So You Want To Go Into Hotel Sales

The Salesperson

Appearance Alert, Motivated, Confident (not cocky), Hair, Nails, Shirt Ironed, Suit Pressed, and Shoes Shined. Suit proper size, shirts proper size. Jewelry simple, not gaudy! Personality Friendly, talkative, assertive (not passive or aggressive, trustworthy, responsible, punctual.

Dress (Men) Type of Suit a) Single Breasted b) Double Breasted

Colors (Navy Blue, Black, Charcoal Grey) Ties Not too flashy. Do not wear loud design ties with cartoons printed on them. Shirts Button Down, Pinpoint Collar with either barrel cuffs, or French cuff sleeves. Preferred colors, white, light blue. Socks Wear dark colored socks Shoes Lace, Slip-ons. Shoes must be polished. Depending on your financial situation try to own several pairs of dress shoes; if possible in Black, Brown Burgundy. Belt Please be aware that your belt color should match the color of your shoes. Jewelry Watch, ring. Try to refrain from wearing several rings on you ringers. Under no circumstances shall a man wear earings.

Dress (Women) A womans approach is the same as that for men. Below is a list of a basic wardrobe for almost any woman: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) Three piece suit: Jacket, Trousers and an interchangeable skirt. Suggested colors are Navy Blue, Black, Charcoal, Grey. Different suit styles are single and double breasted. White or cream colored blouse. Sweater sweat. Status silky scarf. Standard size 34 inches. Microfiber all weather coat. Good quality handbag. Pair of 11/2 heel black leather pumps. Pair of good quality loafer style shoes. Tights and/or stockings. Umbrella

In addition, there are certain rules to consider: a) Keep it understated. Allowing your clothes to speak without shouting. b) Represent your company Whenever you interact with people from the outside your clothes reflect on our company or organization. c) Keep it neat and clean A blouse with a ripped seam, or pants with a grease stain should remain in the closet until they are cleaned.
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d)

Do not reveal too much Clothes that are to revealing are unacceptable in any workplace. Low cut blouses, see through fabrics, tight pants give off a sexual message. A smart dresser knows what the key look is for you to come across as authoritative, highly competent, and as if she knows what she is doing and can be relied on. e) Dress for the time of the day - Going to work in clothes that appear more suitable for the evening is bad judgment. f) Dont be a fashion victim Do not let what is hot or trendy be your guide, because the clothes may not be appropriate.

Dress for Success! Look successful in sales, even if you are starting out. It gives off the impression that you are successful at what you do.

Energy Do not come across as low energy, or very high energy. You can inadvertently turn people off. Get the required necessary rest. Try never to meet with a potential customer, especially after having been out all night.

Motivation Always be up or positive. Listen to your favorite Pep-up music in the morning, or while driving to meet with the client.

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Organized Personal Organizer PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) Outlook

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Communication Skills Good Communication skills are a necessity Speak Clearly Control Conversation Speed Speak with Confidence and Authority Listen and Observe Ask questions Give complete explanations

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Communication Skills
Good Communication skills are a necessity Speak Clearly Control Conversation Speed Speak with Confidence and Authority Listen and Observe Ask questions Give complete explanations

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Listening Skills Listen to the client. Do not interrupt Look attentive Do not look un-interested

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Handling Rejection At some point in our lives we are going to experience rejection. Definitely, in sales you are guaranteed to have them. The key is to never to doubt your ability, never take a NO in a personal manner. It is natural to question your skills and abilities; or to even question your method of presentation. However, if a potential client sayss NO. Thats it! Move on to the next one forget, about feeling bad for yourself, because if you do not you are going to drag along those ill feelings on to the next potential client.

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Body Language Maintain eye contact. Sit upright. Do not slouch. Be aware of idiosyncrasies such as muscle twitching, humming, playing with hands, fingers, tapping feet. Walk straight with your head up-not looking at the ground.

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Follow-up Skills Use a Daily Planner. There are several manufacturers of planners, Day Timers, Franklin Covet, Day Runner. Planners come in various sizes from pocket size to desk size. Additionally they come in different formats. PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) These tend to be popular mini computers. Some also double as cell phones. PDAs enable the user to not only serve as a calendar, but also enable the user to maintain and update their contact telephone numbers, Keep track of

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Follow-up Skills To Do Lists, Receive e-mail, have Internet capability. Some come equipped with software applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, which are powerful software business applications. One of the advantages of using a PDA is that allows the user to synchronize his PDA with his computer system and vice a versa. Outlook Is a powerful software application owned by Microsoft Software. It allows users to keep track of their schedules and appointments, maintain an update their telephone contact list, and keep To Do Lists.

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Professional Behavior Be cognizant of your mannerisms Shake hands. Be watchful of your language. Dont even think about using slang or foul language, or you will never close a sale.

