The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the hospitality industry particularly hard. Thankfully, with COVID-19 vaccine rollout in full swing, the malaise that engulfed the hospitality industry is being replaced with hope for recovery. (https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations) For instance, leisure demand in the fall of last year exceeded what industry experts had projected. While the spike of COVID-19 cases has diminished some of the optimism, the outlook is still largely positive, especially for hotels that invest in their sales teams.
Here’s some more information about the importance of hotel sales team investing during COVID-19.
Hotel Sales Team Investing to Encourage Growth
If, like most hotels, you now have to make do with a leaner team and fewer tools, your sales team may not be adequately equipped to tap into projected rise in demand. Therefore, you should start investing in the hotel sales team to capture some of the demand. This means, having the right people contacting the right prospects at an ideal time and with a precisely targeted message.
In the pre-COVID market, clients would send you their RFPs. Now, however, your sales team will have to use their own sales strategies to get clients in an incredibly competitive landscape. This means your team will have to be agile, clever, and creative in how they find business. You’ll need brilliant sales people who can hunt, convince, service, and retain clients. Besides, your hotels sales marketing team should be able to traverse various market segments.
For your sales people to succeed, you’ll need to provide them with the right tools. The hospitality business has radically changed, and the buying behaviors of clients will likely shift in step with the rapid changes in their business environment. Your team should have the tools that will enable them to track and respond those shifts in real-time.
Relationships are Vital
When it comes to business travel, domestic and regional travel will likely be the first to rebound. However, rather than the usual RFPs, event planners will likely reach out first to the sales representatives with whom they have an established relationship. Therefore, before the demand skyrockets, you sales team should start cultivating robust relationships in the local business community.
Manage a Smaller Booking Window
While many businesses have adopted a remote-work model, many others are now organizing in-person events and meetings. Because of the intense pre-event planning that’s now needed, the booking window will likely be more compressed, which means you should be ready to serve your clients needs just-in-time. You should, therefore, provide your sales team with tools that allow them to communicate with clients seamlessly.
Expand the Scope Relationships
Your sales people will need to consider the entire span of the clients’ needs. They need expertly address those needs so that they can get as much business from them as possible, according to EHL Insights.
All these market changes mean that your hotel sales team will need tools that will help them identify data trends, communicate seamlessly, organize tasks, intuitively organize tasks, and streamline workflows. To learn more, join the California Lodging Investment Conference today.
