Sales Blitz Follow-Up – It’s Like Doing the Laundry After a Great Vacation.

So many hotel sales teams are spending a large amount of time and putting major resources towards sales blitzes or major call campaigns. It’s encouraging to see that leadership is supportive of these backyard and feeder market sales efforts. It’s not easy. We know. We live and breathe this stuff.  That’s why you’ll see us chatting about hotel sales blitzes A LOT!

If only there was as much time, energy, and resources devoted to the follow-up after these major events. We could all walk away from these still exhausted, yet knowing that our efforts are worth it by showing a true ROI. Afterall, isn’t that why we put in all of the resources and effort? It’s similar to planning and executing a great vacation. There is so much excitement and planning leading up to it and during, but then who wants to come home to the boat loads of laundry, piled up bills and things that were put off prior to the vacation? I don’t know many hotel sales managers who would compare a sales blitz to a vacation, but planning and preparation are still key for both.

Just a few simple tips that can ensure the follow-up happens and you’re not sitting on top of a pile of unfinished business/dirty laundry.

1. Pre-plan. I like to have a clean laundry hamper before the vacation, so I only have to do the laundry from my suitcase when I get home. You can do the same thing by cleaning up your current pipeline, make those calls you need to make, finish those reports, etc.

OK, so I’m not creative enough to come up with analogies to laundry on all of the these, but here’s a check-list with some good tips none-the-less:

2. Be specific on the follow-up assignments. A form for keeping notes from each sales appointment is critical. Although, if they aren’t filled out completely and properly it’s just a worthless piece of paper. We often see those sales blitz forms come back with very vague info on “who should follow-up” and “how does client want to be contacted” and “when does client want to be contacted”. Get specific, and hold people accountable.

3. Create a tracking and follow-up contest. Reward the real results not just the potential.

4. Assign a Follow-Up Champion. This person should be a cheerleader that can hold everyone accountable. They should share in the rewards somehow for the business that is booked, report on that booked business and encourage teammates to keep on keepin’ on.

5. Carry on the theme of the sales blitz into the follow-up. I once led a sales blitz that had a “renewal” theme. Teams handed out small gift bags with spa amenities during their visits, they shared renovation information about the hotel and then during the follow-up calls they offered discounted spa services to anyone that booked a meeting in-the-year-for-the-year. It resulted in about $30,000 worth of incremental business. The key was giving something additional for the sales managers to use in their follow-up calls. They didn’t offer the spa discount during the actual blitz event…they offered to the accounts that they followed up with that they knew had business potential. It kept things fresh, relevant and timely.

6. Lastly, be vigilant about protecting sales time for follow-up and set strict deadlines to make it happen. My husband and I both travel a lot, and we have a rule in our household that the suitcase has to be cleaned out and put away within 24 hours of returning home. If not, we are the type of people who would get sidetracked and we’d live out of our suitcases even at home!

Do you have a success story with how your sales team has organized the follow-up from a sales blitz? If so, please share!