Day 4: Empower your employees
Turn your front office staff into an empowered sales team. Establish parameters within which they are permitted to match rates in your comp set. There is a good chance other hotels in the area may offer last minute incentives you are not aware of. Develop a telephone script for incoming calls. This should include a standardized greeting and conversational flow of information gathering that leads to a tailored offer for each guest. Require agents to ask for the sale at the conclusion of every call and collect email addresses whenever possible. If an email is collected, make sure the receiving agent has the ability to send a follow-up note thanking the potential guest for their inquiry and offering future assistance. In distressed periods, extend an unpublished rate or limited time promotion to create a sense of urgency in the booking process.
Join us tomorrow for Day 5 of 5 Low Budget Revenue Strategies for Independent Hoteliers: Maximize third party distribution