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Successful hospitality salespeople develop and maintain an inventory of prospects for their hospitality products. These prospects can be current customers, former customers, or individuals who have never done business with the hospitality organization. Prospects can also be organizations or accounts...

Successful hospitality salespeople develop and maintain an inventory of prospects for their hospitality products. These prospects can be current customers, former customers, or individuals who have never done business with the hospitality organization. Prospects can also be organizations or accounts. The process of identifying prospective customers is known as prospecting. Prospecting is an important part of the hospitality sales process, for without potential customers (prospects) the salesperson cannot bring new business, or repeat business, to the hospitality organization. Believing that current customers will provide adequate repeat business is a very weak assumption by the hospitality salesperson. Prospective and current customers may have needs that change, find the competition to be more attractive, and become more sensitive to price. With changing market conditions repeat customers may purchase less. Customers who are dissatisfied may also leave, causing the need for new business. There are many reasons why potential customers avoid speaking with hospitality salespeople. These include 1\) A lack of need because they don't plan events or don't require hospitality services; 2\) The timing is off because they have already planned an event with another hospitality organization; 3\) Prior experience with the organization the hospitality salesperson represents was not positive; 4\) The prospect does not perceive the value of the salesperson's product or service; and 5\) The prospect is not familiar with the hospitality organization that the salesperson represents. Many customers have only a one-time need, such as weddings or anniversaries Customers change rotation patterns Competition takes clients away Companies go out of business Individual clients leave (promotions, etc.) Client dissatisfaction It is important to bear in mind that prospecting does not lead to immediate sales; the hospitality salesperson must develop a relationship (gain access) before the prospect becomes a customer of the hospitality organization. As a result, hospitality salespeople must be constantly prospecting to increase sales and replace sales lost. Although it is one of the most important functions of a hospitality salesperson, prospecting is rarely afforded the amount of time necessary to achieve success. Most importantly, salespeople have a fear that they will be rejected by prospects. This fear of rejection comes from a need for approval; at the first sign of "no interest" the salesperson gives up, rather than showing persistence. In most cases, it takes between ten and twelve contacts with a prospect before they become a customer!New salespeople must remember that they should be spending seventy percent of their time seeking out new customers, and twenty-five percent of their time learning about the hospitality establishment they represent, the products and services they offer, and the market environment in which they find themselves. Therefore, if it takes ten or more strategically planned communications with a prospect, no wonder so much time should be spent on prospecting. In fact, many sales professionals suggest that the tenth sales contact with a prospect should be treated the same as the first; the result is that this "need for approval" emotion will subside. It is also important to remember that less than twenty-five percent of the leads that hospitality salespeople identify will become customers. There-fore, it is important for the hospitality salesperson to stay positive. The goal of the "hospitable salesperson" is to generate sales by developing new clients. Therefore, identifying prospective clients is paramount to long-term success in hospitality sales.The first step in prospecting is to generate potential prospects for the hospitality organization. This is the broad market of companies or individuals who have a need for the hospitality product or establishment. As we mentioned in Chapter Six, there are many different markets which the Prospecting is about business, and nothing personal Block out time to regularly prospect with no distractions Set achievable goals Learn as much about the prospect as possible Have bullet points ready that can be used when leaving a voice message or when at a loss for words. Stay positive Hospitality sales professional could seek out. Each of these markets hasIdentify qualified prospectsProspect to generate sales leadsRank prospects for potential Access. Tips for Gaining Access to ProspectsDifferent needs, and it is important for the hospitality sales professional to understand what needs of the prospective customer can be best satisfied by what the hospitality product or operation has to offer. Some unique prospecting opportunities for an existing business are things like: Reviewing current files for repeat business opportunities Business that was lost to competitors in the past Business that was turned away because of high occupancy or low capacityEffective hospitality sales professionals evaluate the leads that they possess to determine which prospects are most likely to buy from the hospitality organization. As mentioned earlier, the evaluation of prospects is what is known as qualification. Qualifying a prospect involves considering three elements: Does the prospect have a need for the hospitality product or service? Does the prospect have the budget or financial ability to purchase the hospitality product or service? Does the prospect have the authority or decision-making power to make the purchase decision?Hospitality sales managers manage their time and sales efforts based on the answers to the questions above. Hospitality sales professionals who take the time to qualify their prospects on these three elements have a greater likelihood of success. Once the hospitality sales professional has addressed these elements with each prospect, a profile can be developed that ranks each prospect for the potential of a successful or bountiful sales relationship. Typically, these can be grouped into a sales prospects, B sales prospects, and C sales prospects. As one can see, hospitality sales managers should spend more of their time on A sales prospects than on C sales prospects. ***SIX OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS