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Industry events and tradeshows offer unique opportunities for organizations to connect with potential clients, strengthen relationships, and stay updated on market trends. To make the most of these opportunities, it’s essential to approach them strategically. This topic is among the many insights covered in The Hotel Sales Playbook: Winning Strategies for Success, the study guide for HSMAI Global’s new Certified Hotel Sales Leader (CHSL) certification.
Below, we share excerpts from Chapter 5: Managing the Sales Function, contributed by Bob Anderson and Chris Hardy, CRME.
1. What is the purpose or theme of the event?
- Does this purpose or theme align with your goals and objectives?
- How can you connect your organization to this theme in a positive manner?
2. Do the math: What is the total investment required and targeted return needed to justify the effort?
- Attending: Cost of registration, travel, lodging, meals, and entertainment
- Exhibiting: Cost of pre-show marketing, booth rental and space, shipping, labor, and other ancillary expenses
- Time away and lost opportunities displaced from the property
- Is the risk worth it? Are there practical ways to invest the required time, energy, and capital to develop your team and reach your goals?
3. Who is attending?
- Will you have access to a pre-registration list with demographics, titles, etc.?
- Will there be new prospects to connect with?
- Will there be current customers to build relationships with?
- Will there be beneficial industry insights and educational opportunities?
4. Who is exhibiting?
- Will there be prospects to connect with?
- Will there be vendors that have products and services that might benefit you and your team?
- Will there be competitors that you should learn more about?
5. Who are the featured speakers?
- Do they have knowledge that will benefit you or your team?
- Are there thought leaders with whom you want your team to connect?
- Can you present or be on a panel to gain exposure to the audience? This is one of the most essential leadership skills you should develop. Learn to present, tell your story, and build your personal and professional brand.
6. Who from your team should attend?
- Attending: Top producers, team members not reaching their numbers, new team members, or all of them?
- Exhibiting: Select sales professionals who will represent you and your organization in a positive light.
7. What will the sales and marketing activities of your team be?
- Pre-attendance sales and marketing activities (advertising, website listing, and inclusion in show promotions) to drive awareness of your participation.
- On-site sales activities, quality lead capture contests, in-booth key account appointments, and other actions can isolate new sales opportunities.
- There should be a consistent message of what your property or group of properties do to help customers. Train sellers to be storytellers, not just features and benefits pitchers.
- Create a schedule of who will work the show, booth, or attend events so every team member is crystal clear on who is doing what, why they are doing it, and when it needs to be done.
- Make sure that there is enough collateral available to provide to new prospects.
- Establish post-attendance goals, actions, and activities. Holding the team accountable for lead follow-up is the challenge after any kind of event. Ensure salespeople have a plan, a system, and the tools to follow up with the newly discovered business opportunities appropriately.
- Manage the exhibition plan, the process, the follow-up, and ultimately, the ROI for the event. Develop a post-exhibition evaluation report to determine what went well and if you want to participate in the event in the future (and why or why not). Use your CRM to track leads generated at the event and any booked business.
HSMAI Global’s Certified Hotel Sales Leader (CHSL) certification is designed to recognize the expertise of hotel sales leaders, emphasizing the most up-to-date sales and commercial principles, practices, and strategies. The CHSL certification is tailored for hospitality sales leaders who are proficient in leading high-performing teams, demonstrating overall commercial acumen, applying best practices in hotel sales to drive revenue growth, and more.
Approved applicants will receive a digital copy of the study guide, The Hotel Sales Playbook: Winning Strategies for Success, and complete an online examination covering essential functions of hospitality sales.