Customer: “Tell me about your hotel.”
Sales Person: “Our hotel has 96 rooms, meeting room for up to 60 persons,
indoor swimming pool, fitness room, complementary breakfast and WiFi, and free parking.”
Customer: “So does the XYZ hotel next door.”
Borrrinnnggg!
Just once, I’d like to hear a sales person actually differentiate themselves from the other sales person. (I think the customer would too!)
What if, when asked by a potential customer, you said,
“While we have all of the expected amenities of most local hotels, I think you’ll find that what sets us apart from the crowd is our service and attention to detail. Recently, ABC Company agreed to try our hotel as an alternative to the hotel they have been using for years. While it was not a surprise to us, it was a surprise to the John Doe, their travel manager, that their visitors actually noticed the difference in the quality of our hospitality and reported that that our hotel was a better fit for their travel needs. Because we wanted their business, we went that extra step by making sure that each guest was welcomed by name, received their rewards points or enrolled them in our xxx program, honored their requests for room type and location, and followed up on their satisfaction.”
“Yes, our hotel has beautiful, updated rooms, complimentary hot breakfast, free basic WiFi with the ability to upgrade to increased bandwidth, an indoor pool and state-of-the art fitness room. Couple these amenities with our great staff and comparable pricing, and we know that your travelers will be as happy as John’s travelers.”
Don’t get me wrong – I am not trying to put words in your mouth. What I am trying to do is to change your approach to selling so that you are ‘the horse of a different color’, ‘that you actually are unique and stand out in the crowd‘. Quit being boring and be different. Feature sell. Use testimonials. Don’t just list off your amenities, whet your customer’s appetite by painting a picture. Use names. Use actual data. Why not?
When a customer says, “tell me about your hotel” you want them to listen to what you are saying and not multi-task, pay half attention, or daydream. You want them to hear what you are saying because you are unique, you have paid attention to their needs and are focused on THEM. They may already be happy with their current hotel. What they don’t know is that they would be happier at your hotel. So lead with a testimonial. Mention names of other companies who are happy. Once you have their attention, then talk about the amenities.
Happy featuring and being unique!
Linda
P.S. Oh – make sure your staff is focused on the service and attention to detail, and are doing what you are selling!
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