Keep Your Current Customers
Your current hotel client base is your most valuable tool, regardless
of whether you are a five-star hotel or a mid-range (i.e., affordable,
possibly older, but typically service oriented) property. Having stayed
with you in the past, your clients know where your property is located,
how to get there, and what to expect when they arrive They most likely
are already familiar with your meeting space configuration, your food
quality, and even some of your personnel. Holding on to these clients
is so much easier than finding new clients, because you already know
that they travel to your area, at least occasionally, they are seeking a
property with your services and amenities, and there is something
about your hotel that they like!
How can you get more business from past clients? There is but one
simple answer: BY CALLING THEM. This is obviously basic, but 90%
of hotel sales people do not do it! Instead, they wait for the phone to
ring (that's why we call them "order takers"). So it bears repeating:
Call on your past clients (and click this link for tips on doing so!).
In today's busy world, the need to visit clients in person has lessened,
although it is advisable to have face to face time with your VIP clients
whenever possible. However, if you want to retain any client, you have
to pick up the phone and call them periodically. As they say, if you
don't call them, you can be sure your competition will.
Not only does calling on customers make you a better sales person
(for instance, it helps you become more comfortable with selling, more
knowledgeable about your product, better able to overcome
objections, and even more in tune to what the trends in your area are),
but it will make you more productive, because you will also gain
additional business this way. There are meetings and groups and
events out there that you will never know about if you do not pick up the
phone and call your existing customers, at least twice a year. Think
about it - if you call 200 clients within 6 months, at least some
percentage of them will give you business you did not plan on! I won't
speculate on the percentage, but think of it like the lottery: you can't win
if you don't play!
Put yourself in the top 10% of all sales people, with this simple yet
effective "trick." Grab a stack of client files and start making calls. Just
say hello. Listen to their needs. If you can help them, let them know.
Watch great things happen. I daresay you will be amazed by the
results!
Your current hotel client base is your most valuable tool, regardless
of whether you are a five-star hotel or a mid-range (i.e., affordable,
possibly older, but typically service oriented) property. Having stayed
with you in the past, your clients know where your property is located,
how to get there, and what to expect when they arrive They most likely
are already familiar with your meeting space configuration, your food
quality, and even some of your personnel. Holding on to these clients
is so much easier than finding new clients, because you already know
that they travel to your area, at least occasionally, they are seeking a
property with your services and amenities, and there is something
about your hotel that they like!
How can you get more business from past clients? There is but one
simple answer: BY CALLING THEM. This is obviously basic, but 90%
of hotel sales people do not do it! Instead, they wait for the phone to
ring (that's why we call them "order takers"). So it bears repeating:
Call on your past clients (and click this link for tips on doing so!).
In today's busy world, the need to visit clients in person has lessened,
although it is advisable to have face to face time with your VIP clients
whenever possible. However, if you want to retain any client, you have
to pick up the phone and call them periodically. As they say, if you
don't call them, you can be sure your competition will.
Not only does calling on customers make you a better sales person
(for instance, it helps you become more comfortable with selling, more
knowledgeable about your product, better able to overcome
objections, and even more in tune to what the trends in your area are),
but it will make you more productive, because you will also gain
additional business this way. There are meetings and groups and
events out there that you will never know about if you do not pick up the
phone and call your existing customers, at least twice a year. Think
about it - if you call 200 clients within 6 months, at least some
percentage of them will give you business you did not plan on! I won't
speculate on the percentage, but think of it like the lottery: you can't win
if you don't play!
Put yourself in the top 10% of all sales people, with this simple yet
effective "trick." Grab a stack of client files and start making calls. Just
say hello. Listen to their needs. If you can help them, let them know.
Watch great things happen. I daresay you will be amazed by the
results!
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The Online Hotel Sales Director
| Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 (NIV) |
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professionals
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Friday, 12-Mar-10 09:38:18 PST
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