Let's stop faking it. Deliver the customer service that you want to receive, and sell honestly in such a way that you would want to buy from you. Consumers today seek and crave authenticity since there's too much garbage always getting in the way of the truth and what's genuine. No more acting or saying what you think will give you the best end result. Instead, speak the truth and make yourself proud. Yes, this is your Oprah moment, and you too could become rich (if you aren't already).

"If we are prepared, we shall not fear." -Quentin L. Cook

So often people tell me that selling is one of the scariest and toughest parts of their jobs. The #1 reason why they feel this way is because they aren't prepared enough.  To be prepared, you have to have thorough knowledge, a winning game plan, and lots of practice.  These things, coupled with actually engaging in several real sales conversations, will diminish these fears greatly.  I do say that if someone in sales does not have at least a slight amount of nervousness, he/she has lost the edge and passion behind gaining a sale, so don't allow yourself to get complacent. 

What tips do we have for being successful in sales?  Check out this most useful infographic as it gives you 4 easy steps for mastering the process:

This is no joke! Check out April's ProActive Special.

I challenge all of you sales people out there to answer one question ~ honestly. Would you buy from you? Consider all you bring to your sales table, your approach, the words you choose, your voice, your appearance, and mannerisms. Would you get the attention of the perspective buyer, or would they continue their search?

The sales person, in the beginning, is the initial attraction to the product being sold. The importance of this moment in the sales process can't be overlooked or underestimated. If the perspective buyer can't connect with the sales person, they often won't even consider what is being sold. 

Sales is all about leading the prospective buyer to making the decision to buy your product through exploratory understanding of their needs. If these steps have been successfully executed, then the final steps are not only necessary, but they are also in keeping with the natural flow of the call. We find that for some sales people, the cost of this final step is too high. Instead, they choose a polite and perhaps "safe" approach of, "Let me know if this is something you would like to consider?" 

For hotels, the competition for securing sales and catering business is at a high. This record-breaking level of competitive demand is not forecasted to stop any time soon, so what can hotels do to maximize the amount of business that they reel in?  Differentiation is key.