Knowledge: The art of sales follow up Posted on: 01 Jun 2015

It may seem obvious, but the startling truth reveals a gap in hospitality sales teams and their ability to follow
up.

CHRISTINE GAMARRA
Director of Operations,
Asia Pacific LRA Worldwide
In this day and age of email, SMS, Twitter and Gchat, personal contact is still the most important way to build
relationships. The simple act of following up with a client should be easier more than ever before, with a personal
follow-up serving as a more meaningful way to cut through the communications clutter. Unfortunately, the immediacy
of follow-up does not directly correlate to current hospitality sales business practices.

Personal customer service is a key to success in any business, but particularly important in the hospitality industry. In
a world of ever-increasing automation and impersonal service, a hotel must distinguish itself from its competition. Yet
in many cases, the service provided by a hotel sales team is not an extension of the hospitality provided by the hotel to
guests, and there is no reason that it shouldn’t be. Hospitality sales teams need to realise that product and price are
very similar in today’s market. What will be the client’s reason for awarding a piece of business? The relationship with
the customer and the loyalty built up over time. Hospitality sales teams must be in the business of building
relationships instead of taking orders.

First impressions are lasting impressions. While an event planner may first be attracted to a hotel based on the brand
reputation, location, or a recent renovation, it is the responsibility of the sales team to build on this by engaging the
client personally and begin the process of building a working relationship. This cannot be established through emails
or SMS.

According to the American Express 2015 Global Meetings & Events Forecast, Asia will continue to be at the forefront
of business travel, with business events being the largest segment. In order to win a major piece of the MICE industry
pie, hotels will need to be at the top of their sales game and ensure measures are in place to capture their share of the
business events market.

A prompt and personal follow-through with the client is the most effective technique to gain commitment. Following up
not only displays a sense of urgency for the business lead, it gives the opportunity to advance the sales process
towards a decision. The timeliness of a follow-up is another factor that will communicate your reliability to the client. A
follow-up should not be later than 48 hours after the last communication with the client. A recent LRA Worldwide MICE
Study in Asia Pacific revealed that only 18 percent of sales leads received a follow-up; more than 80 percent of the
time, the hotel sales staff considered their work done once the proposal was submitted. That number alone should
send a shiver down the spine of every sales manager in the region!

To ensure that you maximise the sales opportunity and that the follow-up is effective:
• Be sincere and confident. People can sense when you are only going through the motions. It is reassuring to
interact with someone who is confident and it can be contagious. It will make the client feel comfortable dealing with
you and will better your chances of ultimately closing the sale.
• Ask open-ended questions that invite the client to elaborate. This is a friendly way to engage them in conversation
and begins a natural exchange of information. You will then avoid getting trapped into the “order-taker” role. Begin
your questions with “why, how, what, describe, tell me about” or “what do you think about…”
• Probe into your client’s responses. By asking follow-up questions, you can uncover additional information that
the client may not have thought important to bring up and build your credibility in the process.
• Offer something of value – for nothing. Even something as simple as a helpful website. This will help to build a
rapport and make it clear that you have thought about their needs, that you are someone to trust and that you
are a valuable resource.
• Demonstrate that you understand what the client is looking for. Meeting planners want someone to “get” what
they are dealing with. Listen actively; don’t interrupt and don’t respond too soon. They will know you understand
by the relevance of your questions and your ability to summarise what you have heard. This will further
convince the client that you are looking out for them and will strengthen the relationship.

By engaging with clients personally through following up, not only will you demonstrate your genuine interest in the
piece of business currently being considered, but you will also position yourself in a stronger position to advance
the sales process in your favour for future business.

Christine Gamarra is director of operations, Asia Pacific for LRA Worldwide, a leading Customer Experience
Measurement (CEM) firm with extensive MICE expertise. The team in Asia Pacific supports clients with global and
regional programs designed to address these issues and develop the exact skills likely to benefit the client hotel
from the continued upswing in MICE business. To learn more, contact Christine directly at
christine.gamarra@lraworldwide.com

Source: http://bizeventsasia.com/luxury-of-knowledge-follow-up/