Converting Sales – How To Make Guests Choose YOU!
Converting Enquiries
Travelling! Staycations! Holidays! As COVID restrictions are easing, the hospitality industry is picking up again but how can you ensure that guests choose YOU?
Understanding The Guest's Needs
Well, this might seem quite obvious but, in my experience, many reservation sales agents fail to meet this basic requirement. So, your potential guest turns to your competition.
As a reservation sales agent, it is your responsibility to understand what the guest is looking for by asking questions. Do they have any particular requirements? Are they coming for a special occasion? How many guests are coming? What are their likes, their food preferences and so on. When you truly understand the wants and needs of the guest, you provide the perfect option for them, making them want you!
Connecting & Engaging
When you understand the needs of your guest, you connect and engage with them, persuading them to choose your hotel. I’ve had so many experiences where I feel that the reservation sales agent is not interested, making me lose interest in the hotel. Yes, your hotel and its facilities may be great, but if I have an unsatisfactory experience on the phone with your employee, I don’t want to choose you.
For an effective conversion, you need to connect with the guest to sell your hotel to them.
Proposing The Right Product
Often, I’ve seen reservation sales agents trying to oversell, and while some guests may go for this, I would rather have them understand what I’m looking for. Whether it’s based on the number of people, price range or packages, I want the agent to propose the ‘Perfect Room’ for me.
Once again, this may seem quite obvious, but my experiences with reservation sales agents say otherwise. Upon asking for rooms that are more affordable, I’ve had agents tell me about a more expensive room.
If you can connect and engage with the guest and have understood their requirements, proposing the right product follows naturally.
Suitable Alternatives
In the event that you are unable to accommodate your guests’ requests, always remember to provide suitable alternatives. A guest never forgets a helpful sales person and always tries to return the favour by accepting alternatives. The aim of a reservation sales agent is to ensure that they meet the guests’ needs and so providing suitable alternatives should always be offered. Whether it is suggesting other dates, a sister hotel, a different room type (and so on), these are sure shot ways to get the guest chose YOU!
In fact, if an agent puts in this effort, I feel more inclined to book with them, regardless of my ideal preferences not being met. Based on my telephonic experience I am assured that employees are dedicated and will go out of the way to ensure that guests like me have the best possible experience.