News for the Hospitality Executive |
Are Restaurants and Hotels Ready for Prime Time?
New
York, NY, December 2, 2008�With the holiday season heating up and the economy
cooling down, restaurants and hotels are battling over a dwindling market
share of holiday parties.
The
economy is challenging, and everyone understands the importance of private
parties to the bottom line. Even when the holidays have passed, private
parties remain a vital contributor to profitability.
Coyle
Hospitality Group�a market leader in providing mystery shopping and quality
measurement exclusively to the hospitality industry � conducted 100 assessments
of 50 restaurants and 50 hotels in five major markets: New York City, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami. When the mystery shoppers
called, they inquired about hosting a holiday party for a small-to-mid-size
group. Sales staff were then rated on such categories as:
The
data told a compelling story. The average score for all 100 calls was 66%,
and the breakdown by market and by category was interesting as well.
The following table shows the least practiced sales behaviors
Not
surprisingly, performance covered the gamut. Some salespeople were
adept at qualifying the lead, promoting their venue, and advancing the
inquiry to a potential sale. Others did not fare so well, with 36%
not returning a phone call within 24 hours, a handful not bothering to
return the call at all, and one location saying that the sales contact
does not take phone calls.
So
what is the moral of this holiday tale? If someone calls your restaurant
or hotel with the intention of planning a party, and you do not secure
the sale, one of your competitors will. This fact will be just as
true in January and June as it is now in December.
Because
private parties offer improved efficiencies and margins compared to traditional
a la carte sales, the coming weeks will certainly provide significant opportunities
for those that are prepared.
A
SalesQore
assessment of your staff will give you a benchmark of where you stand today,
and it will also show how your team compares to others in the industry.
Perhaps most important, though, SalesQore
is an excellent mystery shopping tool that reminds your sales staff to
be ready to turn that next looker into a booker.
About SalesQore SalesQore is Coyle Hospitality Group�s cutting edge telephone-based mystery shopping program, designed exclusively for the hospitality industry. SalesQore is an effective tool that measures:
To
try SalesQore today, please visit http://www.coylehospitality.com/services/sales-mystery-shopping.asp.
About Coyle Hospitality Group Since
1996, Coyle Hospitality Group (Coyle) is a market leader providing mystery
shopping and brand quality measurement services exclusively to hotels,
restaurants, spas, and cruise lines worldwide. With over 50,000 evaluations
completed, Coyle is uniquely positioned to help hospitality operators benchmark
performance and take action to improve the customer experience. Visit
Coyle at www.coylehospitality.com
or dial 1.800.891.9292.
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Contact:
Jennifer
Vollmert
VP
of Development
847.859.2891
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