Sales

Two Days Prior

• Ensure the function space is still available for the client to view, if not either rearrange or manage the client's expectations on what they will be able to see.

The Day Before

• Call the client and reconfirm the appointment, avoid the likelihood of no shows

• Research corporate clients – what does the company do, where are they based and do they have multiple offices (is there group potential), have the used the hotel or group before, try and find your client on Linkedin (have they been with the company long)

• Check Waves, what information has the Central/National team already obtained from the client, has the client used your hotel or the group before?

• Think about how you can add celebrity service in your showround - reserved parking space, their logo on the projector in the meeting room, their names are written in chocolate on a plate, a welcome message in reception, can you prepare a goody bag for them.

On The Day

• Walk the route prior to the client arrival – open doors, turn on lights, set the temperate of the room, ensure you know which space you can show your client (function space and bedrooms, have your master key ready). Ensure you are looking through the eyes of the client on this walk through, will they notice any rubbish or old collateral?

• Check you have a reserved seating in the lounge area

• Prepare your showround folder with all of the documents you may need – Waves proposal that the client will have been sent, menus, brochures, a tablet with images

• Check your reflection – is your uniform clean, name badge visible, shoes shined and hair and nails clean and tidy. Remember you can’t make a second first impression

• Ensure you communicate with other colleagues on your shift – reception should be made aware to expect them, is the bar ready to prepare their drinks, will a drop in from the BEM/AGM secure the deal?

Arrival

• Ensure all team members know you have a showround booked so you are not called away

• Make sure you are in reception ready to greet them 5 minutes before they are due to arrive

• Greet them warmly, smile and make eye contact

• Seat them comfortably at a quiet, reserved table in the lounge and offer them a drink

Talk the Talk

• When the client is seated with a drink, this is your question time to understand more about the event and the client's key buying criteria, what is going to secure the business?

Then Walk the Walk

• What space do you need to show your client – function space and bedrooms? Don’t show them something that is irrelevant, if they don’t need accommodation don’t show bedrooms

• Remember to lead the showround, the client should follow you and shouldn’t be left unattended to wander off into other areas of the hotel

• Talk as you move through the venue, can you obtain more answers to your questions at this stage or find out more about the client? Try and avoid mundane topics such as the weather and traffic, use this time to wisely.

• If your function room is tight for their numbers make sure you stand in one corner, this will make the room appear larger

• If there is a chance they may feel their numbers will be too few for the space and they will get lost stand in the middle, the room will appear smaller.

Convert the Opportunity

• Has the client answered all of the questions you need answering?

• Ensure you answer any remaining questions they have, if you notice any resistance or hurdles to a final sale make sure you address them in the moment

• Agree next steps. Would the client like the proposal amending and resending? Do you need to follow-up on specific menu queries with the chef? Make sure you commit to when you will send this to them and exceed that deadline.

Closing the Sale

In theory, learning how to close a sale is actually pretty simple: show up prepared, give your pitch, answer your prospect’s objections, ask for the sale, and if needed, follow up until you get a definitive answer.

In practice, however, selling is a bit more complicated than that. It's not so easy to avoid sales closing sins —especially if you're new to the game.

Did you know, a whopping 92% of salespeople report giving up on a prospect after hearing "no” four times. Conversely, 80% of prospects report saying “no” four times before they finally say “yes.”

There are four ways to close a sale

• Direct: "Shall I go ahead and book that for you?"

• Assumptive: "I will go ahead and send the contract."

• Alternative: "Would you like to confirm the 22nd or the 29th?"

• Fair: "If you don't book now, the date may not be available later.

Follow Up

• Send a thank you to the client

• Ensure that all of the notes from the showround are recorded in Waves and you complete the showround activity. If there are further actions i.e emails to be sent to the client ensure this is handed over to the hub with agreed timelines. Meeting agreed deadlines will continue to build trust with the client, don’t undo the good work of a showround by delivering items late to the client or incomplete.

• Update the opportunity if needed.

Sales Techniques

• Know your customer! Is this showround for corporate or social business? Social business will require an emotive sales technique - they want to know you are as excited about their big day as they are. Corporate clients want to see we are efficient, understand their needs and pay attention to detail!

• Push/Pull Technique: The Push technique pushes your product towards your customer, while the Pull technique offers your product off the back of your customer's needs

• DO: Listen actively; engage the customer; seek information; test understanding.

• DON'T: Interrupt the customer; answer our own questions; push products on them; ask overly qualified questions

• The "So What" Factor. Don’t sell the hotel feature, Sell the benefit of what that feature brings to the customer! A feature is what something is, a benefit is what something does.

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Questioning Techniques

Make sure you have the basics about the event. Remember some of this may be in Waves already, it is good to reconfirm however don’t ask the client for information they have already given us .

• Collect qualifying information: Are they considering any other venue? Do they have a budget? If all venues came back with the same price what would be the deciding factor? Have they held this event before - if so, what went well? When do they hope to have a decision and who is making it? Do they hold other events throughout the year?

• Consider their needs: technical; emotional; current and future

• Start with open questions (who, what, where, why, when, how) to get the broad strokes, then use probing questions to gather more details, and finally use closed questions to confirm. This is called "The Funnel Technique".

• Listen actively: Ask clarifying questions, show you are paying attention, paraphrase what they say to confirm understanding

What Sort Of Information?

• Business known to be at other hotels

• Business Parks

• Correspondence Research

• Exhibitions

• Local clubs and associations

• Newspapers/local publications

• Past users

• Presentations

• Previously lost or refused business

• Advertisements for site developments

How Do I Do It?

• Use the arrivals list to highlight new companies using the hotel, research and pass to a nominated team member to approach during the guests stay.

• Use the branded One Minute Questionnaire to target a regular guest identified for further details and a potential corporate rate. This should be qualified by the AGM/GM/BEM as a complimentary drink or similar is offered to the guest on completion of the questionnaire.

• Welcome Desks – hold bi-weekly to network with our guests and drive lead generation

• Discuss business in-house at the morning/afternoon meeting (10 at 10) and agree any tactics to be used to gather better data and seek incremental business.

• Complete weekly research of local papers and follow up potential leads.

• Visit competitor hotels car parks and board/people spot in the lobby

Filling In The Sales Lead Form

• Complete the Lead Heroes - Sales Lead Form with as much information as possible.

• Ensure that the mandatory sections are completed – this may mean an additional call to the potential client to obtain further information. Wherever possible include a copy of the client’s business card for accuracy. (scan)

• Include any history at hotel level e.g. how often is the guest staying with us, what rate are they paying?

• Send the lead by email to salesleads@kewgreen.co.uk

Top Tips!

• Make sure the guest has a great experience! Nobody wants to commit to 100 nights staying somewhere they don't enjoy, no matter how good the deal is.

• Listen attentively to guests. Passing comments they may share about their company or what they're doing in the area can turn into great revenue opportunities in the hands of our experienced commercial team.

• Timing is everything. If someone is clearly stressed or in a hurry, we don't want to put them off by prolonging the check in experience. Give them an efficient check in and win their trust then either follow up later or hand over to someone else to do so at a more appropriate time.

• Don't forget the people you know! If you know of anyone with an upcoming life event, hear of someone getting engaged or know of someone who travels a lot for work, ask their permission to pass their details along!