"A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback" Continued

This is the second BLOG based on the book "A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback" by Willie Jolley. In this posting I will be addressing relevant information gleaned from the introduction and foreword in the book. To start this off I want to share the following taken directly from the book "A Setback Is a Setup fro a Comeback."

"In every life there comes a time

A minute when you must decide

To stand up and live your dreams

Or fall back and live your fears.

In that minute of decision,

You must grasp the vision

And seize the power

that lies deep inside of you!

Then you will see

That dreams really can and do come true

And that all things truly are possible....

If you can just believe!

It only takes a minute to change your life!

It's time to turn your setbacks into

Setups for Comebacks!"

By Willie Jolley

Highlights from the foreword:
Willie Jolley had just won his third award for best Jazz singer in Washington DC when he lost his job as a singer and was replaced by a karaoke machine. He decided he was going to "stop waiting for breaks and start making his breaks."

1. Studies have shown that if you read something positive in the first 20 minutes of your day your productivity will go up dramatically. Willie uses the example that if you wake up and it is rainy and cold your body usually wants to go back to bed. If you wake up and it is sunny and it is a beautiful day you usually are more apt to want to get up to take advantage of that day.

2. "Your psyche is the same way. If you get up and put a lot of negative in your mind (bad things that happen on the news) you are not as enthusiastic about jumping into that day."

3. If you wake up and put something positive into your mind like "the Lion and Gazelle" you will be more productive. To view a short (2 minutes) video clip of the Lion and Gazelle click on the title of this blog.

4. "Choose to program yourself rather than letting the naysayers program you." My take on this is that if you don't choose to program yourself the default is already set to negative programming. If you want your staff to be positive you be positive. "You can't share what you don't have."

5. "Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on earth!" - Jim Rhon

Introduction:

1. Setbacks are prerequisites for comebacks.

2. If there is no change and challenge, there can be no growth & development."

3. Most people don't like change. "The only thing that likes change is a wet baby."

4. "Ultimately the key to long term success is the way you view and handle setbacks and adversity."

5. Life really is in the struggle. He tells the story of a little boy watching a moth struggle to get out of his cocoon and the boy decides to cut a slit in the cocoon. When the moth comes out his body is swollen and he has small withered wings. His grand father explains that when the moth is struggling he is forcing the fluid from his body into the wings and that without the struggle the wings couldn't grow. "Without challenge and struggles we would never reach our fullest potential."

Tune in next BLOG for "The Power of Vision"

Don't forget to click on the title of this BLOG posting to view a short video clip.

"A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback"

As most everyone knows 2009 has been a setback for us as a company and for most of us individually. The term setback kept resonating with me and I was prompted to reread Willie Jolley's book "A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback." I think the information from this book is VERY applicable and can be immediately implemented. I think it can help us achieve our August 31st goals and help us reach greater heights for the rest of 2009.

My plan is to put a little information from this book on my BLOG each day so it can easily be digested and put into use if you so choose. Even if only one of you ends up applying this information (either on your job or in your personal life) it will be worth it to me to take the time to write this BLOG.

The book is divided into 4 parts also known as the VDAD Formula
1. The Power of Vision
2. The Power of Decision
3. The Power of Action
4. The Power of Desire

"Just as other formulas consistently work, so does this-for example when you take two parts hydrogen and mix it with one part water you get water: likewise, when you take vision and add decision, action and desire you can, and will turn your setbacks into comebacks."

Within the four-part VDAD formula there are nine chapter steps or TIPS which stands for Techniques, Ideas, Principles and Strategies for success.

The Steps are:
1. Perspective - How do you see it? Is it a setback or is it a setup for a comeback?
2. Recognize it's Life-don't take it personally
3. Focus on the Goal-If the dream is big enough the problems don't matter
4. Make decisions-You've had a setback, Now what are you going to do about it?
5. Don't panic! Decide to stay calm, stay collected and stay positive!
6. Take Action-persistent, determined action
7. Take Responsibility-Face it, trace it, erase it, replace it
8. Have Faith! You are blessed and highly favored
9. Remember It's All Good! Be thankful, have an attitude of gratitude!

I will be hitting each of the above items in various BLOG postings over the next several days.

