Learn From the Past, Work in the Present, Plan for the Future and Make It Happen | Sales Inspiration

In planning for your future, it is always wise to take some time to think about past history and what we can learn from it in order to more fully enjoy and maximize our present position - personally and professionally - and not repeat past mistakes. Also, taking time to think about what we want our future to look like allows us to put plans in action NOW in order to achieve those goals. Here are some good questions/lessons to think about. . .

What We Can Learn From The Past:

1. Where were our most rewarding prospecting efforts focused?

2. Always fine tune our communication skills - both verbal and written!

3. Finish one task before you start another.

4. Have our hand in all market segments in case one or the other falls off.



What We Want Our Future to Look Like (create your own goals here - here's an example!):

1. Own the Hospitality Industry - Be the Benchmark - Create the Trends

2. Make our personal financial goals.

3. Make exceeding our customer's satisfaction a primary goal so they become our biggest fans and sources for referral business.

4. Work smarter, not harder!



What We Will Do in the Present to Make it All Happen:

1. Market to who is spending money now

2. Connect with all aspects of your business - Target all markets

3. Build on current business to accommodate their expanding needs

4. Increase prices if appropriate and timely

5. Work your marketing plan!

6. Have a balanced life. . .

Article by Lynne LaFond DeLuca

A Lesson in Teamwork : From Deep in the Chilean Mines

While this is an old news story, the lesson gained from it is timeless.

Who would have thought that deep in the Chilean mines there would lay a lesson in teamwork applicable to the world? It's being called a miracle. . . after 69 days trapped in a collapsed mine, all 33 Chilean miners and their rescuers were pulled to safety amid the cheering and tears from family and friends standing by waiting to catch a glimpse of their loved ones.


How in the world did they do it? How were they able to survive? As the stories continue to unfold and probably will for years, we will undoubtedly continue to see stories of undeniable courage, faith, tenacity, inner strength and sheer will to live. What we do know now, is that for the first 17 days, the miners were completely cut off from the world above ground, and they did not know that anyone knew they were still alive. How they survived those 17 days on food and water that should have lasted them 2 days is in itself a miracle. The men were exhausted, terrified and unsure what would happen next. They started fighting amongst themselves. This could have been a disaster all in itself, then something incredible happened. The team foreman stepped up to the plate, as he had many times before with his team, recognized the downward spiral that they were on, and started organizing the men. He separated them into groups, assigned them tasks, gave them each a purpose. The men then began to feel some hope. Especially on the 17th day when a drill broke into the cavern where they were trapped and they knew they had been found.


The human spirit and will is amazing and capable of incredible things when faced with adversity. In fact, it may be when we are our very best. There is a huge lesson in this for all of us, that these 33 men have taught us, and I could not help but think about our special events industry and the difficult road that many of our vendors, service providers and locations have endured these past couple of years. Here are a few lessons we can take away from this ultimate challenging situation:

People can operate, and operate at an optimum level, under extreme conditions. It is during these adverse times that we challenge ourselves to be more creative, step up, make a change.

Teamwork is everything. Without each other and the support that we can provide each other, the outcomes can be altered dramatically. When you need help, ask for it. Go to your team. Create answers together. You will all be collectively stronger than any one of you alone.

Step up as a leader. If you are fortunate to work under a strong, determined, open-minded leader, then learn from that and let that example teach you how to treat other people. If you do not have this example, then decide how you can be that example for other people. Great leaders surround themselves with the best people possible and make their people into better people and even great leaders as well.

Emotion is always part of it. The tears, hope, singing, inspiration and love that was shown by people all over the world drew the world closer together. Business is not just about business. Business is about people, and people relate on an emotional level.

Article by Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President

Focus on Special Events Business | Returning to Basics

The special events business and hospitality industry is constantly changing - blink, and you may miss a hairpin turn and continue straight, right off the cliff, so to speak.  However, with technology and strategies all changing at lightning speed , there are still some basics that stay the same and will never change.  In all our years of consulting and ever more so in the recent years of economic challenge, we encourage businesses to return to basics.  What does this mean and how do you do it?

Returning to Basics
1.  Know your market and strengths and focus on this exclusively.
2.  Stop doing what is not bringing in revenue.
3.  Invest in areas where customers want it.  Hint: Use your social media to help get a feel for who your customers are and what they want.
4.  Whatever you decide 1-3  above is for you, stick to it and become known as being reliable for it and giving a consistent experience.

To Discount or Not to Discount?
One of the most common questions in a hard or recovering economy is  whether or not to discount your product or service.  The second most-common question is how much to discount, how long the discounting should take place or should be used. 

Discounts are no longer a point of reference for .  If all you do is compete on price alone, you will never be able to win.  While low rates may initially attract consumers to a product, indiscriminate discounting can isolate current clients as it decreases perceived quality.  But further, it does not guarantee that new customers will become long-term , loyal customers.  To help ensure this does not happen, the following are recommendations:

1.  Have a knowledge of who you want to target.  This is focused discounting to a specific market for a specific service or product and time. 

2.  Carefully watch your competitor's actions.  In the Beverly Clark OnLine Wedding Hospitalty Training Program, there is a dedicated exercise in the Final Exam to help you do just that.

3.  Find your USP - your Unique Selling Proposition - to see how you are different from the competition other than monetarily.  Go beyond to find out where there needs that are not being fulfilled and then fill those niches and make that your differential. The Beverly Clark OnLine Wedding Hospitality Training Program walks you through other ways to help determine your USP as well.

Tying all of this together is a matter of drawing from your history - the strengths, failures, opportunities - and involving your team as well as balancing the feedback of your customers.  Social media has proven an invaluable tool for this in helping to create custom products and packages based on the demand. 

One major airline "returned to basics" with three simple things they decided to focus on:  1.  Baggage that arrives with the plane   2.  A clean plane    and   3.  Friendly customer service.  They forgot all the other "bells and whistles" because they were not bringing in revenue and decided to focus exclusively on those three areas. 

If you focus on the basics - whatever those are for you - and provide service and a product without confusion or irregularities for the customer, you have the potential to increase your revenue the best way possible:  simply.

By Kerry Lee Dickey

Sales & Marketing Inspiration | Team Marketing for Event Professionals

Creating an effective sales and marketing plan appropriate to your marketplace and your specific property is somewhat of an art and requires some inspiration. If you are a seasoned catering and event professional who has been in your marketplace for a substantial period of time, you probably have a very good "temperature read" of what programming you should be doing and when. Old ideas can always need a fresh twist, though, or maybe a slight adjustment in order to gain more prospects from the same program. Utilizing your other department heads for a brainstorming session is a great way to gain a new perspective on how you can increase the revenues in your department. Some of the benefits to implementing weekly (or monthly, whatever is appropriate for your property) brainstorming sessions with your other departments include:

• Creating specific action plans geared at revenue enhancements
• A proactive, energetic approach to achieving goals vs. crisis management

• A system to monitor performance versus goals which will allow for better accountability and increased revenues

• Enable each team member to increase their personal effectiveness

By using your team in the brainstorming process, you are increasing your "brain power" to include all the members of your team, and any other group you wish to include. Marketing ideas get easier and easier with a group approach.

Once appropriate ideas have been turned into marketing programs, stay on top of your activities that are necessary in order to carry out a successful marketing plan. FOLLOW THROUGH on all steps of your marketing program, including tracking your results. That way, when you go to implement the same idea again next year, you will have a mechanism for remembering what about the program was successful and what you need to change. Soon, you will find the marketing plan process a creative outlet that guarantees financial success rather than a necessary evil!

By Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President, Beverly Clark Hospitality Training