Nurturing your Hotel Group Leads

You have invested time and effort in a Hotel Group Lead Generation Program. You have generated a number of leads and prospects interested in maintaining contact.

Now the fun really starts – how do you keep your lead generation investment from losing value? Statistics show that successful sales organizations attempt to reach a contact 6-8 times before they are ready to buy your product or service.

To be successful in keeping your brand top of mind, Hotel Sales & Marketing Managers should have a concrete action plan in place to nurture leads. Here are some best practices we've observed in the field:

1. Email communication. Drip campaigns are great to help you with your lead nurturing program. This can be with newsletters with timely tips on meeting planning (i.e. green meetings, team building activities, bridging generational gaps at your meetings, etc). With Email marketing – large chain hotels may be at a disadvantage when it comes to creating custom content. Likely, the content would need to be approved by Corporate and have to follow their pre-determined Standard Operating Procedures – which can be very time consuming. However, if you set up a group of contacts in your email software and when an interesting press release is posted on your corporate website, share it with them with a personal note attached; it will draw their attention back to your website.
2. Send them a personal handwritten note. With email, how many people get anything but bills in the mail anymore? As you build the relationship, send them a card on a special day in the year. While the holiday season is a fevered time to do this, pick something out of the ordinary to draw their attention. Last year one hotel chain, whose ownership is mainly based in Asia, sent out cards on Chinese New Year instead of Christmas – the Christmas card rush was over, and it drew the attention of planners.
3. Send a Fax. Who uses a fax machine anymore? Occasionally some clients still use the fax for signed contracts, but more often it is used by travel discounters to advertise low price cruises! But don't be too quick to dismiss this means of communication. Recently our team at Greenfield tested this out. We sent a fax to prospect clients. The message was simple: we know that it is budget time and that they are “crazy busy”, but have they thought about prospecting efforts for their next fiscal year? The call to action was to email/call us for further assistance, and within 24 hours we received three responses. One contact in particular said that it drew her attention as they never receive personal faxes anymore!
4. Send them the information they need. Chances are, during the lead generation process, a lot of information has been gathered. Focus on the meeting specifications that were provided and put a package together that suits your targeted meeting planners’ needs.
5. Social Media. Do you have a blog, or does your corporate site have one? Are you on LinkedIn or Twitter? Connect with the planner as many ways as you can. When something is posted about your property, ensure that it is forwarded to your connections.

The trick to effective lead nurturing is to ensure that you are not inundating prospects with too much information too frequently. Plan “touches” 4-6 weeks apart, so that they consider it a friendly reminder that you are there for them, versus over-advertising yourself/your brand.

Competitive Research & List Building – Can You Afford NOT to Do It?

Do you know what groups are having their meetings at destinations or hotels within your competitive set?  This knowledge can assist your DMO or property to draw business your way.   The list of who has been to such-and-such (competitive) hotel could be a very worthwhile one to be prospecting!

Greenfield has executed many projects that combine both online market research and lead generation efforts and we’ve found that, on average, up to 10% more leads can be generated this way.

The first lead generation project was completed for an independent resort property.  We conducted this in two phases – first, we conducted online research on their competitors to see what groups were advertising a meeting/event at these competitive hotels. We located the contact information on the organization’s website, along with the name of the event planner (if readily available).  We then contacted each organization to determine if the hotel we were representing would make sense as an upcoming meeting destination. Results were very positive:

• We were making a “warm call”.  Because they had met at a competitor’s we knew they were qualified for our hotel client.  They were likely to be resort users, and be able to afford our client’s rates.  Clients were much more responsive when we referenced past events.  We were also able to ask more probing questions: “I was just on your website, and saw that your 2010 conference was held at XYZ hotel, did you find that it was successful?  What made you decide to hold it there?  Have you ever considered our property as a meeting destination?”
• Proof is in the results:  An investment of $6,500 for this particular project, we generated over 80 new business leads, representing over 28% of the records we gathered and prospected.  These leads represented over 21,000 total potential room nights for total potential revenue of $3,000,000.  Now that’s lots of business for their sales team to pursue!

Another recent competitive research project was city hotel looking to see what their competitors are quoting for Corporate Rates.  The hotel director of sales identified 75 companies for us to represent as mystery shoppers in calls to five of their closest competitors.  We picked specific dates and asked what their availability was, along with the rates and inclusions for each account.   The resulting report enabled our hotel client to make educated decisions about what corporate rates should be proposed for 2012.  They were also able to assess what inclusions should be offered, ensuring they were positioned with the greatest competitive advantage possible.

