hotel reservations sails

8/10/2019 Hotel Reservations SAILS

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/hotel-reservations-sails 1/3

Hotel Reservations SAILS

With all of the other priorities facing hoteliers today when it comes tomanaging transient distribution channels - it's more than a fair uestion!"Why do we need a new reservations sales process#"Here$s what they are finding when they ta%e the time to listen-in to theirown callers!

•Agents are fielding a much broader spectrum of sales scenarios than ever before,

from callers ranging from ultra-informed to misinformed, having taken virtual

tours and read TripAdvisory postings.

•Callers are facing too many choices.It wasn’t long ago that callers had to spend at

least ! minutes to check rates by phone at " different hotels. #ow in that same !

minutes they can check rates and even pictures at do$ens of options. %any find

this confusing if not overwhelming, especially when they’ve been on one to many

websites.

•Callers are multi-tasking while on the phone.&hether checking e-mail, feeding

the dog, or washing the dishes 'you hope(), that noise in the background is

demonstrative of today’s over-scheduled lifestyle.

As a veteran hotel industry sales trainer I couldn’t be more e*cited from an instructional

design standpoint.+ver the past several months I’ve been listening to recordings of

reservations inuires across all market segments.

#ow that it’s possible to hear how real callers react to reservations sales techniues, one

thing is clear sales steps and processes are out.Today’s callers want personali$ed and

customi$ed sales e*periences, so it’s the perfect time to launch.

Situational sensitivity.

Alluring descriptions.

Investigative sales approach.

Listen interactively.

Secure the reservation.

S in SAILS is for Situational Sensitivity.

After opening the call with a cheerful and professional greeting, which goes without

saying, agents must uickly turn their attention towards understanding the circumstance,

situation, or uandary which the caller is e*plaining during their opening remarks.

+nce understanding the situation, they can then personali$e the sales process and

customi$e the caller’s e*perience for the duration of the transaction.&hether it’s



working through a caller’s special lodging reuirements, reassuring them the lowest rate

has been uoted, or providing a personal opinion, a focus onSituational Sensitivity helps

chart the course.

A is for Alluring descriptions.

&hen I started training hotel reservations agents -! years ago, we encouraged themto be more informative and to educate the caller on the product. &hile this is still

sometimes necessary, it seems most callers are well-informed about the rooms, facilities,

and amenities. They’ve seen thumbnail pictures if not virtual tours, and might have even

read about your hotel on Igo/go0. &hat’s more essential nowadays is to be alluring,

which is to be enticing, tempting, and to make the product attractive for the caller.

To help make your property sound more alluring to callers, your agents still have to

know the product and to be able to provide 1insider tips.2 3ven more important is to

help them e*pand their vocabulary of ad4ectives and adverbs so they can put it in theirown words.'+ne techniue is to encourage the team to continuously read your local

visitor’s and tourism brochures, maga$ines, and websites.)

5robably the best and easiest way to become more alluring is to use needs-based

recommendations and endorsements. 6ather than saying 1I recommend this for you7,2

better to bring the caller into the euation

•18ince you mentioned it was a special occasion, our delu*e accommodation

would definitely be the one I’d suggest.2

•1If you’re traveling on business and flying out early, we really are the perfect

location for you then.2

•19ased on what you’ve told me I think you’ve made a very good choice.2

I is for Investigative Selling Approach.

If you compare most hotel reservations sales training to date, agents are taught to take

callers through 1steps2 or 1processes2 which are linear in design, with a pre-determined

path for giving and receiving information.In this model callers are viewed as being static

and predictable.:et when you listen to calls its easy to see that callers don’t react well to

being asked pre-set list of 1probing2 uestions, especially when they’ve given the

information already in their opening remarks, and they don’t like to hear agents feature-dumping to try to hook them or asking for the sale inappropriately, before even

describing the accommodation.

Instead, 8AI;8 training today should be customer-focused, and should allow agents

some degree of fle*ibility in seeking out the best and most direct pathway to getting the

caller’s booking before any they make any more clicks or calls.



The key for successful investigative selling is to use ad-hoc probing uestions, which are

best developed 1mid-stream2 while the call is in progress. &hile it is still often

necessary to ask traditional uestion such as 1&hat brings you to the area<2 and 1=ave

you stayed with us before<2 agents usually also need to use situation-specific uestions

such as

•1%ay I ask what website you saw that on<2•1Is there anything specific you are looking for<

•1%ay I ask which of these reuests is the most important to you<2

L is for Listening interactively.

In keeping with the philosophy of investigative sales approach, listening interactively

means to use the information gained by hearing to change-up our ne*t steps and

approaches. Also, by paraphrasing and re-stating the caller’s scenario at times, agents

show that they are tuning in to the customer’s individual needs, versus treating them like

1caller ">2 of the day.

S is for Securing the reservation.

In the end the goal of all sales training is the same? to secure the sale right here and now

while we have our best chance to do so.&hile it is helpful to train your agents on tactics

and techniues, the most important part is to help them understand that everyone

benefits when we close the sale, including the caller.Anyone who’s ever fielded a call-

back from a caller who had checked earlier and is calling back ready to book, but who

finds the inventory sold out or that the rates have gone up, knows that it is in the caller’s

best interest to book it now.

All too many calls these days start with 1=ello, I went online and I 4ust have a

uestion7.2 and a few minutes later end with the agent suggesting, 18o if you’ll 4ust go

online to ourhotelname-dot-com, you can 4ust book it there when you are ready, okay<

Afterwards, one can only hope the caller doesn’t go to theirhotelname-dot-com instead.

hotel reservations sails

Documents