Hotel Sales Blog

FaceBook as a Sales Tool

April 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales, social networks

In a recent Power Selling seminar for a hotel management company, I had a participant who had totally incorporated her FaceBook page into her sales process. She blew me away!

It goes something like this. First of all, she built a robust ‘Friends’ network of clients. Secondly, one day she and her GM were brainstorming on how to get business for the upcoming slow season. They thought of an idea to promote the winter season on FaceBook to scrapbookers.

After they began their campaign, a strange thing happened. Other client ‘friends’ responded saying that while they were not scrapbookers, they did have business during the winter and could they have the same deal?

Sabrina responded yes they could and when would be a good time to come and see them? Then a tour operator posted tour series dates on the wall and asked her to repsond if she could accomodate them.

Sabrina then began posting her sales call schedule and asking her ‘freinds’ if she could come and see them. She soon had her appointment schedule filled with new prospects and existing clients that wanted to see her when she was in their area.

This is a perfect example of how a social network can be integrated into the sales process. Considerations for success:
1. Don’t invite your competitors to be Freinds or Fans on your page.
2. Push out promotions but also things of interest about yourself, your hotel and your area — it shouldn’t always be about pushing business.
3. Use your page as a service to your clients — give them opportunities to be part of your business such as asking if you can come see them during sales calls in their area.

BTW, she never booked one scrapbooking group but the other clients that saw the post and booked other groups more than made up the difference.

Congrats Sabrina Bowman on a job extremely well done!