In his 1984 article, "What Successful Sales Directors (and General Managers) Do", (attached) Howard Feiertag outlined key strategies for hotel sales success. His insights included understanding market knowledge, planning a balanced market mix, leveraging competitive advantages, implementing multiple pricing strategies, and maintaining strong business contacts.

Sales Strategies in the 1980s

During the 1980s, the hospitality industry was still heavily reliant on direct sales, in­ person networking, and traditional marketing techniques. Feiertag emphasized the importance of understanding customer behavior, segmenting the market effectively, and ensuring competitive positioning through price and service differentiation. His advice on cultivating business contacts was especially relevant in an era where personal relationships played a significant role in securing corporate and group bookings.

Relevance Today

Feiertag's principles remain highly relevant, though they have evolved with technology. His emphasis on understanding customers, adapting to market trends, and strategic pricing are still foundational to hotel sales. However, the digital transformation of the industry has shifted the tools and techniques used to implement these strategies.

Hotels today can balance Feiertag's traditional sales ideas with modern technological advancements to remain competitive in an increasingly data-driven and dynamic marketplace.

HOTEL-MOTEL MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE

By Howard Feiertag, C.H.S.E.

February, 1984

WHAT' SUCCESSFUL SALES DIRECTORS (AND GENERAL MANAGERS)· DO

In all sizes of lodging operations, the success of the Sales effort rests in the hands of the Sales Director and General Manager of a property. How well they perform in soliciting, booking and servicing reflects the overall success of a property. Although the following listing is by no means complete - it covers basically the 12 areas of knowledge, performance or involvement that will make people who are involved in the sales effort more successful.

1.    Good Market Knowledge: Who are the customers, where are they coming from, how did they get to select your hotel, why are they here, how long do they stay, how much do they spend, etc. Good Market Knowledge helps you direct your Marketing effort - getting the information is not enough - using it is what's important.

2.    Plan a good market mix: 'rhe mix of business reflects how much of what type of business you are doing. What percentage of your total room sales comes from meetings, wholesaler, retail travel agent, corporate, government, transient, etc. These categories of types of business usually have different rate structures. Naturally, by planning and going after a certain mix of business the sales generated can be more profitable.

3.    Knowledge of the Competative Edge: In competing for business with other hotels in your area, knowledge of the other hotels can help you size up your property to see where you can compete to your advantage - Factors are: location, price, size, product, service, amenities, etc. The idea, of course, is to sell your positives.

4.    Multiple Price Policy: There's nothing wrong with selective discounting. Hotels have been doing it for years. Off Season rates are usually lower - as are weekend rates - then there are corporate rates, group rates, wholesaler rates, and a wide variety of discounted rates for special users such as senior citizens, government employees, military, etc. Are they all really necessary? And are they generating business for you. Review all your rates periodically and determine what the multiple price policy should be.

5.    Good Business Contacts: Many Sales People, and General Managers, have good business contacts, but they just don't bring their business to the hotel. Get the business con­ tacts to work for you. Be sure they are frequent users of your property - use them as referrals - ask them for business and ask them to provide you with leads of others who can give you business. Good business contacts are only good if they can help you.

6.    Willingness to try new things: Most successful entrepreneurs would not be where they are today if they did not take a chance and try new things. Come up with some new ideas to promote business and then.try it. Develop new techniques in selling to book rooms - be creative 1n making proposals for groups - If only half the things you try work, you are still ahead of the game.

7.    Attention to Costs: Spending more than you take in - in any business - is dangerous. Cost effective­ ness in selling for a hotel is very important. As total sales expenditures start to creep up, we must continue to expect a greater return from the Sales effort. Budgeting for sales is a must and monitoring the budget against results is also a must.

8.    Good Management Procedures: Basic techniques of management are very important when it comes to a sales operation. We need to be concerned with doing a better job in: Communicating, Developing, training, motivating, planning, organizing, directing, controlling. It's not enough these days to hire a sales person and say "Go out and sell".

9.    High Quality People: Successful Managers look for and employ high quality people. Of all the factors that represent "quality", the most important are sincerity and credability. We're not looking for snobbery or fine family background, or high educational levels, or show-offs. What we want are down to earth, friendly, well dressed, well-mannered people, who will represent the hotel well.

10.  Realistic Growth Plans: Where are we today and where do we want to be next year, the year after, etc. What are possibilities for grownth for the Sales Director and/or General Manager. There should be a plan. Also,. growth plans for the amount of business that should be booked in future years. Each year a sales person is on a property more business should be booked than the previous year.

11.  Technical Efficiency: Without the technical "Know-How" of a job very few people can be successful. The Sales Director or General Manager has to have the knowledge of where to get business and how to get the business. People involved in sales must get involved in some sort of a continuing education program to become more proficient in the business. Two organizations that are geared to helping sales people become more technically proficient are Hotel Sales Marketing Association and Meeting Planners Internat­ ional.

12.    Aggressive Selling: Energetic, enthusiastic, hotel sales people generally are the ones that are aggressive - and they book the business. You can still be friendly, credible, sincere and at the same time agressive. Going after the business repeatedly - asking for the booking - following up regularly - and making sincere and believable proposals - gaining customer confidence - making many sales calls - working hard and smart is what agressiveness is - it works!