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Call Reports Act 2000, Act 5 Prepare Call Reports during and after the meeting. Document items, prices, services discussed. Call Reports become part of a clients folder. They are extremely valuable especially when a Sales Representative is away from the office, and a client calls asking questions. The person now handling the call is able to get the clients folder review the Call Report(s) and be able to assist the client.

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Contracts- Attention To Details When preparing working contract to be finalized, proofread it for proper punctuation and grammatical errors. You must insure that everything that was promised to the client is clearly indicated on the contract.

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Tenacious/Persistent Sales people should be built of the fabric that does not give up easily. They must develop a strategy and employ the necessary skills and tactics in an attempt to make a sale. In doing so they must exercise common sense. After exhausting all possibilities then they must know when to walk away, and put their energies on the next potential client.

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Meeting With Prospective Client

Preparing Yourself Mentally (Psychologically to meet with the client) Practice your present the night before. Do this a couple of times without overdoing it. Watch the news or your favorite television program, listen to your favorite music. Most importantly make sure you get plenty of rest.

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Meeting With Prospective Client

Presentation Skills (Benefits and Features) Be able to differentiate between Benefits and Features. Sometimes individuals get in the habit of confusing one with the other. The easiest way of attempting to explain the differences would be: Benefits How the individual, or company benefits from the purchase of the item or service. Features On the other hand, are the features that directly reflect the actual product or service.
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Meeting With Prospective Client

Handling Objections If a client throws an obstacle at you. Now what do you do? Prior to meeting with a client you should identify and prepare for certain key obstacles, and be prepared how to respond to them.

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Meeting With Prospective Client

Negotiations Sometimes business is black and white. However, in most cases individuals will negotiate back and forth. This back and forth tends to be what I call the grey area. This is the battleground where individuals will go back and forth to determine a common ground before closing the deal. If both individuals achieve common ground then they should be pleased, because they both feel they got something back in return.
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Meeting With Prospective Client

Offer Suggestions If the client is undecided the salesperson should offer suggestions to guide things along the way. Not offering a suggestion could mean the difference between getting the sale and not getting the sale. Closing the Deal Simply put, it means going into contract. Preparing the contract and having it signed. Or as I sometimes put it, Putting the ink onto the paper and letting it dry.
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The Soft or Hard Sell

Sales people need to be able to read the person they are selling to. They must exercise sound judgment and common sense. By trying to aggressively sell to the client you may possibly lose that clients interest. Maybe they are not ready to purchase, or are just thinking before making decision.

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The Soft or Hard Sell Others sales people may begin with a Soft Sell Process. Meaning indirectly letting that potential client know you exist and that you sell a particular type of product(s). You maintain a relationship with the client. However, not in a pushy or aggressive nature.
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Asking The Right Questions. Qualifying the Prospective Client.

Name, Title of Person, Company, Address, City, State, Postal Code, Telephone, Fax, E-mail Address? What are you looking for? What is your budget? What is the decision making process? Who is the decision maker? Who are your competitors? What have been your past practices? What will it take to close the sale? Are you shopping around?

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Asking The Right Questions. Qualifying the Prospective Client.

What are you looking for when shopping around? Do you own other companies? If so, where are they located? Who would the contact be there? Do you have other locations? If so, where are they located? When qualifying an individual it becomes important to ask the right questions, and to attempt to obtain as much information as possible, without being a nuisance.

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Office Environment
Filing System Is the filing system in the office well organized and updated on a daily basis. Does your office have numerical or alphabetic filing system? Do you have a Trace System in place. A trace system is a system devised to inform you when it is time to follow-up on clients. Some individuals today continue using the old system using index cards; others are using PDAs, Outlook, or ACT Software.

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Office Environment
Database How do you track our clients information? Where is the information stored? Excel, Access, ACT, or other type of database. Is the data being stored secured? Organized Is the office organized? Files should be easily located. When files are ready to be refiled are they stacked on a shelf or the top of a file cabinet for days at a time? Are they filed on a daily basis?
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Office Environment
Professional Environment Does the office exuberate a professional atmosphere? Is the atmosphere in the office loud? Does the staff use foul language? What about the overall appearance and behavior of the staff? Are the telephones answered promptly, with attention being paid to their communication skills?

