A few Sales Tips

My 1st job was sales in a travel agency. In a city of 10 million with about 1,000 travel agencies it was a daunting task. There was no differentiation except to say I provide better service. I was given an area about an hour’s commute from where the office was located. I knocked on businesses street by street, building by building, floor by floor and door to door.It was a city much like San Francisco with very tall buildings. But I loved that experience it would be my backbone to learning sales and the industry. That same year the Philippines had a major political upheaval and the exchange rate was changing by the hour. All transactions were in cash and I had to ride the bus! Luckily on one such office that I knocked was a construction firm. Since the Philippine economy was not going well were getting projects overseas. To this day I consider that client, now my friend as my Godfather in the travel business.

 Here are but a few sales tips I learned.

Be business like. Wear a business attire, always. Never mind if it was sweltering hot. I looked 12, so the blazer certainly helped. Be friendly but do not get familiar. Addressing them with a Mr. & Mrs./Ms/ plus their last name always works.

Each call is important. Answer each inquiry like it is the only inquiry you got.

Reply to inquiries immediately. Not within 24 hours. That’s what the other guy is thinking. By the time the other guy comes around you would have negotiated and re-negotiated and already signing the contract.

Each person and group is important. Whether it be 1 or 100 each sale is important. Maybe you lose the sale this time for whatever reason. They would return for an inquiry because you treated them well. A client remarked, "You  make me feel like I am the only group you are attending to". She wasn't, but I was so glad she had that feeling.

Do not keep your pricing a secret - at least the basic one. I was planning a travel agent product seminar and was getting information on the various meeting room rental costs on certain specific areas. All but 2 gave me their pricing. The reason? They are afraid of competitors. Newsflash – the pricing around the area are mostly on the same level. What is different are the value added or concession they are willing to give to the clients. But at that point I was not negotiating for any, I just wanted the basic room rental so I can start planning. The result? The 2 properties were not in the list to be given any consideration.

The sales people are out or not at their desk all the time. Nor is the general manager. Assign someone as a point person, maybe a sales coordinator or a front desk agent. Equip other team members with basic information in a digital flyer that they can email with the contact details of the one in charge. At least start from there.

I called around 30 hotels for information on their meeting rooms and not one of them had an inquiry form to fill up. Like the one you fill up on Cvent or Meeting Planners and the like? It does not have to be online. Send a fillable pdf file so they can include information on what they require. PM me for a sample inquiry form. Without the inquiry form the process took about one week. It started with what date did you need? After several minutes – for how many guests? By the end of the day – what type of set-up? If the inquiry form had been sent, you would have had all the information in one email.

Send the contract right away along with the payment form. Secure the business by making them sign.

Update and contact the client in regular intervals before the event, more frequently as the event nears. This is dependent on their requirements. If they have guest rooms, food & beverage and banquets you will need to be communicating more to fulfill their needs.

Taking it to the extreme….

Lunch break? What lunch break? What if it is after office hours? Okay so this is going too far for a few. But yes, I had many working lunch days. Really, when you are in sales, you are on call. Reply to that email. Answer that call, even if to say – thank you for your question I will reply tomorrow with the information you need. Acknowledging their email makes you a hero. The client would ask – do you ever sleep? Because you respond to me right away at 11 PM. No one really expects you to reply during that time of the night. But the fact that you acknowledge them is quite special.

A Few Sales Tips (Originally posted on LinkedIn 3-17-2016)