Written By:  Leora Halpern Lanz

A year ago, in an article with this same title, I asked hotel marketers to immediately revise their marketing plans to respond to the re-focused travel expectations we were facing. And naturally, all of us have learned so much in these past 12 months.

As we know, the Marketing Plan is a living, breathing document that needs to be flexible and open to revision as we proceed with its execution.  How are the various elements of the marketing plan continuing to evolve in this (still) very interesting and uneasy period?

1. Sales – Hopefully, your sales staff has now had sales training.  Last year, sales people didn’t need training; all they had to do was pick up a phone.  By now, the sales staff should be comfortable making calls, and should understand the intricacies of prospecting, networking, and all of the “work” that comes with selling.  Attitudes, persistence, encouragement, and resourcefulness should be prevalent in your sales staff.  There are endless books, lists, and tips for successful sales people.  Has your sales team crafted its “elevator pitch” – the selling sentence that would get a prospective client’s attention if the seller only had two minutes in an elevator with the prospect?

2. Sales Action Steps – Have specific goals been documented so that your sales staff knows tactically and specifically what it needs to accomplish and how it needs to do so?  Have you actually executed any of these steps?  If not, why are they still on your plan?

3. Advertising and Direct Mail – Did you assemble and work your databases? Did you collect e-mail addresses? Are you e-mailing your best customers with great values to keep their loyalty returning?  Is your advertising more localized or more regionalized?

4. Public Relations – Did you do any?  Have you had experts help package values and appealing offers, and execute the publicity to promote them?  It’s been a competitive period for everyone; publicity and third-party endorsements will only help your company remain one step ahead.

5. A Sales and Marketing Audit – Have you reviewed your position and mission statements to see if they are still valid?  Does your plan meet the objectives of the mission, and communicate the messages of the position statement?  You’d be surprised how many of us have not conducted this critical exercise. This audit must be completed before we even begin to think about the various tactics indicated above.

6. An Operations Review with Respect to Your Sales Effort – This past year was ideal for evaluating your operation – the front office and its communications with sales and reservations, or housekeeping and engineering and how they deliver the service promise.  Managers and Sales Directors need to insure that the operation is living up to the hotel’s position statement.  Sometimes, internal staff and management members are so close to the operation that they cannot see the operational challenges or hidden revenue opportunities that are obvious to others.

7. Communication with Your Brand – Over the past year, it has been interesting to note the number of general managers who shelve the books provided to them by their own franchisor.  These books or directories of graphic standards, marketing opportunities, and/or cooperative advertising initiatives are invaluable to hotel managers who may not have marketing professionals on site.  When an owner pays fees to a franchisor, those fees may cover the cost of the promotional and advertising involvement; so why wouldn’t you participate?  Unfortunately, many hotels don’t take part in these plans because the managers simply do not read the book.  Talk to your brand area directors.  Read these manuals and ask questions so you can participate in your co-op initiatives, RFP processes, or other goal-oriented programs.

8. Using the Internet to Your Best Ability – Many of us utilized the consumer-targeted travel web sites to participate in the rate game of the past year.  Now, how do we bring our average rates back up, while still befriending those travel web sites that we so loved these past 12 months?

If you have not yet addressed any of these items, or if you need assistance fine-tuning any portion of your sales and marketing strategies, consider a fuller sales and marketing departmental audit with an operations review. For a set of fresh eyes to review your efforts, HVS Marketing Communications can help guide you.

Leora Halpern Lanz
HVS International
372 Willis Avenue 
Mineola, NY 11501
516-248-8828, ext. 278
516-742-3059 Fax

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