Chapter 7
Selling to the Meetings Market
Convention Management and Service
Eighth Edition
(478TXT or 478CIN)
© 2011, Educational Institute
Courtesy of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
Competencies for
Selling to the Meetings Market
1. Explain the steps in making a personal sales call.
2. Explain how to conduct telephone selling
effectively in meeting and convention sales.
3. Describe the convention and meeting sales
techniques of sales blitz selling, trade show
selling, selling with convention bureaus, site
inspection selling, and familiarization tours.
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Most Effective Direct Sales Tools
Used by Properties Today
1. Personal (face-to-face) sales calls—most effective
2. Telephone selling
3. Sales blitz selling
4. Trade show selling
5. Site inspection selling and familiarization tours
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Consultative Selling
• Convention salespeople do not use “hard sell”
techniques (e.g., car sales)
• Rather, hotel salespeople act as consultants to
meeting planners
• Consultative selling is a low-pressure form of
personal selling
• Its focus is to build relationships and create and keep
long-term customers
• The salesperson serves as an advisor to the planner,
identifying needs and recommending solutions
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Types of Face-to-Face Sales Calls
•
Cold calls—fact-finding calls on a prospect with whom
there has been little or no previous contact. Cold personal
sales calls are often not well-received by meeting planners,
so using the telephone to pre-quality and set appointments
is recommended.
•
Appointment calls—a prearranged
appointment with a prospect to introduce
the features and benefits offered by your
property. With cold calls you are fortunate
to get five minutes with the prospect,
whereas with an appointment you will
likely get fifteen to thirty minutes, time to
give a complete presentation.
Courtesy of Loews Hotels and Resorts
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The Six Steps of a Face-to-Face Sales Call
1. Pre-Call Planning—know what your property has to offer
and how to best present it to a prospective client.
2. Opening the Sales Call—state the purpose of the call, what
the prospect can expect to gain, and ask for permission to
continue
3. Getting Prospect Involvement—build rapport and get client
to discuss his or her needs and concerns
4. Presenting Your Property—explain the property’s facilities
and services and show how its features can benefit the client
5. Handling Objections—answer concerns
6. Closing and Follow-Up—ask for the sale and then follow up
immediately
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Step 1—Pre-Call Planning
1. Know Your Property
•
Property fact book
2. Know Your Competition
•
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Emphasize the strengths of your
property, especially in areas
where the competition is weak
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Step 1—Pre-Call Planning
(continued)
3. Know Your Prospect
•
Cold calls: fact-finding calls
•
Use sales prospect cards to summarize
what you know
•
Tailor your presentation to the planner’s
needs and desires
4. Assemble a Sales Kit
•
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Include all information the prospect will
need about your property and services
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Step 2—Opening the Sales Call
Build Rapport
• State your purpose
• Give the main reason(s) the prospect
should consider your property
Bridge Statement
• Ask for permission to continue with
the presentation
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Step 3—Getting Prospect Involvement
Purpose
• Involve the prospect to understand his or her needs
• Ask all questions before you give your presentation
• Tailor your presentation according to what you
learned about the prospect
• Listening is the most important skill in getting client
involvement
Use both types of questions:
• Close-ended questions
• Open-ended questions
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Step 4—Presenting Your Property
Be a Problem Solver
• Sell benefits, not features
• Use visual aids to help the
planner envision the hotel
• Tailor your presentation to
the prospect’s needs
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Step 5—Handling Objections
Plan your answers to the most common objections:
Price objections
• Point out all that’s included in the price
Product objections
• Turn negative aspects into positive ones
• Example: An older property may have a more
experienced staff
Lack-of-interest objections
• Point out how your property’s benefits are
comparable to or better than the competition’s
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Step 6—Closing and Follow-Up
Guidelines
• Prospects expect to be asked for a sale
• Follow up whether you made the sale or not
Trial Close
• Used to elicit responses
during presentation
• Build excitement about
your property
Major Close
• Ask for sale directly
• Leave immediately after your presentation
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Photo courtesy of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
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Telephone Sales Techniques
• Requires proficiency; telephone can be impersonal
• Outline what you are going to cover
• Have backup information at hand
• Speak slowly and distinctly
• Be cheerful yet professional
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Screening Prospects
• Use the telephone to qualify prospects before making
an appointment
• Use sales lead services to analyze information about
planners before you call for an appointment
• Enter information from an interview onto a call report
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Handling Inquiries
• E-mail, request for proposals, telephone calls, and
walk-in inquiries require timely responses
• Avoid the use of voice mail
• One quarter of new group sales are lost because of
failure to respond to inquiries
• Crowne Plaza Hotels guarantee a two-hour response
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Setting Appointments for
Personal Sales Calls by Phone
Intermediaries (Receptionists/Administrative
Assistants)
•
Build rapport with them
•
Get through them to the decision maker
Three Steps in Setting Appointments by Phone
1. Open the call
2. Present (don’t try to sell)
3. Set the appointment
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Telemarketing
Tips
• Use scripts that draw attention
• Staff must be well-trained
• Telemarketing needs clear
goals
Two Kinds of Telemarketing
• Qualifying prospects
• Market research
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Sales Blitz Selling
Definition
• Contacting potential clients in a concentrated area
over a brief period of time
• Used for both reaching and qualifying new prospects
Characteristics
• Purpose: Demonstrate the hotel’s ability to host
meetings
• 75 to 90 calls over a three-day period
• Sales letters sent in advance to create “warm calls”
• Use city directories to select target area
• Temporary staff/college students may be used
• Use sales blitz survey sheets to record prospect
information
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Trade Show Selling
Advantages
• Deal directly with prospects who buy
• Relatively low cost for closing a sale
• Share space with local convention and visitors
bureau
Disadvantages
• Initial cost of transportation, setup, and display
• Competitors present, targeting same markets
• Attendees may have no interest in your property
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Trade Show Selling
(continued)
Trade Show Selling Techniques
• Create action plan before show: identify
prospects, set sales and follow-up strategies
• Target the businesses with the most potential
• Solicit before and
after show
• Qualify prospects
quickly
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Selling with Convention and
Visitors Bureaus
Characteristics
• Often referred to as “CVBs”
• Many CVBs are members of DMAI
• Extension of hotel’s sales staff
• Organized/funded in various ways
• Convention lead forms
• Housing bureau
Sales Tools They May Share with Properties
• Encyclopedia of Associations
• Directory of Corporate Meeting Planners
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Site Inspections and Familiarization Tours
Site Inspections
• For individual prospects
• Choose busy times
• Take time to conduct tour
• Show only areas of interest
• Train staff to be tour guides
Familiarization Tours (Fam Tours)
• For groups of prospects
• Qualify prospects in advance
• Tell prospects what is included, the
duration, and who is invited
• Try to close sale before prospect leaves
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