Those of you who watched the Rocky movies know Rocky had a lot of setbacks that were setups for comebacks. I think it is only appropriate for you to enjoy the short video clip "Eye of the Tiger." To view this short video clip click on the title of this blog.

There is Light at the End of the Tunnel and it's Not a Train!

Through my travels I have gone through some very long tunnels. Those of you that have been through a tunnel know that about halfway through the tunnel it can get really dark. If you stop your vehicle in the middle you will stay in the dark. However, if you keep moving you will soon see the light at the end of the tunnel and eventually you will be back in total day light.

Perhaps in your current situation right now you feel you are in the middle of the tunnel. Keep moving and soon I assure you you will see the light at the end of the tunnel and it won't be a train!

I have gone through several tunnels that have a sign before you enter to "turn on your lights" and they usually have a sign after you leave the tunnel that reads "turn off lights". I encourage you to make sure your light is on while you are in the tunnel but to not turn them off after you get out of the tunnel.

Click on the title of this blog to see a short video clip that reminds you there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Football and Hotels; What Do They Have in Common?

When I was in High School August meant the start of football practice. I remember very vividly how hard the practices were, how sweaty I got and how hard I was pushed. I felt as though I was pushed to my limit and then some each day of practice. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth the pain that I had to go through. My mind and body would often scream at me to quit but my heart would say keep going (remember my last blog where Matthew West sadi he was going to let his heart defeat his mind).

My coaches often would say that what we did in August would determine how well we played in September and October and if we would be playing in November and December (the playoffs). They also said that the reason they pushed us so hard is so we would be more prepared than the other team for the fourth quarter.

How does this relate to hotels?

1) Our Coaches are pushing us harder than before each and every day. You are probably being asked to do more than you have ever done before. Perhaps you are wondering if what you are going through is worth the pain. I am here to confirm what your heart is already telling you that it is worth the pain.

2) Even though we are in the third quarter what you do now will determine how well your hotel performs in the fourth quarter. If you aren't out sewing seeds NOW you can't have a harvest later! If you only sew a few seeds you reduce your potential harvest later. If you are sewing enough of the right kind of seeds you will have a harvest now and later.

3) In football to really be good you have to give your all on EVERY play. In order for you and your hotel to be the best you have to give your all each and every day. You can't just go through the motions.

One of my favorite movies is "Facing the Giants". In one of the scenes a football player says "I am about out of strength." The coach says "then you negotiate with your body to find more strength." All of us can find more strength by encouraging each other and negotiating with our body.

Please enjoy the clip from "Facing the Giants" video called The Death Crawl. To see the clip JUST CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG ABOVE (football and hotels, what do they have in common)

You can find the clip by going to You Tube and typing "Facing The Giants Death Crawl."

Are You Going Through The Motions?

Are YOU Going Through The Motions? When most of us hear that phrase we think of someone that is doing something but not doing it with all their might. The Person may be doing the steps needed to be successful but they don't have any passion, energy or enthusiasm towards the task at hand. Simply put their heart isn't in it.

Recently I was listening to a song by Matthew West titled "The Motions." The song didn't really catch my attention until I heard:

"I don't want to go through the motions,

I don't want to go one more day,
without your all consuming passion inside of me,

I don't want to spend my whole life asking
what if I had given everything

instead of going through the motions"

After I got through listening to the song I did a "check up from the neck up" (old Zig Ziglar phrase) to ask myself if there were areas of my life that I was simply through the motions. I am encouraging each of you to do your own "check up from the neck up." Sometimes circumstances and life in general can beat us up and get us down. You can be going through the motions and not even realize it.

I truly believe that we should all have a positive outlook no matter what the facts say. The facts may tell you you just lost a big account, you didn't get the account you worked so hard on, you just got a bad diagnosis, the economy is bad, etc. Your thoughts (mind) may be telling you that you are defeated but don't listen to that! There is a phrase in the song that says "I am going to let my heart defeat my mind".

Remember that in spite of the facts you can passionately pursue what you know you need to do to make things better and change the facts! You might not can control the circumstances but you can control how you react to them!

To see a very moving video version of Matthew West's song "The Motions" CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG (are you going through the motions) or go to You Tube and type "the Motions by Matthew West with Lyrics" or email me and I will send you the link.

