When we first think about Host goals, we often think about measures and rules. For example, “a host must contact 60 people each week”, which is a measure, and “a host must not issue a comp for more than 15% of 30 day ADT”, which is a rule.

There is nothing wrong with measures and rules but a goal addresses the larger question of “what are we trying to achieve?”

The Miriam Webster dictionary defines a goal as “the end to which effort is directed”.
What is the end that we are trying to achieve by having the host contact 60 people each week? Well, we are trying to make sure that the Host is busy. But busy doing what?

A cynical General Manager might suspect the Hosts are busy contacting the same 60 people that the Hosts always talks to, either because those players are pleasant or because they are demanding. Or the Player Development manager may fear the Hosts are busy talking to people that are already playing practically every day, instead of focusing on trying to get new players, or reactivate people that used to play a lot but seem to have fallen away.

It isn’t enough to measure activity, we need to write goals that measure the effort, and the success, of achieving a good outcome for the casino. We need to change the goal from measuring “the host is busy” to measuring “the host is busy doing the right things.”

After some thought, we create two goals. The first goal is “Contact 10 Inactive players each week” so the Hosts call people that haven’t played for 90 days but had high Theo when they were last playing regularly. (An organized Host will find time to call two Inactive players each day of the five-day week and 2×5=10). And the second goal is “Bring back 20 Inactive players this quarter” so the Host has to find ways to encourage the Inactive players to return.

Here are the two goals:

• Contact 10 Inactive players each week. (Measures Effort)
• Bring back (Reactivate) 20 Inactive players this quarter.  (Measures Result)

The first goal measures Effort; it measures whether the Host is trying to contact Inactive players. The second goal measures Results; it measures whether the Host is successful in getting those Inactive players back onto the Property.

Take another look at the Goals in place for you or your team, and see if they need a tweak?

Are they really just Measures and Rules? Or are they truly focused on rewarding Effort and Results?

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