One of my favorite things is joining my sales team on sales calls.

Mainly because I LOVE to tell our story, share my passion and convince new hotel leaders to give us a shot. It’s tough being a small business, and being the little guy in a sea of larger more established companies. I believe the thing that sets us apart, is our story, our personality, our culture…our upbringing.

I get asked a lot how we got started.  Allow me to share.

We are the classic “boot-strap” small business story. It all started with taking a little leap of faith. I was perfectly comfortable in a fantastic hotel sales director position with a perfect team and wonderful balance. Fortunately, and unfortunately, I have this itch anytime things get comfortable and this fear of becoming complacent. My husband and I needed a change. We were given that opportunity with a career growth for him and a move across the country. With that I decided to go a completely different route. I decided to step outside of the hospitality industry. Guess what…it didn’t last long! A few weeks of complete focus on that endeavor and I got a phone call that changed the path of my life forever. There was a hotel in need of my assistance. I could balance this and do both! I agreed to short contract thinking “great, it’s a way to keep my foot in the door.” That “foot in the door” has since swung doors open all over and started a journey I couldn’t have even imagined. Don’t get me wrong…I was timid in the beginning. There was a time I didn’t even want to admit to people that I had incorporated as a business! I think I’m a pretty confident person for the most part, but boy was I fearful in the beginning.
What got me through those moments of fear was that I got to do what I loved every day! It really is true that if you do what makes your heart sing, great things can happen. Now I lead a team of professionals in doing what we love everyday…making a difference for hotel sales teams whether they are at the property level or corporate. It all started with a task force project that was supposed to be part-time for 60 days and became full-time for several months, and then just snowballed into opportunities all over the country.

Today we are nearly 20 employees strong and growing, we have a headquarters office in my hometown where I am proud to create jobs that are a little outside the typical career scope (we are located in a rural part of the country). We have expanded to assist hotel sales teams in US, Canada and Latin America, and we work with some of the world’s best hotel partners. I am proud of our skillset we bring to hotel sales teams, but mainly I beam with pride over our integrity, the character of our employees and their sheer grit to get the job done the right way whether it is a prospecting campaign, task force, sales blitz logistics or a market analysis project.

Going on sales calls with my team is obviously beneficial because I get to hear first-hand the challenges our partners are faced with, and create programs and messaging that is designed for them. But I have to admit it also forces me to step back and realize how far we’ve come in the past 7 years. As a busy mom and entrepreneur the chance to reflect is rare. Planning, setting strategy and checking off the lists take priority.
As a sales leader…isn’t it great to join your sales team on appointments? Embrace those opportunities as a chance to share the story, your team’s passion, and your love for what you all do. I truly believe it can set a business apart from the rest. Let’s face it, hotels can certainly use any way possible to differentiate. You don’t have to be a small business owner. Inviting your sales leader, or joining an appointment as a sales leader is sometimes overlooked, but it’s a powerful tool. Go forth and tell your story with passion!