The type and depth your CVB or hotel requires may vary, but in the end devoting time to online and competitive research will help you gain market share and grow your business!

Outsource your Hotel Group Lead Generation or Keep it In-House?

Obviously, we would like you to outsource your Lead Generation efforts. It’s our business. But I have been reading up on this particular topic, and feel I should explain why it makes sense:

• There is a dedicated team working for you. While you may hire a coordinator or assistant to help you in the Sales Department to conduct Lead Generation, often their goals will shift. They will need to assist with contracts, follow-up with existing contacts, preparation for tradeshows/upcoming events, and servicing those contacts who are bringing a group to your city/property already. Realistically, how often are they able to spend daily on the phone generating new business for you? Probably not as much as you hope. Outsourcing provides an option where the team is doing nothing but lead generation on your behalf.

• Depending on the level of commitment, outsourcing can help you nurture the relationship until it is Sales-Ready. One of our largest clients uses our services to conduct lead generation on their behalf all year long. It takes a team of 3-4 employees on average per month who generate new leads, and nurture the relationship until it is time for the hotel to submit a proposal. The turn-around for this based on their definition is that the prospect wants to hear from a Sales Manager at the hotel within a 24-hour window of time from our last contact point. Between the initial contact and that point, we are sending newsletters, following up with calls to ensure that they have from us what they need, etc. We have been given personal email addresses with our clients’ network and use this to continue our communication.

• Outsourcing can help provide better results. Yes, your in-house person is on-site, but as mentioned above, will easily get distracted with other tasks needed to be taken care of on a daily basis. A blog posted by The Fearless Competitor, Jeff Ogden in February 2011 states that outsourcing can provide over 40% better results than in-house lead generation. Some of the top rated reasons for this are “Clear Client Profiling, Follow-up and Feedback, Multi-Channeled Approach and Less Cost.”

Just ensure when conducting your research that you try and select a company that is an expert in your market. Do they know your business? How much initial training will be needed to get them up and running? Ask for references if you can. It will help you make the right decision when it comes to growing your business.

Hospitality Prospecting - Cold Calling Made Warm.....

One of the earliest lead generation projects that I worked on was one that made me feel I was truly successful. In this project the client allowed for extra time in the budget for us to gather group history for each association. This entailed going on their website and looking at where the group had been in the past.

It was unbelievable the difference it made in each conversation. There was an honest connection made with every meeting planner I spoke to, like I hadn’t experienced on projects prior to that one. Mind you I was still quite “green” at the time and had very little experience in Lead Generation.

So it was quite literally the perfect way for me to learn exactly how I wanted to handle each prospecting call going forward. It also helped me feel at ease with the people I was speaking with, I didn’t feel like I was going into the call “blind”.

All of a sudden I was more comfortable on each call. I had planners telling me how it was such a refreshing change to have someone show that kind of initiative. How they appreciated that I had taken the time to research what the organization was about and the details of their meetings & events. It made them feel like I thought they were important enough to take the extra time.

I remember speaking with this one lady in particular; who was so impressed that I had gone the extra distance. She told me that normally she planned her events 2 years out but wanted a call back even sooner because I made her feel important.

Such a simple thing like taking a few minutes to look at the companies’ website, follow the links to their events page, gather the details of their conferences or AGM and just being a little bit more prepared for each call.
You know what they say…

"Do unto others"…People want to know they matter and they want you to…

• Be polite 
• Engage

• Recognize/ Retrieve (background information)       
• Empathize                                              
• Acknowledge/Ascertain (that information is correct/don’t assume) 
• Listen

Is Database Cleansing on your Spring Cleaning To-Do List?

We all know working with clean data is the best option, but how often does it slip our minds to do, and only becomes important when it is too late?

All year long, Sales Managers are visiting tradeshows, participating in conventions, and prospecting, and this data is ultimately going to end up in your CRM.

 Based on what I have seen, this data gets uploaded right away and many Sales Departments have no idea if they can even consider your city/hotel.

And then, in a few months, they will use this data when conducting email campaigns, mailings, and other marketing activities and hope for the best.

I believe that Data Cleansing has two levels – the first is to ensure that the contact is still there and that their contact information is correct. With constant turnover, knowing who you need to speak with is important, as contacts in the roles you are looking for are ever-changing.

