We’re all aware of the enormous operational changes that are needed to facilitate conferences, meetings and events in our ‘new normal’ but have you fully considered the fresh sales approach that will also be required? Finding and securing business in a post lockdown world will be a whole other challenge. There could be less business around, so more choice for our customers, their priorities and concerns will have changed and then there’s the competition.
Your team will need to be highly skilled and very knowledgeable with the right mindset to be fully focused on winning business for your venue. They’ll not only have to proactively fight to win business, they’ll need to proactively fight to find it; it is essential to focus on building a ‘real’ pipeline. In order to achieve this your team will need to be great at sales qualification, determined at managing the diary and dogged in their follow up. The current ‘nice and gentle’ sales approach is the bare minimum and now needs to move into a focus on prospecting, ringfencing existing clients and polishing their negotiation techniques to be a leading sales person.
It will be essential to avoid descending prices as competitors try to buy business in, but service levels and peace of mind for the customer will be paramount. A focus on product knowledge, certainty, confidence will help you stand out, assure your customers you can deliver the highest level of care and security. This will mean sales working in unison with the operational team, understanding the detail and an excellent flow of communication both within your venue and to your future potential customers.
Paje Consultancy helps venues to drive sales and maximise guest experience through our Sales and Conference Healthchecks, never has this been more relevant than today. We can offer Strategic Consultancy and Expert Sales Support to help you gain a competitive advantage just when you need it most. We also have a suite of learning & development courses, including virtual classes to develop your new skill set.
If you’d like to know more about how Paje Consultancy helps venues to drive sales and maximise guest experience then get in touch today.