How to Ask For and Get the Appointment

Sales Team,

YOU are part of a very special training session being brought to you by Trey Baker (The Mustard Seed Company). While we all figure out how to do more with less…we have to make sure we take the time and “sharpen our saws” on the basic skills it takes in conducting sales. As many of you know, parking lot shops is one of the best ways to increase business. There are two important parts to a successful shop. One is actually going and doing the shop late at night or early in the morning on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. Two is following up on the shops by booking an appointment with the key decision maker to move things along in the sales cycle. As part of this first ever training experience, Trey has reached out to a colleague that specializes in asking for and getting the appointment. Please take the time to watch this short video and complete the worksheet this week. Then, over the next two weeks I would like for you to keep track of your calls (utilizing this strategy) and let me know how its going. Share your successes and application of the information. The week of June 1st I will be following up with you to see how you applied this information specifically to your position at the hotel and discuss your results. Please comment back here on the blog about your progress and read the tech tips below before beginning.

Tech Tips:
1. You must have Windows Media player, speakers and a high speed connection. This is a common program and is probably already on your computer. When you begin just click on “play presentation and it should begin within a few seconds.

2. Since this is a “test” the video is located on a non-streaming server. It downloads in what is referred to as a “progressive download” which means you may experience some start/stops as it plays the first time.

3. If you have any questions, issues or problems please contact Trey directly at (919) 395-7316 or email@treybaker.com.

4. Link to Preview in Windows Media Player: http://talks2go.com/CM101/

WORKSHEET to use to build your script:

Building a Conversation around ‘Why Do I Care?’

1. Who are you? “I am (Just use your first name) _____________________,”

2. Who are you with? “with (What Company) _______________________________ .”

3. Do you have a second? Did I call at a good time? (2 schools of thought – don’t ask this – I like to… you never know what you will be interrupting. When I call back at 2:30p they always give me time.

4. Who recommended you call? “___________________________________ recommended I give you a call.” (Was this a referral from a networking event? Was it the office assistant? Was it a cold call and the wife gave you the name of her husband.)

5. Who do you HELP? “I HELP (Which industries?, police officers, manufacturing companies, trucking companies etc… relate this to your prospect) If I am police officer and you have helped other police officers, I am willing to listen. ___________________________________

6. How do you HELP? “with (ROI, profit, easier to make appts, greater impact with their employee giving, reduced premiums with greater coverage, aggressive pricing for term insurance, finding the perfect home for your needs) _____________________________

7. “I would like to make a brief appointment with you and share how I HELP my customers, to see if I can be a benefit to you as well.”

8. PAUSE

9. “When would you like me to come by for a few minutes?” or “When would be a good time for us to meet?”


10. “Thank you (use their name) _________________________________.”

11. “I am looking forward to seeing how I can HELP.”

12. “I will see you later this week.”

Write out your conversation:

Are Your Customers Seeing Green?

Are Your Customers Seeing Green Today?

Hopefully they are seeing green but not just because it is St. Patrick’s Day. Your customers should be seeing green from the money they are saving by staying at a Generation hotel. As a sales person one of the responsibilities you have is to effectively communicate the “value proposition” of your hotel. You do this by asking probing questions such as how many travelers are coming in, how often are they coming in and how long are they staying. You will also want to know what their travelers’ needs are so you can match them to the benefits and features of your hotel. Once you have this information you can formulate your “value proposition” and communicate it to the client. The client will be won over by the fact that you found out what their needs were first, helped meet their needs and showed them the overall value they get while staying with you. They can then start enjoying the money they are saving with Generation. As you can tell in the picture those lonely eyes are looking to make someone happy.

If you would like to hear the musical version of the money customers could be saving with Generation click on:

Money Customers Could Be Saving With Generation Hotels

Who Are You Sleeping With?

Who are you sleeping with? More specifically are you "sleeping with the enemy"? Before you say "how dare him ask that question" let me clarify what I mean before I get a bunch of phone calls and emails. What I am referring to is are you "sleeping with the enemy" (boy that was a good movie starring Julia Roberts) by staying at competitive hotels?

I have heard it said that you want to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. A good way to do this is to occasionally stay at competitor hotels to experience first hand what guests experience, learn your competitor's weaknesses and more importantly "snoop" to find accounts you can shift to your hotel.