However, the second level is more important than the first. It would include ensuring that the contact is still there and the information you have on them is correct, but ask one very simple question – can you consider our city/hotel?


Do this before you upload this list into your CRM. That way, what does get uploaded in the end is the right stuff for you. Think of how much time and money you will save in your Marketing budget if you do not have to deal with return mail as often.

When should you do this? The answer is simple – as often as you can! We have written some tips in the past, which I think maintain their relevance.

Whether you assign this task to a coordinator, or you outsource to a solution provider, it is one of the biggest ways to stay on top of your Sales in the marketplace.

The Economic Impact of the Meetings Industry in Canada vs. the USA

In 2008 the Canadian meetings industry generated more than 673,400 meetings involving 69,749,000 participants and resulting in just over $71 Billion in industry output, directly accounting for 222,900 full-time jobs (source: Meeting Professionals International Foundation Canada, 2008).

Recently a coalition of 14 U.S. tourism and meetings industry associations (including MPI, PCMA, ASAE, DMAI) released its own study of the economic impact of its meetings.  Working with 2009 data, research firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers USA (PwC) found the U.S. meeting industry had 1.8 million meetings, with 205 million attendees, producing $907 billion in output (direct, indirect and induced), and supporting 1.7 million jobs.

Comparing data between Canada & the US is dangerous because we are looking at difference years (Canada 2008 and U.S. 2009).  Still Canada's $71 Billion total industry output vs. $907 Billion in the U.S. means that the Canadian meetings industry represents 7.8% of the U.S.  This, while the Canadian population represents 11% of the USA.

I for one was a bit surprised at these results.  We're having fewer meetings in Canada when compared to the U.S.?  Or maybe we get to attend more meeting in the U.S. and not here!

So we’re starting to understand what we represent in economic terms, which is important possibly for lobbying purposes when it comes to taxes and infrastructure.  But what does it mean for individual hotels, CVBs, or planners themselves?  Well until we have historical trends, it may be a bit early to tell.

But where are we in terms of understanding what meetings represent in human terms?  Or as the program for National Meetings Industry Day organized by the Montréal-Québec MPI Chapter asked recently, what does the meetings industry represent to the socioeconomic landscape?

Proving the true value of face-to-face meetings is the next challenge for the meetings industry.  We need to better understand why and when a meeting should be face-to-face (F2F) vs. virtual or nothing at all.  We need scientific evidence.  Are we up to the challenge?

Managing Expectations for Hospitality Lead Generation Campaigns

My job entails working with our clients to set up their project.  In doing so I often find myself clarifying expectations and discussing the anticipated results of the lead generation effort.

Yes, the main part of our role is to conduct solid days of prospecting.  We find new business opportunities for our clients, and our team commits to conducting 8-hour days of prospecting on their behalf.


However, to manage expectations, we have to set them up at the outset.  Our clients need to know what to expect from us in connect rates, lead averages, and overall interest levels.  So, here are a few things I provide clients so they understand what to expect.

Unless you plan on calling each person on your list until you do have a conversation (good or bad), no list is ever 100% reachable.  In hospitality lead generation campaigns, we typically see an average of 65-70% connect rate, resulting in either a positive outcome (potential business) or a negative result (no interest).  This percentage is based on 3 to 5 call attempts, though it will vary widely depending on the management level targeted (the higher up the corporate ladder, the harder executives are to reach), and the quality or age of the data. 

It would be great to get a lead out of every contact; but from a goals perspective, it is not feasible.  When I say lead, I am referring to a prospect who can consider your hotel or resort, and has provided specifics on an event.  AND they are interested and would like to continue to hear from you.  With this type of project, we see  average lead rates between 2-5%, which varies depending on the type of hotel and destination, as well as the types of clients we are calling upon.  It can be higher; but this is the typical range we have experienced.

Some contacts may not be able to provide meeting or event specifications at the time of the call, but are interested in your facilities or destination.  We deem these "interested prospects" and always recommend that these be placed on a regular nurturing list to receive an e-newsletter, promotional mailings, etc.

This follows our Funnel Activator philosophy which says that most new business relationships must be built over time, increasing trust with each interaction.  Typically, if the list we are working with is relatively good, we expect to produce an additional 5-10% of contacts who are interested in continuing building a relationship with the supplier.

So, if you were working with a list of 1,000 records, you could expect to finish with 650-700 definitive outcomes, 20-50 leads, and 50-100 additional contacts interested in receiving information about your company.

How does this line up with what you are doing?