Dealing With Rejection

There really is no such thing! Not every organisation you contact will be in the market for what you offer; this is just the nature of business. The phone is the tool you are using for qualifying prospects. You are evaluating their business potential and then deciding whether to go any further. It is not a personal thing that they don’t have any potential for your hotel; they are not rejecting your offer they are just saying that it doesn’t suit their needs.

Warm Or Cold Calling

There is always a lot of discussion about the value of sending material to a prospect before you call. I have always found that it works best by:

• finding the decision maker by phone;
• sending a brief (no more than one page) introduction letter saying you will call;
• making a follow-up call to make an appointment or whatever.

 

Cold calling is definitely harder, and by sending something in advance at least you have made a reason to call. If you are calling because you were referred by a mutual contact then that is all the excuse you need. Just mention their name in your call and it is no longer a cold call but a follow-up from a reference.

Ask Questions

The most important objective in making a phone call to a prospect is to start a quality conversation about whether or not there is potential for both parties to do business. You can only do this by asking questions, especially those that begin with what, why, when, where, who and how. Make sure you avoid weak questions such as:

• ‘I’m just calling to catch up with you.’
• ‘I just wanted to see if there was anything you needed.’
• ‘I’m calling to introduce my hotel to you.’
• ‘I’d like to set up a time for you to visit my hotel.’

 

You need to open your calls with questions that relate to their objectives, not yours.

Very often the answer to your questions will be, ‘We’re fine with our current hotel.’ This may mean that they are fine or that things could be better. You need to probe a bit to keep the conversation going and to find out the real answer. Try, ‘You say things are fine. What service aspects would you improve if you could?’ or ‘What would prevent you trying an alternative hotel as a one-off experiment?’ Remember to keep treating the call as ‘research’. Even if they are an unlikely buyer now, you never know when they might need you. It can often take one or two years for a pay-off.

Don’t Get Pushed Around

Sometimes you have a high level contact who refers you on to someone else in the organisation that makes the decision about contracts or conferences. This can get very political, particularly when the person you are referred to doesn’t respond.

First of all make sure that you ask your contact that it is OK to get back to them with the result of your conversation with the decision maker: this is your route back. Then tell the decision maker (by voice mail if necessary) that you said that you would get back to your contact with the outcome by a specific day. This way you are fulfilling a promise, not telling tales.

Effective Telephone Techniques

• Speak very clearly; match your voice to the recipient.
• Sound really positive.
• Don’t accept offers to ‘call you back’.
• Stand up to call; it can make you feel more in control.
• Smile all the time; you really can hear it.

• Visualise looking the person in the eye.
• When the other person is talking, make encouraging comments.
• Use a headset; it allows you to make your usual gestures.
• Don’t eat or drink (or tap your pen); the sound travels.
• Make notes beforehand; be ready for anything.