It is time to fully implement guerrilla warfare and declare an all out war on shifting business from competitor hotels by going "behind enemy lines" (another good movie). In some cases your hotel may have a full time sales person that is able to stay at a competitor hotel in your market. In other cases we may have a DOS from another market visit your market and stay at competitor hotels. In other cases you may have a regional sales person or someone else that can help you implement this.

Even if you don't have a full time sales person that can "sleep with the enemy" in your market you can at least visit your competitors often and keep your antennas up for potential business. You can do this through parking lot shops, hanging out in the hotel lobby during peak check in times, set up your laptop in their lobby and use their internet (act like you are a guest), eat breakfast at competitors, etc. You can also contact me about having someone sleep with the enemy in your market.

We have already had some GREAT success stories from "sleeping with the enemy" and parking lot shops.

How hungry are you to get business in your hotel?

Are you willing to go the extra mile to gain market share?

Are you willing to sleep with the enemy to get business?:)....don't let your mind wander.

What Has Craig Done For You Lately?

What has Craig done for you lately?

Maybe the first question should be who is Craig? Is he the latest person to join your sales team? Is he someone that can help you implement your Occupancy Stimulus Plan? Is he someone that can put weekly or monthly business into your hotel? Is he someone that can help you grow your REVPAR through occupancy and increase your Extended Stay Occupancy? I am happy to report that the answer to ALL of the above questions is YES! I have even better news....he is available to work for your hotel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (sometimes 366) for FREE!!

Even though Craig is available and willing to sell for ALL of our properties, VERY few hotels are taking him up on his offer to sell for them at all times. Some hotels are using him once or twice a month and then forgetting to "renew" his services. Some hotels have only given him a limited opportunity by not promoting all that he can do to everyone. Some have completely forgotten him since he helped them out a few months ago.

Ok, I am sure most of you "sharp" people reading this ad are smart enough to figure out that I'm not talking about a person but I am referring to a Craig's List ad. A Craig's List ad can give your hotel immediate and long term business if it is thorough, refreshed & reposted every other day. We have literally had hundreds of rooms booked from CL ads and last week we had one hotel post an ad over the weekend, get 15 calls on Monday and book 5 rooms for at least 30 nights! With this kind of success I am surprised more of you "sharp" people aren't taking Craig up on his offer to sell for you at all times by keeping a current ad.

Below are instructions on how to post a CL ad. The instructions are followed by some tips and a Q & A section. Please contact me if you need help with your CL ad...I will be glad to help you.


Steps to post a Craig’s List Ad
(please call Michael Fortner at 919 740-7219 if you want assistance):

1. To place a Craig’s List (CL) ad go to www.craigslist.org.
2. Select your city or nearest city/region from the right hand side.
3. You will need to set up a user name and password. I recommend you use your email as the
user name and a password that is easy for you to remember.
4. Note: once you have an account set up and go to www.craigslist.org , it will bring you directly
to a page that displays the city you chose.
5. To place an ad click on “my account” once you have logged in.
6. Make sure your city appears in the box located at top right of your screen. If not you can click
the drop down arrow to change cities. This is very important to make sure your ad appears in
the right city.
7. Click “go” in the top right hand corner.
8. Then select housing offered to place an ad in the housing/apartment section (also might want
to consider putting an ad under sublets/temporary section and vacation rentals if you are a destination).
9. Note: The FIRST time you place an ad in the housing section it will take you through a
verification process and ask you to provide a number you can immediately be reached at (I
recommend your cell phone). The call is automated and it will give you a verification coed to
enter. Enter code & continue.
10. Click on apts/housing for rent.
11. Start entering your ad.
12. Be sure to put a title and the area you are in. ex Jacksonville/Bay Meadows, Fl
13. Type the content of your ad.
14. Enter a price in the $ section if you choose.
15. You can choose in the middle section to display your email, have a non-disclosed email people
can reply to (they will see your email if you reply back to their email) or not to use email as a
reply option.
16. If you choose to not use an email then BE SURE TO LIST A PHONE NUMBER or there will
be no way to contact you. My recommendation is to use an email that is not disclosed.
17. Click add images if you choose to display pictures of your property (I recommend pictures).
If you don’t display pictures no need to click add images; simply click continue.
18. If you use pictures it is best to resize your pictures to WEB LARGE size as this allows them
to be large enough to be seen but not take so long to load. Once you load your pictures (up to
four) click continue.
19. You will then be asked to enter a verification code and continue then you are done.
20. You can then click continue to craigslist, my account and you will see your ad.

