Selling Steps to Success Refresh Tips: Preparing for the Call and Greeting

To Do Lists and Plan of Action

• Typically, everyone has a lot of things they want to get accomplished on a daily basis. In order to avoid becoming overwhelmed, before leaving for the day sit down and update the next day’s To Do List. Prioritize this list. Refer to you r To Do List throughout the day. Time can get away from you so don’t wait until the end of the day to review what needs to get accomplished. At that point there is often no way to fit in an activity that was supposed to have been completed earlier in the day. At the end of each day, review the list and make any necessary changes, additions, or deletions for the next day. • If you are in charge of a special project, no matter how small, create a separate “To Do” list of what you have to do in order to complete the project. This is your Plan of Action . Put realistic target dates next to each item and adhere to them. By having a plan in place to complete the project, you can incorporate it into your overall To Do List and ensure that deadlines are met. • Don’t plan to do more than you can accomplish and don’t schedule your time so tight, there is no room for deviation. The hotel business cannot be planned by the minute. You have to allow time for the day-to-day interruptions that you know will occur. So, allow time for those interruptions. This way it won’t inhibit your ability to accomplish your To Do List. The “Selling W i ndow” is the best time perio ds during the day to do direct sales such as outside sales calls and telemarketing calls. The selling window will vary depending upon the market you are soliciting and the time zone your customers are in. As an example, for a local corporate market it is approximately between 9 AM and noon, and 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. However, if you are selling to customers who are in a west coast time zone, your selling window would need to be adjusted if you are in the east coast time zone. The goal is, plan your direct sales when you have the HIGHEST opportunity to reach your prospect. To be great at what you do and to achieve the highest degree of success, administrative paperwork or other “non -dire ct sales” activities should not be done d uring the Selling Window on the days you have allocated for your solicitation efforts. The Selling Window

Prepare Your Questions

Before you go into a sales call, or telephone your client, or deal with an inquiry you should write down what questions you want to be sure to ask. While you may feel you know in your head what information you want, if you write them down you will ensure you get all the information you need. When you are planning to do several calls in one day, you frequently want to get different information from each contact. Writing down the questions ensures you do not forget to ask any of the questions you wanted to. Once the appointment is over, you may not have another opportunity to learn the information needed. Often the clients can get you off track. So being well prepared helps you maximize your time with them.

3 Refresh Tips_Preparing for the Call and Greeting

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