THAT WILL PRODUCE INSIGHTS WHEN CONDUCTING CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS***1. What do you think of this product?This question is intentionally vague. While the question seems deceptively simple, it's what you're listening for that matters. The hospitality sales professional should listen to whether the customer talks about wanting to use the product or how it could be improved. Given how vague the question is, the former is positive, while the latter may be a sign that improvement is needed. Because it's so general, it's a good place to start.2. What is the single thing I can do to make things better for you?This question is asked as a way to learn, rather than to preach the views of the hospitality sales professional.3. What should we discontinue doing?As a hospitality sales professional, you are in the business of creating and improving. Some-times, subtracting beats adding. Ask yourself, your customers, and your allies this question frequently to remain focused on core competencies. If you can't figure out what you should discontinue doing, it might be an early warning sign that you don't know what your strategy is.4. Can you give me an example?If you have an opportunity to drill down into the specifics of a concern, do it. These answers will give the hospitality sales professional hard evidence when they need to support or reject a feature idea.5. Why? or Why not?Asking "why" repeatedly might remind the hospitality sales professional of a small child's game, but it's often the way to get down into heart of a particular challenge6. What bothers you the most about this product?The sales professional should ask this question to understand the "pain points" of the customer. This is a good question to pair with a few "whys" --- some customers may be hesitant to really share their frustrations, but don't let them off the hook. After asking and getting an answer to this question, the sales professional should end up really under-standing what gives the customer grief. **Sources of Prospects**There are many different sources and means by which prospecting can occur. A great hospitality salesperson has many methods by which he or she cans ac-quire prospective customers for the hospitality organization.There are several different prospecting methods that can be used to identify potential hospitality customers. These include cold calling, referrals, and introductions through networking, and prospects from non-competing salespeople, company databases, and public sources such as the internet. Cold calling (making telephone calls to prospects without prior arrangement) is one of the most inefficient and most difficult methods used for collecting prospects. Because rejection comes so easily from cold calling, most salespeople are less likely to use this method than other methods. A popular form of cold calling used by hospitality sales professionals is what's known as a sales blitz. The sales blitz technique is less intimidating, because the salespeople drop off promotional materials when visiting office buildings targeted in advance. If hospitality salespeople have referrals that they can use during cold calling, the likelihood of success is increased. A referral is a sales lead that is collected from current customers. The most valuable referrals are those where the salesperson can use the name of the of the customer who provided the referral or is personally introduced by the referring person. Hospitality sales-people use various types of networking methods for prospecting. One of the most common methods used by hospitality professionals is to join civic and professional organizations, clubs, or fraternal organizations. These member-ships offer the opportunity for hospitality salespeople to build relationships with other members who may then offer up business leads or business opportunities for the hospitality sales organization. When salespeople from destination marketing organizations (DMOs), also called convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), offer sales prospects to hotel salespeople, this is an example of sales leads from non-competing sales professionals. Company databases, such as Hoover's, provide a large list of potential prospects. The challenge with company databases, however, is that specific names of individuals who purchase hospitality products and services are not usually listed. Trade shows can be an excellent source of prospecting, because the prospects that are collected are pre-qualified based on their interests. In a typical trade show, prospects stop by vendor booths at random, and they may or may not be the person with purchasing authority. A newer form of trade show developed by the IMEX group out of the United Kingdom is the hosted buyer. Here, the potential buyer or prospect pre-registers for the trade show and provides documentation that they are qualified to make purchase decisions. In return they are "hosted" by the trade show and receive reimbursement of airfare and hotel costs. In return, the prospect agrees, in advance, to participate in scheduled meetings with vendors who have products that can meet their wants and needs. Even though a hosted buyer trade show is more expensive for the vendors, they like it better than traditional trade shows because they know that they will be meeting with qualified buyers. IMEX America, which is held in Las Vegas, and IMEX Frankfurt each attract over 10,000 meeting and event professionals. Hospitality salespeople also visit their competition to view what businesses are holding meetings and events at their competitors' hotels; they can use this reconnaissance to identify businesses that they may be able to attract to their own hospitality organization.A hospitality salesperson's plan for prospecting to gain access requires four elements: 1\) Time management 2\) Recordkeeping 3\) Confidence 4\) Monitoring Contact targets must be at the center of the prospecting plan developed by the hospitality salesperson. These contact targets can be defined as the number of new prospects acquired over a period. By keeping good re-cords, the salesperson is not only monitoring performance, but also identifying areas of success, which helps to develop confidence. As we spoke of in the last chapter, confidence is also acquired when the hospitality salesperson has thorough knowledge of the hospitality organization's products and services. By having this knowledge and setting targets for acquiring new prospects, the hospitality salesperson becomes an integral part of the sales success of the hospitality organization **Collecting Information during Prospecting for Access** Regardless of the techniques used for contacting prospects, there are many pieces of information that the salesperson should collect prior to and during the contact with the prospect. Information that can be collected by sources prior to contact with the prospect include: the type of business (or association), public statistics about the business (or association), the health of the business (or association), and the industry it is in (or represents). Other in-formation about the prospect's business such as mission, vision for the future, competition, and position within the marketplace help the hospitality salesperson to understand the prospect's challenges and speak in an intelligent fashion about the company. By doing so, the salesperson creates an atmosphere that aids in developing a business relationship. Much information can be collected when meeting with the prospect. The smart hospitality salesperson ensures that he or she has the correct spelling and pronunciation of the prospect's name by checking with the administrative assistant or receptionist prior to meeting the prospect. Information that salespeople should collect during the meeting with the prospect include details related to the prospect's title, tenure, and responsibilities within their organization. Other information that salespeople can collect includes: 1\) Has the prospect worked with the hospitality organization before? 2\) Does the prospect have a favorable opinion of the hospitality organization? 3\) How frequently does the prospect use a hospitality organization? As the reader may notice, all the questions described so far are related to the business or association to which the prospect belongs.In order to establish a relationship with the prospect beyond business, the hospitality salesperson can use three conversational strategies that allow the prospect to talk about themselves. First, the salesperson can bring up points of interest (hobbies, affiliations, etc.). For example, if the sales-person is meeting the prospect in their office, observing something like a diploma from a university would give the salesperson something to talk about, especially if both of them graduated from the same university. An-other example might be the salesperson who says, "I notice from your office that you seem to very involved in aviation. Can you tell me a little more about it?" Another conversational strategy that can uncover information is to make observations about current events. Sports scores, local news, or weather events can be a means by which the salesperson gets to know the prospect's communication style. Finally, complimenting the prospect, with specifics of why you are doing so (so that you ARE genuine), can be a another means by which to develop a business relationship with the prospect, and ultimately make the sale.Planning for the initial contact with a prospect means that the hospitality salesperson must develop skills for establishing a relationship with the prospect. When speaking to a customer for the first time it is important to get their permission to ask questions and take notes, so that the salesperson has all the information he or he needs. These guidelines may seem very simple and sound formal, but when you are communicating with a potential client for the first time it communicates respect. When we are talking about sales access it is assumed that the salesperson is sitting face-to-face with the individual. What the salesperson ultimately is trying to do in the first sales communication is to collect information that will help with future elements of the sales process. Clearly, the more familiar the hospitality salesperson is with the prospect, the more likely it is that a relationship will be built, and thus that a sale can be made. **Meeting the Prospect Face to Face**When calling on prospects, the hospitality salesperson must make a strong first impression. Demonstrating expertise, giving the prospect full attention, and smiling upon meeting them all help to provide a solid first impression. Hospitality salespeople know that having a positive attitude with a voice that conveys enthusiasm comes across to prospects favorably. A professional appearance through appropriate grooming and dress demonstrate respect for the prospect and communicate that the salesperson is someone who can be trusted. Little things related to the salesperson's etiquette can help indeveloping rapport with the customer. How do you shake hands? The V of the thumb and index finger of the salesperson meets the V of the thumb and index finger of the prospect. The salesperson looks the prospect in the eye, and they shake hands for no more than two seconds. Handshakes should neither be "limp fish" nor "death grips." If they are wearing a nametag, the salesperson should make sure it is easy to read and placed on the rightPresentation of a business card during a sales call Behaviors Undertaken by Hospitality Salespeople that Make a Good First ImpressionSide of the chest. When shaking hands, it's natural to look to the right. Etiquette dictates the use of Mr. or Ms. with the last name. If the prospect says, "That's OK, please call me by my first name," that's fine. Hospitable salespeople always want to be at the highest level of etiquette, technique, and formality. If you don't know how formal an organization or event is, it is safer to err on the side of formality; you can always adjust your attire to be more casual at the next contact. It is important that the salesperson not come across as cocky or brash. Making eye contact indicates interest and openness; raising the eye-brows slightly in an acknowledgement of the other person reinforces your openness to meeting them. While it may seem cliché, asking if the timing is right for the meeting demonstrates respect for the prospect's time. On the other hand, an effective hospitality salesperson never apologizes for taking a prospect's time; ideally the meeting will be mutually beneficial. Demonstrate Positive Energy Seek Common Interests Matching and Mirroring Compliments and Praise Etiquette Small Acts of Kindness Matching and mirroring is a technique that people use to relate or resonate with the individual. Matching and mirroring is speaking to people in a body language that mirrors what they're doing. If the client is sitting doing a gesture, such as holding the thumb and fore-finger on their chin, and the salesperson does a similar kind of gesture. The salesperson must be careful that the behavior is not so blatantly obvious that the client is distracted.