Tips:
1. Put some thought into what you want to convey/feature in your ad. Involve your sales person
or look at other ads for ideas.
2. Show the benefits and features of your hotel and highlight such things as amenities, area
attractions, etc. Also, point out things such as no utilities, no leases, no deposits, no credit
checks, cable included, internet included, etc.
3. Be sure to repost you ad regularly or it will quickly get lost in the shuffle. I recommend you
change it at least every other day if possible. When reposting you ad copy it, paste it into a
new ad and then change the order of several phrases. There is a mimicking program that
won’t allow you to simply paste your ad the exact same way it was each day.
4. Try different types of ad titles/ads.
5. Some property’s like not mentioning it is a hotel until people respond to the ad. Some like to
be emailed. Some liked to be called. Some like to say up front they are a hotel. The main
thing is to place an ad and then see what works for you.
6. If you have a feeder city consider placing an ad in that city.
7. Call Michael Fortner if you have questions or want assistance.


Issues, Questions, Concerns that have come up from C.L. Postings

1. When I try to repost my ad an error message comes up and said a similar type of ad already appears.This is b/c a mimicking program exists that will keep you from reposting the same ad. All you need to do is copy the ad, paste it and then change around the order of words in the ad. EXAMPLE if original ad says “stove, refrigerator, microwave” then change the ad to say “microwave, stove, refrigerator”. Do this in three or four places in your and it will be accepted.
2. I can only load one picture or it takes a really long time to load my pictures. You can put up to four pictures on each ad. You need to open each picture and save it individually to your computer as a “web large” picture or smaller. After it is saved then upload it (call me if you need help).
3. I am receiving spam or scam emails. This happens with most internet ads at some point no matter what web site you use (it doesn’t just happen on C.L.). You can elect to not post your email and only put a phone number but you need to do one or the other (or both) so people can respond to your ad. My recommendation is to do both and just discard any spam or scam emails.
4. I haven’t received any calls or bookings from my ads. Try changing the title of your ad to appeal to a different segment. Try lowering the price on your ad. Try offering a different type of promo (offer weekly instead of monthly). Try adding more pictures of rooms or area attractions. The main thing is to make sure you have as many key words in your ad as possible. Ex. near beach, base, downtown, college, certain military base, amusement park, no lease, no contract, everything included, relocating, etc. Remember the more interest your ad creates the better your chances. Keep in mind there are multiple other ads similar to yours in the same price range so TRY TO STAND OUT OR BE UNIQUE!
5. My ad is no longer on the first page of ads in the housing section. Repost your ad REGULARLY. In some markets over 150 ads per day go up in apartment section. Some markets might only have a few ads per day so you need to repost you ad accordingly. I recommend at least reposting every other day. You can take turns reposting to share the responsibility. This is another reason to list in apartments and sublets/temporary section. This might seem like a lot of work but even if you had to take 10 minutes each day to repost and you get business from it is worth it and you have paid for the cost of your ad.

Are Your Parking Lot Shops Parking Cars in YOUR Parking Lot?

All of you have heard me say “parking lot shops are your BEST source to find immediate business that you can shift to your hotel”. If you weren’t sure of it before I think you will have to agree the proof is in the pudding! As you know from my recent emails several hotels are having success shifting business from competitor hotels. The question I have for you is "are your parking lot shops putting cars in YOUR parking lot?" The ones that are having the most success are the ones that are being proactive with their parking lot shops and that are FOLLOWING UP on them in a timely manner.

Below is an updated version of "Parking Lot Thoughts and Tips". If you follow the steps below or at least use them as a guide you will GREATLY increase your the number of cars in YOUR parking lot and lessen the ones at your competitors. If you have any tips to add please post them on this BLOG.


Parking Lot Shops (updated 3/2/09-updates in blue)

Definition - A parking lot shop is when you go to a hotel that is a competitor of yours to “shop” to see what type of guests they have staying with them, what companies are staying with them and to see how their hotel is doing compared to yours. Parking lot shops give you a snap shot at a point in time how you are doing verses your competitors. The purpose of doing them is to identify & shift business from their hotel to yours.

