Although most hotels are experiencing a rebound in demand right now, given all the uncertainty in the economy, smart sales and revenue leaders are helping their teams generate even more revenue. Here are some opportunities and corresponding action steps.

Whereas in the past buyers would reach out to hotels individually, these days one buyer can send a request for proposal to a dozen or more properties at the click of a few buttons. As a result, hotel salespeople feel spammed by inbound leads, while buyers feel spammed by generic proposals. Here are some considerations:

• Reengineer your sales process. Provide your experienced sales managers with the support they need to help sort and prioritize sales inquiries. The ways this might work vary greatly according to the size and type of property. For example, consider adding a sales coordinator, or smaller properties could train a front desk agent or even a night auditor to use down-times at the desk to help out.

This person can help sift through lead channels that are notoriously filled with random, “weak” leads. The staff can sort through inquiries that simply say, “send me your wedding planner” or “I need a block of rooms, what are the rates?” They can identify the truly “hot, right sized” leads and forward them on to a salesperson. They can then continue to at least reply to these “weak” leads in a personalized way so as to clarify vague requests, notify them that requested dates are sold out and check for flexibility on requested rate ranges. Whereas at most hotels these weak leads are not even responded to, having a backup person respond will allow you to find some “buried nuggets” that would have been missed in the bucket full of sand.

• Conduct a sales process assessment. Sit with each salesperson and ask them to explain their process for fielding a “qualified” or “right-sized” request. Randomly select five or so leads, then ask the salesperson to document how and when they followed up. Was the sales collateral (such as a PDF or electronic proposal) personalized? Were they tenacious and timely in following up? Were the follow-up messages also personalized? If a lead for a recurring event or meeting was lost, did they trace it for a follow-up next year?

Our experience shows that about 20% of hotel salespeople are completely on top of managing their sales process, while another 20% do no follow-up after initial responses. Most salespeople are somewhere in between. This exercise will challenge them to perform to a higher level, especially when told it will be repeated in a few months.

• Set “best habits” (a.k.a. “standards”) for follow-up. While a timely response is key, the theory that the person who responds first is most likely to get the deal is an urban myth. In fact, many buyers complain that respondents miss key details from the inquiry. Instead, balance a fast response time with a proposal that is personalized and contextualized. What changes were made to personalize the template used? If sent by email, do we ask the recipient to confirm receipt? Do we follow-up three to five business days later? Do we vary the follow-up messaging so as not to send three guilt-ridden emails or to leave three voicemails complaining that we’ve not heard back from them yet? If lost, do we retrace? If won, after the booking is fulfilled, do we follow-up to ask for referrals?

If all your salespeople do is close incoming leads, they are practicing “sales fishing.” They hold their “fishing pole” that is connected to a line holding a hook. On the hook is the digital “bait,” which is your website presence, external listing and/or the “brand.com flag.” Once a prospect “bites,” they reel-in the business. True hotel sales professionals embrace “sales hunting.”

Unfortunately, proactive prospecting is rarely practiced anymore, and when prospecting is happening, it is usually not done well. Here's what you can do to be more proactive:

• Research before you reach out. With so much information online, it is easier than ever to quickly research and then personalize prospecting messaging.

• Train your team to use a “tech for touch” approach. Scheduling apps can make it easy for sales teams to set up conversations to discuss leads. A second example is to conduct sales calls by way of Zoom or Teams, versus impersonalized email exchanges. A third example is to use personalized video email messages to put faces with names, such as sending a note to a prospect while standing in the lobby or while you are in a meeting/event venue.

• Turn your front desk staff into prospecting partners. The front desk staff is uniquely positioned to assist with identifying repeat guests, especially those representing companies that are suddenly booking lots of business. Many prospects, especially those looking for wedding blocks, may call directly or even walk in to inquire. Our research shows that all too often they are told to call back during business hours or blindly transferred to voicemail. Instead, train your front desk to be an extension of the sales department.

• Prospect previous contacts. Just about every piece of business serviced by a hotel can be a source to prospect for new business. Obviously, if a meeting or event is recurring, the lead should be retraced for the next cycle, or if a deal was lost, retraced for the next year.

Doug Kennedy is president of the Kennedy Training Network, Inc. Contact him at doug@kennedytrainingnetwork.com.

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or CoStar Group and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to contact an editor with any questions or concern.

Return to the Hotel News Now homepage.