Carol Verret Consulting and Training Consulting Training Seminars |
|
. Social Media: The Hotel Sales Tools that NO Property Can Ignore |
January 2011 The biggest challenge for hotel sales
professionals is
actually integrating social media into their sales processes rather
viewing
social media as just one more thing to do!
Just as Google has become an indispensible sales tool,
social media
offer tools that can make the sales process faster, more efficient and
ultimately, more productive. “Interest in and usage of social media will
continue to
display explosive growth in terms of theoretical reach (the ability to
connect
and engage sheer numbers of active travelers): almost half of all
travelers now have a page posted on a social site, 91 percent of which
are
posted on Facebook” (YPartnership, 12/28/10) Changes in customer buying behavior in terms
of venue
selection and researching not only the hotel but also the sales team
make it
imperative that social media is part of every hotel sales department’s
sales plan. In a
survey during an i-Meet webinar a poll of nearly 200 planners indicated
that
social media are important in venue selection. The sales process has evolved from a linear,
transactional
process to a collaborative, interactive one.
The impact of social networks implies a collaborative
conversation – a
dialogue that leads to mutual understanding and benefit A prospect or client should be able to get a
360° view of
the hotel and the sales team on social networks. They
need to be able to click on links to the
sales professionals’ profiles or Fan pages.
Hotels should ensure that the settings, especially on
FaceBook, separate
the sales team’s personal pages from their ‘Fan’ or professional pages. Links to the web site, blog, etc should
also
be prominent so that the planner never has to leave the ‘circle’. Once
they
move out of the circle, they may be tempted to visit other properties’
social
media or web sites. How then do sales people integrate social
media into the
sales process: Social
Media Strategy by Market Segment.
Which social media are the most appropriate for which
market
segments? Defining activities on
social
networks for each market segment and sales manager means providing
guidance for
developing individual profiles for personal branding and a strategy for
developing
Fans and networks. With a defined
individual strategy activities fall within the strategy and avoid the
‘trap’ of
spending too much time on activities that are not targeted. However, don’t assume that LinkedIn contacts
don’t have SMERFE groups – they all have lives outside of their
business
activities. The same goes for Facebook
which is being adapted and used a business tool. This
is an excellent opportunity for cross
promotion between segments. Prospecting. A professional meeting planner indicated on a
recent webinar that her LinkedIn is always open as it is her primary
prospecting tool. Social media
discussion groups are a useful prospecting tool. Discussion
groups are selected on their
composition of potential prospects and clients. They
are also a good way to build a network
on LinkedIn. Anyone can invite someone
in a group that they belong to into
their network without having a recommendation.
Search on both LinkedIn and FaceBook is a powerful tool. Searching for a targeted company provides
not
only info on the company but a list of employees, one or more of whom
may be
the contact that plans travel or meetings.
FaceBook search is great for locating SMERFE groups,
weddings and other
social events. Referrals
and Introductions. Circles of
influence! Can someone in your network
or in your Fan group refer you or introduce you to the contact you need
to
reach? Recent statistics from a company
called uRefer indicated that referrals close at a rate of about 50%,
far higher
than many other methods of prospecting. The recommendation feature on
LinkedIn is
also a perfect tool to have your expertise validated by a third party. Qualifying. How can you find the contact that plans
meetings, groups or travel for the company.
A search for the targeted company on LinkedIn reveals not
only information
about the company including locations and other pertinent info but also a list of employees both present and
past and how many degrees of separation the sales person is from adding
that
planner to their network. A search for an
inquiry caller on LinkedIn or FaceBook can provide information about
that
person’s responsibility within the company and a picture so that when
the call
is made it is possible to visualize the person you are speaking to. Joining
and Creating Communities. A
little known and useful feature on
Facebook permits a sales person or hotel to create or join a group. “Facebook groups allow you to further connect
with friends on your network, creating a close-knit social network
within the larger Web site. You can join
any group on your network or create your own.” (How
to Create Facebook Groups | eHow.com, 11/12/10) This means that you
can
form tight groups of clients or potential prospects with whom to
communicate. LinkedIn also offer this
feature but groups on LinkedIn are so diverse and targeted, it is a
matter of
deciding which groups to join and participate in. Posting
on the Wall, Profile or Discussion groups.
Putting the ‘social’ into social networks!
Many hotel sales people push out promotions on their wall or profile
without
interspersing them with information such as links to relevant articles
that may
be of interest to the their Fans or network.
Posting activities that are relevant but interesting gives
their network
or Fans a way to get to know them
better. Asking questions and giving
answers on LinkedIn is a powerful way to establish credibility and
maintain top
of mind awareness so that when prospects are ready to buy they think of
the
sales person and their hotel. The key with social networks is that the
sales person has
access to many more potential prospects than they could locate using
traditional methods. Social networks are
also a place to get know and have a little fun communicating and
interacting
with prospects. Post videos, have contests for your Facebook Fans –
everyone
likes to do business with people that make them smile now and then! Do social networks replace the personal
interaction –
no! But they are a way to establish
connections so that when the conversation moves to a booking
conversation, a relationship has
already begun and the
potential for moving it to close may be greater! The
Best of Hotel Sales & Revenue Management Caffeine – the
EBook! Weekly Shots of Hotel Sales
& Revenue
Management Caffeine has
been delivered to more than 500 Inboxes every week with a mix of sales,
revenue
management and motivational tips and trends. Now it’s
an
eBook. At $6.99 it is the perfect gift
for the sales and revenue management team! The book is in a PDF
format,
downloadable into most eReaders. Click here
to get your copy! Volume discounts for ten or more copies
are
available – contact Carol Verret at [email protected]. It will
soon be on Amazon, formatted for Kindle.
Carol Verret and Associates Consulting and Training offers training services and consulting in the areas of sales, revenue management and customer service primarily but not exclusively to the hospitality industry. To find out more about the company click on www.carolverret.net. To contact Carol send her an email at [email protected] or she can be reached by cell phone (303) 618-4065. Visit www.hotelsalesblog.com. |
Carol Verret 5910 S. University #C-18, PMB 374 Greenwood Village, CO 80121 Telephone: (303) 618-4065 [email protected] Web Site: http://www.carolverret.com/ Email: [email protected] |