Thoughts and Tips for conduction effective parking lot shops:

1. Keep in mind parking lot shops are our BEST source to identify and shift business. Even though they are not convenient they are worth doing as they usually yield IMMEDIATE business opportunities.

2. Parking lot shops should be done at hotels listed on your STAR report comp set AND any other hotel that doesn’t report to Smith travel but is a true competitor or your. For example, Value Place hotel may be a true competitor of yours but doesn’t report data to Smith Travel/STAR. You should also shop hotels that are a classification above your hotel or one with a few more amenities since you might have some “trade down” opportunities. Lately (as of 2/09) we are getting more companies shifting from these type of hotels than ones in our traditional comp set.

3. Parking lot shops should be done late at night or early in the morning before guests leave for work. Ideal times are after 10:00 p.m. and before 6:00 a.m. While these times are inconvenient they will give you the best opportunity to identify business that can be shifted since more cars will be in the parking lot.

4. Shops at different times are ok but a shop at 5:30 p.m. is not going to put you in a real position to win the share shift war (If you have to do them for Rewarding Greatness you might as well do them at the times/days to give you the most benefit J). Don’t take short cuts. Paying the higher price of inconvenience should yield you to greater rewards.

5. For best results shops should be done on Tuesday or Wednesday. Next best days would be on Monday and then Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday typically will have the most travelers in the market.

6. Anyone can do parking lot shops. If you don’t have a sales person that can do your shops each week you might consider rotating these duties or getting your second shift person do them when they get off work. Richard (Sterling Sub. GM) has secured over $75,000 worth of business from parking lot shops.

7. If you don’t have a full time sales person (or they live a long way from the hotel) consider splitting parking lot duties. For example, the Gm does the shop one time a month, the sales person one time a month, the audit or security person one night a month and a GSR another night a month. Another option is to consider offering money for business generated from the shops. I’m sure you will have some volunteers to help out when there is money on the line.

8. Drive to competitors on REAL rainy days as workers might be back at their hotel. This shouldn’t be a substitute for your regular nightly (or early morning) parking lot shops.

9. If possible use a digital voice recorder (this is not a necessity). This is much more efficient than writing and allows you to record information in tracks. This is useful when you are counting cars and have to stop counting to record a company name/phone number. I usually say “34 cars so far & ABC Construction at 407-111-1111”. If I forget how many cars I was at I simply go the last track & hear that I was at 34 cars and continue (call me if this doesn’t make since). Digital recorders are $30 - $40.

10. When conducting shops record the number of cars at each competitor AND the number of cars in your hotel’s lot. This gives us a comparison of how you are doing that particular day verses your competitors. Also, you will often find a company in YOUR parking lot you didn’t know was staying with you and you can penetrate the account to find more potential business.

11. Be sure to record ALL information you see on vehicles with company names (all phone #’s, web site, type of company, other offices/cities listed, etc.). If the vehicle has a company name but no phone number try to find out which state it is from. This may help you narrow your Google search.

12. Be smart and safe when doing shops. It is not recommended you get out of your vehicle and start talking to guests. Also, please do not put your hotel’s literature on vehicles at your competitors. Remember “you reap what you sew” and we don’t want others doing this at our hotels.

13. Make parking lot shops fun. When we had a hotel near my house I used to take my whole family after church on Wednesday nights to do parking lot shops. My kids would take turns counting while I recorded the company names.

14. Make parking lot shops work with your schedule. You might want to plan to go grocery shopping at 10:00 at night instead of on your way home from work (you will also have less shoppers :).

15. Take the information obtained and IMMEDIATELY pass along to your sales person.

16. IMMEDIATELY call on companies the NEXT morning after you do your parking lot shops. This will give you the BEST chance to gain the business and the maximum revenue from the account.

17. My preference is to type up the shops the same night I do them into a spread sheet which has the hotel they were at, any pertinent information I obtained (phone 3, web site, etc) and have a column for contact person and notes. The next morning I do research if I have to find a phone number and then start calling around 8:30 (as a general rule I call ALL companies by noon the next morning after I do a shop (most of the time by 10:00 a.m.). I then take the next step (emailing, faxing, calling someone else, setting up tour, go to job site, etc.). FOLLOWING UP ON THESE NEXT STEPS THEN BECOMES THE KEY.

