|
LUXE WORLDWIDE HOTELS
TEN TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL GROUP BUSINESS SALES
These ten tips are offered to assist you in your hotel’s marketing efforts. While many of our Luxe members are experienced in the group sales and marketing areas, there are some that are new to it all. We want our members to know we are here to help. Luxe Marketing Program members already know that our Sales & Marketing team’s expertise opens doors, creates opportunities, and enhances global recognition. We hope this useful list of Ten Tips for Successful Group Business Marketing will be a useful tool for all members.
- Actively participate in the Luxe tradeshow and sales missions agenda.
- Identify your “feeder” market and target it. Target existing clientele and nurture those relationships.
- Get involved with meetings, travel, tourism and hospitality industry organizations.
- Develop FAM Group visits to your property.
- Develop databases for E-mail blasts and continuous press releases.
- Produce Quarterly mailings (hard copy)
- Develop a consistent schedule for sales calls to existing and new clients. Continuously prospect for new business.
- Offer incentives – rewards and perks programs.
- Offer “hot Dates” on website & broadcast emails
- Keep up with “current affairs” in the industry, as well as your local community and utilize opportunities that may benefit the hotel.
1. Actively participate in the Luxe tradeshow and sales missions agenda.
As a member of the Luxe Worldwide family, you will receive valuable opportunities to participate in tradeshows and sales missions on a global basis. Our well-connected staff can open the doors to the top agencies and corporations providing an enviable chance to meet, face-to-face, many of the key people in our industry.
In addition, our busy tradeshow agenda offers member hotels the opportunity to exhibit at the top industry forums at just a fraction of what it would cost on their own.
Each and every tradeshow provides an opportunity to meet new and potential clients.
2. Identify your “feeder” market and target it. Target existing clientele and nurture those relationships.
Every hotel should be examining and evaluating their individual “feeder markets” and do whatever they can to target that market directly. If there is a very specialized feeder market that is already providing business, then the hotel should aggressively be marketing itself to that audience: placing ads in publications, e-mail blasts, cold calling, etc.
Let Luxe know your feeder market information so we can assist you in directing promotions to this group specifically to enhance your own efforts to reach out to them.
3. Get involved with meetings, travel, tourism and hospitality industry organizations.
It is crucial for each hotel to have their sales staff involved with local, regional, and international industry organizations. A hotel should examine and determine its position in the marketplace, then identify the organizations specific to that market. Many of these organizations have local chapters in cities throughout the U.S. and in many other countries.
For instance, ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents- www.astanet.com) is a leading organization in generating travel – leisure and corporate – business. MPI (Meeting Professionals International – www.mpiweb.org) is truly instrumental in generating corporate group business. ISES (International Special Events Society – www.ises.com ) is important for promoting and developing social and corporate event business.
However, just belonging to these groups is not enough…it takes diligence and true involvement in order to build long-lasting relationships. Getting involved in a committee is a great way to start! Also, consider hosting one or more of these groups for a monthly luncheon, or a board of directors’ retreat in order to get the “movers & shakers” to experience all that your property has to offer. Make sure to dazzle your audience!
Other important industry organizations that may have local chapters in your area are:
ASAE – American Society of Association Executives
www.asaenet.org
IAAMC – International Association of Association Management Companies
www.iaamc.org
PRSA – Public Relations Society of America
www.prsa.org
SITE – Society of Incentive and Travel Executives
www.site-intl.org
Consulates for various countries
Tourist offices located in your city
4. Develop FAM Group visits to your property.
Hosting a FAM (Familiarization) group allows a property to showcase all that it offers and what it does best to a brand new audience. Every property should be hosting FAM events on a regular basis. Target a specific group, whether it be travel agents or meeting professionals and invite them for a customized experience at your hotel. If you are able to have a captive audience for an entire weekend (or a few weekdays), be sure to go all out with the best of the best of what you do and offer. We recommend having your favorite DMC (Destination Management Company) involved in order to showcase some of the options available during a stay at your property. Remember that you are selling your hotel as a “destination”.
You might also offer your hotel in consideration as a FAM trip participant for possible FAM trips organized by inbound travel associations such as your city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, State Tourism Department, and local industry organizations. Mini-FAMs can be held with local organizations visiting for a meal or reception.
5. Develop databases for E-mail blasts and continuous press releases.
Continuous e-mail blasts to your identified market is highly recommended. If your database is segmented into different markets, you can do specialized e-blasts focusing on that specific market. Otherwise, a consistent e-blast to your database focusing on what’s new at your property or seasonal packages will always generate interest, repeat business, and potentially new business. You should be sending e-blasts to past clients to keep in touch, as well as new databases of meeting planners, etc.
Also, frequent press releases to trade (or consumer) media regarding new packages, unusual offers, events and new staff developments will generate interest about your property.
Remember to collect business cards from all new contacts, whether they be press, travel professionals, meeting professionals, or associations. Develop a system to have those people added to your database in the appropriate segment.
6. Produce Quarterly mailings (hard copy)
Mailing a “hard copy” flyer, postcard, or brochure to your database regularly is highly recommended to supplement your current emails and other advertising campaigns. Many clients still like receiving mail the “old-fashioned” way. Actual mailers may get passed around an office, thus reaching a potentially larger audience.
7. Develop a consistent schedule for sales calls to existing and new clients. Continuously prospect for new business.
Every salesperson should have a regular and consistent schedule for sales calls. Always be sure to call on your top clients regularly in order to build a friendly rapport and a level of trust. Seeing them face-to-face on a regular basis will build that relationships and will nurture and generate new business.
Also, always ask your top clients if they know of other groups or planners who would be a good fit for your hotel. You need to constantly be in search of new clients in order to supplement your current client base.
Participation in the Luxe sales missions will give you access to new and loyal contacts.
Remember to add those new contacts to the appropriate database, using your internal database system.
8. Offer incentives – rewards and perks programs.
It is recommended that special incentives be offered to attract new business. Consider offering a complimentary welcome reception if a group books at your property before a specified date. You may with to offer additional rewards if a group returns to your property; keep them coming back and make sure they are happy.
Other suggested perks may include one complimentary room for every 30 rooms actualized (or whatever number will work for your hotel), complimentary VIP upgrades or VIP amenities, discounts on food & beverage, a complimentary hospitality room, early check-in or check-out, etc.
Be sure to “listen for clues” when talking to your clients so you can identify which specific incentives will spark their interest.
You may want to develop reward programs for meeting professionals that would encourage return business.
9. Offer “Hot Dates” on website, broadcast emails, co-op ads
Every property should keep a close eye on “soft” periods of business. This will certainly vary for every property. For instance, if business is traditionally slow around specific holidays, you should be offering “Hot Dates’ specials. These can be announced in e-blasts as the identified dates are approaching and promoted in press releases.
Luxe occasionally offers advertising co-ops where clusters of hotels can co-purchase advertising, making it affordable to smaller hotels. Watch for opportunities throughout the year.
10. Keep up with “current affairs” in the industry, as well as your local community and utilize opportunities that may benefit the hotel.
It is important to be aware of current trends in the industry. There are always “hot button” items in the hotel industry and it is important to identify these and be prepared when you are confronted on issues. Keeping up-to-date with technology these days is certainly a challenge to all of us, but it is crucial to stay on the cutting edge in order to keep ahead of all your competition. Do everything possible to set yourself apart as the best.
Also, it is important to keep up with current affairs in your local community. Consider doing a special promotions or package to coincide with an upcoming civic event. See if the local Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering promotions around specific events and be included if possible.
|
|