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Office Environment
Contracts Contracts should be professionally typed written, and proofread for spelling, grammatical and spacing errors. After the contracts and letters are typed and proofread by your assistant, you should also take it upon yourself to review the letter and/or contract once more to insure perfection. One letter or contract mailed with errors quickly questions your offices sense of professionalism, and causes you to instantly lose credibility among your clients.
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Office Environment
Computers (Hardware) Computer Hardware Systems are comprised of the following: CPU (Central Processing Unit), Monitor, Keyboard, and Mouse. You will also require a printer. The printer maybe a DeskJet, Inkjet, or Laser. Todays computer systems are also able to handle a multitude of multi-media formats. They are also equipped with CD ROMs, CD-RW (meaning Read-Write), and Speakers. You should insure that your office is using equipment that is somewhat reasonable in comparison with todays technology. You do not want to be using an antiquated system otherwise you might find yourself confined as to what you can do, and what you cannot do with your current system.
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Office Environment
Software These are the various software applications that are used in the completion of work. For example, for typing letters and business documents you would use a word processing program. One of the most popular programs available in the market today is Microsoft Word. Another program also available is Corels WordPerfect. Both programs have similar capabilities. Which one you use depends on your office.

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Office Environment
Trace System Earlier I mentioned what type of Trace System is in place? ACT, Outlook, Index Card System? Who is responsible for making sure the Sales Person gets the files to be traced for follow-up? This system is so important.

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Office Environment
Call Reports When a salesperson meets with someone, or has a conversation on the telephone. Now what? Does he/she store the information in their head? Or do they document the meeting or conversation using a call report, which is then placed in the clients folder. Are the Call Reports generated on printed call report forms; with copies of all Call Reports and Call Report Cover Sheets presented to the Sales Manager or Director of Sales. For those not to familiar with a Call Report Coversheet, it encompasses sales and revenues for the week, any potentials for new business, any lost business, matching your forecasted actual sales to your forecasted budgeted sales.

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Office Environment
Strategic Action Plans This is a plan developed by the salesperson, which indicates an individuals strategy for obtaining new business, and the tactics to be implemented to achieve the desired results. How often are these plans created? Are the tasks achieved? How often are the plans evaluated? How often are they revised?
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Office Environment Sales Forecasting The ability to foresee how much revenue you expect to generate, for example in one week, three months, six months, one year from now.

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The Psychology of Selling

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Building Trust
Make sure you understand your customer Tell stories Say something negative Tell stories Say something negative Be vulnerable first Be consistent over time
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Building Trust
Offer Proof Sell Reality Establish a common ground Dont overdress Call when there is no sale to be made Dont be afraid to say, I dont know, but Ill find out. It is sometimes what you do, not what you say
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Building Relationships
Sell from the inside out Develop business empathy Practice The Art of Connecting Understanding begins with preparation You need to develop an understanding of how client want to be sold? a) Some clients like to be sold and others like to buy. b) Some clients are best sold through a logical approach; some need an emotional approach.
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Building Relationships
Some clients buy through people and some buy through specs. Put relationships before transactions Put logic first, then emotion Earn their respect first, and then add enthusiasm Friendship at last
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c)

Share A Vision
Construct A Vision Story Ask if you client is preparing for the future, and if so, how? Start with the commonplace, and then move to the future. Talk about their business, not your products. Understand their business today before you predict tomorrow. Address how they can protect current investments. Focus on meaningful change. Make the Vision Story Stick.
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Sharing And Building Knowledge

Use homegrown information to build customer knowledge. View every transaction as a learning experience. Ask yourself, How sophisticated is my client about information? Target a knowledge area and learn it. a) Offer a perspective of your average customer b) Spot trends c) Help customers understand your category better. d) Spot success patterns.
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Package Information For Learning

Simplify Use Picture Words Make Information Visual. Get clients in the habit of learning.

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Sell Value
Help your client see your product(s)/services in a new and exciting way. a) Customers get excited about products/services for their own reasons, not yours. b) Customers get enthusiastic about products/services for what they can do, not or what they are. c) Build excitement by helping customers see your products/services in a new way.

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Sell Value
d) e) f) Translate value into the customers environment. Educate customers about quality. Be prepare to sell your total product/service.

g) Get out of your mind and into theirs. h) Look beyond immediate needs.
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Networking
a) b) c) d) e) Target a customers networked friends. Sponsor a networking event. Identify the network you want to penetrate. Target your networking activity carefully. Act the part (Fit in learn their language, understand their problems, find ways to fit in.)

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Networking
f) Dont expect an immediate return. g) Be prepared to think long term. h) Ask yourself what you can do for other people. i) Position yourself, so clients will think of you. j) Identify other networks k) Network through referrals.
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Developing Your Own Style

As a salesperson you need to ask yourself a very serious question. I say serious because sales is your livelihood. It is your livelihood because that is how you earn your living. You need to ask yourself, Do I like my selling style, or do I like someone elses style? We are all individuals with different personalities and character traits. Attempting to sell or be like someone else could be an erroneous judgment on your part. Everything that I have written about or exhibited in this presentation, or others are merely tools for you to identify, digest and use. You may not use all of them; sometimes you will only use some of the and that is all right. The key is to develop your own style. If in the future your style is not working for you, you may need to evaluate yourself, and see what you can change in order to self improve.
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