by Dr.
John
Hogan,
January 31, 2011
Regardless
of the source of the tradition of
making resolutions, we all realize that people all over the world have
been
breaking them. The title of this short piece is Making This New Year's
Hospitality Resolutions Real and Practical, and
my goal is
to offer a slight alternative to the resolutions making approaches that
seem to
get broken so often, for whatever reasons.
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“You
can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other
people get what they want.”
Zig Ziglar,
"Secrets of Closing the Sale", 1984
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Most
hotels create an annual sales and marketing plan for last year, but
what happened to the execution? While one can blame the economy
or the
government or some other 3rd party,
we must each assess how much of our
success is tied to our efforts.
The calendar now is approaching late January, and looking back
at lost
opportunities for last year is a wasted effort. It is now time to
think
how you will be conducting your sales efforts this year, in measurable
components.
Regardless of where you are in planning , think about TODAY to
committing
yourself to a fresh start. In our book LESSONS FROM THE FIELD – a
COMMON
SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES, Howard Feiertag and I offered
practical approaches to selling in the last big market downturn.
- Sell Price Last:
Even in challenging economic times, price remains only one of selling
points of all. People want value, but if you know where you are
competition-wise, price should not be the breaking point if you are
competitive.
- Include more items in
packages. Comp rooms, free parking, free A/V and various
other "freebies" are sometimes necessary ingredients in closing a deal,
especially in a soft market. "Listen" to what the potential client
feels is important to them and then deliver what they want at a fair to
all price and package.
- Close As Soon As Possible:
The prospect you leave behind may be closed by the competition.
Time is important to everyone, so use yours effectively.
- Increase the Number of
Your Sales Calls: If you make more calls, you meet
more prospects; if you meet more prospects, you can do more selling,
and if you do more selling, you close more sales. (The law of averages
works.)
- Have Sincere Pride in Your
Product and Service: Be proud of where you work; then,
where you work will be proud of you.
- Be Persistent:
Most sales are closed after the fourth or fifth call.
- Be Loyal: One
of the greatest virtues of selling is loyalty to your hotel, your
manager and your owner.
- Ask For the Business:
Too many salespeople are on Public Relations calls; they forget to ask
for the order.
- Communicate More:
Let the staff (especially the switchboard and front office) know where
you are and where you're going to be.
- Have Confidence in
Yourself and Your Team: The seller’s confidence in the
product results in the potential buyer's confidence, more often than
not, results in a sale.
- Find Your Balance Between
Aggressive and Assertive Selling: Sales isn't an athletic
competition where someone wins and the other loses. Find a happy
medium between high and low pressure sales techniques. In fact, a
confident professional does not need pressure to close a sale, but
rather assists the potential client in solving their needs. This
goes back to #2 – LISTENING MORE.
- Keep In Touch Regularly:
Don't lose contact with a prospect. Phone calls, notes, newsletters,
even birthday cards, are good ways to remind people that you're still
interested in them.
Keys to Success Hospitality Tip of the
Week:
Change is
also something
personal that requires focused and individual attention. We
have
all heard the question on change: If we continue to do as we have
always done,
how can we ever expect to achieve different results?
For hotels and the hospitality industry, the potential
for dramatic change
in the first 100 days of 2011 is there, as there is finally a sense of
optimism
in the direction of the economy. Optimism alone is not
action or
change, and what do The First 100 Days of 2011 mean
for you
personally?
What do I personally need to change to make my
hotel or hospitality
business more successful?
KEYS
TO SUCCESS
is
the umbrella title for my 2011 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 and Principles for Success
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Feel free to share an idea for a column at [email protected]
anytime or contact me
regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And
remember
– we all need a regular dose of common sense.
 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 Co-Founder of a consortium ( www.HospitalityEducators.com)
of successful corporate and academic mentors delivering focused and
affordable
counsel in solving specific challenges facing the hospitality industry.
www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range
of information, forms, best practices and ideas that are designed to
help
individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market
penetration,
deliver service excellence and increase their
profitability.
Special introductory pricing is in effect for a limited time that also
includes a complimentary copy of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD- A COMMON SENSE
APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES. If readers would like to
contribute
to the site, please submit your material for consideration to [email protected].
We are interested in expanding our global networks and resources as we
support our membership.
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