frequent travelers and ask them what they thought was the largest car rental company, the answer would likely be the same in 2009 as it was in 1966: Hertz. The question was not which was the best, but the perceived largest. Identifying the “best” is often too subjective a question and is very hard to qualify, as many companies rent the same brands of vehicle from similar locations.

In the late 1960s, Robert Townsend was the aggressive, marketing focused CEO of one of Hertz’ competitors. Open-minded, he tried a number of strategies but he could not dent the market leadership of Hertz and was little more than a blip on the radar in some markets of other rental competitors.

Over time, however, Townsend and his team did made their impact on the car rental business and on everyone else that has ever tried to overtake #1. The non-traditional way they accomplished their goal of significantly improving market share by “stealing” customers one at a time.

How did they do it?

Their advertising slogan laid the foundation of it all: “We’re only #2, so we try harder”.

Was Avis really #2 at that time? We will probably never know, because the vital statistics (locations, number of rental units rented versus available, revenue generated, etc.) may not have been as detailed as they are today. What made Avis so well known was the way they became the underdog – everyone’s favorite to succeed, especially against all those “other” brands.

It was not an advertising campaign that made the difference – it was the evolving organizational perspective and attitudes. There are some business books that have a very short shelf life because they are tied to a particular product, technology or fad.

UP THE ORGANIZATION is a 30-year-old classic I recently re-read for the third time. It has logical and pragmatic approaches in bite size messages that remain timely. It is full of no-nonsense, easy to digest suggestions and ideas that have proven to be able to be replicated again and again.

Avis claimed the role of #2 by their own admission, but they “fought” with both Hertz and all the others to reach and maintain that coveted second spot.

Number Ones get to be and stay on top because they are regularly improving their service and product offerings. Being part of a #1 brand in your market segment might give your hotel a head start, but it remains up to the hotel sales staff to continue to prospect, research and book customers as if they are as hungry as Avis was back in 1970. It remains the responsibility of the operations staff to keep the hotel looking fresh, crisp, welcoming and attentive to the details. In today’s competitive environment with many sub-categories of lodging products, the combination of sales and operations teams must constantly continue that battle of exceeding guest expectations.

Let the guests’ letters and increased profits tell you of your successes.

Let your heart tell you that you need to retain the competitive spirit found in #2.

“What it comes down to is that anybody can win with the best horse.
What makes you good is if you can take the second or third-best horse and win.”
Vicky Aragon, (1964- ) American female jockey champion

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And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense.

Autographed copies of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD – a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES can be obtained from THE ROOMS CHRONICLE and other industry sources.

All rights reserved by John Hogan and this column may be included in an upcoming book on hotel management. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication

John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of HospitalityEducators.com , which has more than 2000 resource pages and has become the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. He is also the Principal of HoganHospitality.com , which offers hotel expert witness services and hospitality consulting..

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KEYS TO SUCCESS™ is the umbrella title for our programs, hospitality services and columns. This year's writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my "HOW TO" articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™, THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.

All rights reserved by John Hogan and this column may be included in an upcoming book on hotel management. This article may not be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

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