18. NOTE: One of the most common mistakes I see people making is waiting too long to follow up on their shops. The other mistake that is commonly made is that there isn’t a lot of effort put into following up on these leads or they aren’t followed up at all. Minimum effort will result in minimum results.

19. Call (or visit) the people working in the market AND call the key contacts at their corporate office. Sometimes the actual travelers are satisfied but the company contacts would love to save money on their travel and have a better value proposition to consider. I have had workers tell me they weren’t’ moving and then had the company tell them they had to move. Initially the workers weren’t happy with me but we eventually won them over and the company was happy they were saving money.

20. Make a parking lot plan that works for your property, execute it, make it fun, shift business and call Michael Fortner if you have questions at 919-740-7219. I will be glad to forward you sample parking lot shops, work with you to improve your shops and asssit any way to help you SHIFT business to your hotel. I have leterally done HUNDREDS of parking lot shops and shifted HUNDREDS of accounts and THOUSANDS of room nights over the years.

Three Corded Sales Approach

Three Corded Sales Approach

Story behind the three corded rope:

Earliest man determined that twisting fibers together and forming a small bundle, made the 'rope' stronger yet easy to maneuver and splice. Simply using one strand or fiber provided virtually no strength, two fibers added more but three strands twisted together in different directions - called plaiting or braiding, proved to be much more than three times stronger than the single strand. Finally, the strands work together when pressure is exerted on them, binding the fibers just as one would squeeze a rope to increase its strength. The more a rope is stretched, the more the three strands fuse or knot together, creating more durability.

The 3 cords that make up the sales effort at each property are GM, sales person and/or your whole staff & regional sales manager. At our GM meeting last week we discussed the three corded rope approach & outlined the responsibilities of each cord (see below). We demonstrated how easy it was to cut one rope. The sales effort at your property should not be done alone. Watch the attached video clip to see some other things that shouldn't be done alone (substitute the phrase "spiritual journey" near the end of the video clip with "sales journey"). Cutting two ropes is a little harder and you can even cut three ropes IF they are not woven together. If the three ropes/cords are woven together it is a lot harder to cut the rope. We will all be working together to make sure we have all three of these cords (GM, Sales effort, regional sales manager) are intertwined to make this sales rope as strong as possible.

Cord 1 – General Manager

A. Plan, oversee and guide the property sales effort.
B. Support sales person by praising, showing confidence in them and making them feel special.
C. Create a sales environment – office set up, literature, biz cards, attitude about sales, etc.
D. Free up sales person to do sales – staff accordingly, don’t default to using sales person for ops.
E. Convey that sales is a priority not a rewarding greatness check off item.
F. Train all employees to be sales people, generate leads and to sell rooms.
G. Show tough love when needed–if DOS getting slack, coming back in early on sales days, no new business.
H. Meet with sales person at least once a week and talk about sales, ask about sales call results, etc.
I. Hold your sales person accountable.
J. Keep up on current events, construction projects, other hotels, etc. that might impact hotel.

Cord 2 – Your sales person

A. Support GM and the overall sales process.
B. Maintain professional image and properly represent the hotel.
C. Keep up on current events, construction projects, other hotels, etc. that might impact hotel.
D. Conduct 40 proactive sales calls each month
E. Conduct parking lot shops at comp set hotels each week and call on accounts found.
F. Conduct research, make sales calls, follow up, book business and maintain accounts.
G. Meet with the GM each week and give regular updates all week on sales efforts
H. Be creative, give input and discuss ideas/potential business but remember the GM has the final say so.
I. Record sales calls, parking lot shops and report each month.
J. Communicate regularly with regional sales manager.

Cord 3- Regional Sales Manager

A. Oversee the overall sales efforts at all Choice properties.
B. Assist with hiring of sales people when needed and train all sales people on Generation sales techniques.
C. Hold sales people accountable by making sure sales calls, parking lot shops, etc. are done.
D. Provide feedback to sales people on anything they can do better and provide additional follow up training if
needed.
E. Provide feedback to GM’s on rates, market conditions, competitors and on efforts of sales people.
F. Provide in market sales/sales blitz’s when needed.
G. Team with the GM and sales person to form a three corded rope sales approach.
H. Motivate, encourage, energize and instill a positive thought process into sales people.
I. Assist sales people with maintaining key accounts.
J. Penetrate companies that have business in multiple Generation markets. Assist with Choice initiatives.

