In 2015 I want to challenge our hotel partners and members of our community of high achieving hotel sales teams to be PROACTIVE, CONSISTENT, and FOCUSED.

Most hotels are coming off of a long process of building a budget. Some are still not approved, but most sales teams are starting fresh right now in the new fiscal year with new goals and a fresh view to make an impact on revenue.  With this renewed focus and excitement around the possibilities and opportunities 2015 will bring, it’s vital that we pay attention to the pitfalls of what happens to many hotel sales teams throughout the year that throw them off course.

These are the top 3 mistakes hotel sales teams make that will impact the ability to generate more revenue and win this year:

1. Waiting too long to activate plans. I hear many excuses as to why a team can’t get started with a major sales effort in January. Budget not approved, just coming off of holiday break and the team is playing catch-up, conferences and travel to conferences are eating up time, it’s too cold, clients aren’t willing to meet…and the list goes on and on! Let’s break down these top few excuses and get real with it:

• No approved budget: A budget should be built or at least the proposal is in place and we have a very strong idea of what will be accepted and approved for expenses. Even if it is not approved at this point, that should never hold a sales team back from making active sales a priority. There is no excuse to get started in January with the very basics of proactive sales (prospecting, networking, sales blitzes, site tours, outside sales appointments). Be bold in your actions and place a sense of urgency on the matter of building revenue through what I like to call “grass roots” efforts. At this point, there doesn’t need to be high costs involved in proactive sales. Your sales team is most likely one of the highest expenses for the department, so activate them and ensure they are playing big and making an impact on revenue.

• Playing catch-up: My office shuts down from Christmas to New Years. We make it a habit to tie up all loose ends before we leave for the holiday, and we have a plan for client interaction while the office is closed so that upon return we are not inundated with catch-up and busy work. There are simple processes to implement even in a hotel environment that stays open throughout the holiday. Catch-up should take one day maximum and should not hinder proactive sales efforts.  It really comes down to prioritizing sales activity.

• Busy with travel: Travel is part of business today. With technology in place and discipline sales can be done from anywhere at any time. Travel should never be an excuse for slowing up sales efforts. I actually get more done when I’m on the road than when I’m in the office simply because there is far less distraction.

• Weather & client availability: I think we can all realize how silly these are as we read them in black and white. Think of it this way….your competition is most likely NOT out there in the cold. You have a leg up. Our office has statistical proof that clients are just fine meeting in January. Don’t let one or two no’s set you back in this regard. Urgency in sales in January sets the tone for the year.

2. Inconsistent efforts. Going back to the first point…activating a consistent plan for prospecting is vital. I see far too many hotels going through peak and valley efforts with sales prospecting that hurts them. Prospecting does not create demand for low season business. However, consistent prospecting keeps a full and vibrant pipeline that gives the best opportunity to close business. It gets the hotel in front of decision-makers before the competition, it uncovers opportunities before the meeting planners start to source their needs and allows the team to build trust and credibility. Waiting until 4th quarter to put a focus on prospecting for 1st quarter is just not a sound strategy. Prospecting should happen year-round for year-round business, because there is no magic switch that will create the need for prospects.
3. Fuzzy, unclear or non-existent strategy. This may be the extreme, but even some of the most established properties I’ve worked with over the past years have at some point had a challenge with keeping their eye on the target. We live in an era of endless opportunity. I know even in my own business it can become overwhelming. As the year goes on if I don’t keep myself in check I can get in “bass mode” and start chasing the next shiny object that floats by. I encourage all of my hotel partners to identify their key target audiences, set a strategy and give laser focus to executing that strategy. Now, that doesn’t mean the strategy can’t change. My husband and I have a saying in our business, “write the plan, execute the plan, revise the plan.” Things do change, and it’s important to be flexible. However, you won’t know when you should revise the plan unless you’ve given total focus to the execution of your current plan. Put benchmarks and metrics in place to measure the plan you are working, so that you clearly know if a revision is in order or if the opportunity you want to chase is just a distraction. Be bold in executing the plan and revising the plan. It takes time to bend the trend, because in this day and age there is no magic switch.

I am a firm believer that any hotel sales team can overcome these pitfalls whether they ring true for you in the past or not. Identifying the pitfalls makes us aware. Being aware allows us to ensure we put measures in place to avoid, and of course then we can focus on the positive aspects of winning in this very competitive environment. PROACTIVE, CONSISTENT AND FOCUSED sales efforts. It really IS that simple.

Best of luck to you all in 2015, and please reach out if I can serve you in any way this year. I am positively expecting great things for you in 2015!!!