News for the Hospitality Executive |
A Hotel Sales and Marketing Action Plan
that Will Yield Immediate Results
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By Rick Welch, Director of Sales of the Embassy Suites Galleria,
Atlanta
I always thought that everything you need to become successful in the Hotel business, you already have! So, with that thought in mind I have developed a sales and marketing action plan that will yield immediate results. Today we are faced with the dual clouds of war and a sluggish economy. The hotel business is nowhere near a return to what was once considered "normal." And many hotels are coming to grips with the idea that "normal," as they remember it, will never return. So, get over it! The profile of our guest has forever changed. We need to change also, in order to enable us to obtain a greater share of the available market! We cannot create �demand�. We can however increase our sales at the expense of our competition. The outline I have put together will enable you to maximize your sales and marketing potential without increasing your expenses. It combines the need for a contemporary approach to accessing new technology available to you and the creation of a partnership with the franchiser. Neither one of you can become successful alone. Summary Work to Be Performed: ONE: A) The Importance of Your Hotel Reservation System Your franchise reservation system is going to give you your biggest room sales numbers. It all starts and comes back to you recognizing this and involving your regional manager. In our hotel we receive approximately forty percent of our rooms business from our franchise web site. What you doing to deserve that market segment? You cannot do anything until you recognize it a market segment and approach it as you would selling to a local account. The DOS should report on the action steps taken to improve on these monthly sales numbers. It should be your main distribution channel. To make it work for you, you need to keep accurate numbers and action steps to increase the numbers. What your system and database should have in it is another factor that will increase your sales numbers. If your web site is wrong, you will continue to get poor sales. If you keep up with the site and change it frequently it will produce beyond your wildest dreams. 1. Your last web site audit and what should you check.B) The Internet�are you using the Internet as another primary market that can produce as much as 35% of actual business received? Yes, In a hotel sales position how do you think the General Manager is going to react when you explain that you booked $2,500,000 in business for the year (or whatever it is, but it is HUGH). You should do an overview of Internet marketing and discuss with your management team some effective strategies to better understand this powerful revenue opportunity. Your perception in this market is very important to your success. It should be viewed, as �base business� not discounted, low rated business. As long as you have the knowledge, and invest very heavy in the knowledge of these terms/meaning of these terms the whole world changes for you. In 2008 80.4% of the 112 million online travelers used the Internet to plan their trips (that�s 90.0 million people) 1. Corporate brand web site.C) Professional E-commerce marketing Companies http://www.standingdog.com I do not work for these guys, I do however take a team approach with this market and need them to keep us current and to communicate with brand to getting things done quickly and they are reasonably priced. Year to Date, the Embassy Suites Galleria, Atlanta hotel has outperformed 2008, even with a $45.30 drop in ADR (the real world). A major contributing factor to this increase was Search Engine traffic, which is up $22,974.40 over last year. Our search rankings are staying strong and I can discuss further need areas to capitalize on our success if you want to know, but that is a topic for another time D) Maximizing your Franchise Potential: Make sure you are getting everything you are paying for in your franchise fees. Some of these services are not widely promoted by the brand. Some are very inexpensive and some are only offered by asking for their help. A separate complete plan with accountability and action steps should be established. Did you know that all major franchisers offer a market specialist when seeking a specific market segment (i.e. Government, Corporate etc?) It still amazes me that some hotels are not using the many tools available to them from the franchiser. Your brand service representative should become an integral part of your success team. TWO: Driving Business: Making Your Analytical Tools Really Work This week you are going to find ways to get the most out of your best analytical tools for optimal positioning within your competitive set and for also taking full advantage of your strengths within your market.
Motivating Others To Sell For You And Demand Generator Analysis Zero in on the market segments that give you your greatest �Return on Investment�, the biggest bang for your buck. Situate Your Hotel optimally in these segments and get others, notably people in your targeted segments, to sell your hotel for you.
Outside sales calls, get serious about obtaining more business.
Sales-Savvy Leadership:
In business school we are taught that �sales minus expenses� equals
profit! I think that all management positions require that 50% of that
position be directed at creating revenue and 50% of their efforts be directed
to controlling expenses. I never met anybody who went broke making a profit!
Rick Welch is currently the Director of Sales of the Embassy Suites Galleria, Atlanta. Rick Welch CHA, CHME specializes in practical hotel sales and marketing solutions customized for today's challenges and uncertain business environment. This outline has recently been field-tested and many changes have
been made to guarantee its success. I hope you find it as successful as
I have. If you would like additional information, please do not hesitate
to e-mail or call me at 678-460-2561
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Contact:
Rick Welch
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