REMEMBER to Substitute the phrase "spiritual journey" with "sales journey" when you watch the video clip below:

Occupancy Stimulus Plan

For the last several weeks I have heard about a Stimulus plan that is being considered which will help to stimulate our economy. This plan might or might not be approved and if it is approved it might or might not help our economy which in turn might or might not help our hotel occupancies. Frankly this this leaves too much to chance so I think it is time be more proactive and implement an Occupancy Stimulus Plan (OSP). This OSP is virtually guaranteed to put business in your hotel. The OSP consists of the following components:

1. Put a very aggressive monthly rate in place.
2. Allow customers to pay monthly rate by the week if they need to.
3. Convert some of your 4 night a week stays to a monthly rate & promote that taxes fall off after a while.
4. Maintain a daily Craig's List ad with an agressive rate.
5. Offer a 3 day rate to capture more short term business.
6. Establish a "no walk" policy & educate everyone on how to fade to a lower rate.
7. Empower GSR's to go as low as needed to make sure no one walks away.
8. Offer Choice privileges to people who book business for your hotel.
9. Offer a commission to anyone that books rooms for your hotel.
10. Maintain aggressive rates on web sites, 3rd party bookings, discount channels, etc.
11. Conduct parking lot shops on Tuesday or Wednesday nights at comp set hotels AND hotels a
"notch above" your hotel to look for trade down opportunities.
12. Conduct a mini sales blitz with a team of 2 or two teams of two.
13. Go to a competitor's laundry room on a Saturday or Sunday and wash clothes. These are
busiest days for washing clothes (especially construction workers). You might opt to pay
someone to to this for you and offer them commission on booked business.
14. Call on apartments this week as a lot of them are filling up and no longer are offering short
term leases. There are also more credit turn downs so great opportunity to get business.
15. Visit ALL job sites and also call the corporate office of companies you find. A lot of them
would love to know they could save $ by switching to your hotel even if workers don't want
to switch.

The OSP has already passed the house (Rick and I) and senate (Ron and Rick) and President O'Daley's has given the nod to this plan. Implementation should be immediate. It is crucial that you make sure you implement all 15 items of this plan to maximize you hotel's occupancy.

Shift your way of thinking in order to shift business

One definition of "shift" is to move from one place, position, direction, etc., to another. I can't think of a better way to describe what we want to do with customers staying at competitive hotels! In order to effectively do this you have to act like a detective and "snoop around" at your competitors as well as doing some reconnaissance (parking lot shops). Most everyone reading this email knows you go to hotels in your competitive set late at night or early in the morning (preferably on Tuesday or Wednesday) and record any information you find on vehicles that might help identify the company staying at your competitor. Then the next day you call the customer and try to get them to saty with you. While this method has proven quite successful over the years in gaining business for our hotels I think it is time to apply another definition of the word shift ...."to change gears". I think it is time to SHIFT the way we think about the hotels we shop and the way we follow up with the ones we find (the subject of another blog).

Typically most sales people "shop" the hotels in their STAR report and any they consider to be similar to their hotel in amenities, type of hotel, price point, etc. In the past there wasn't a lot of need to shop the parking lot of a full service hotel if you were a economy extended stay hotel. However, due to a lot of factors (namely the economy) that is no longer the case. Guests are more conscience than ever of the perceived value of what they are getting at hotels and a lot of guests are willing to trade down if they feel they are still getting a great value for their money.
We recently had a great example of this as one of our GM's (Cheryl) was able to SHIFT an account that was staying at a newly renovated ESA Deluxe into a Suburban and then shift someone the next day from ESA.

I challenge each of you to shop at least three hotels you don't normally shop for the next 4 weeks (you don't have to choose the same three each week) and I can guarantee you will put yourself in a better position to win some new accounts. Also, please email me your parking lot shops each week so I can look for common accounts that might be in more than one market.

Let's shine in 2009!