Methods of Personal Selling

There are various methods of personal selling: 1. Sales Calls 2. Telephone selling 3. Internal selling 4. Entertaining

1-SALES CALLS

Local sales calls is your day to day work. Set up your target of how many sales calls per week you feel feasible. Follow this programme, as a high rate of calls will definitely produce new business. Sales trips might be useful to travel outside your local area in order to reach other markets. Do not rely on your "gut feeling" as to what market segments are significant. Get in touch with your local airline, your national tourist office or with other official institutions. Find Out where the business comes from. Try to combine your sales trips with major travel industry congresses. a) Visits are made to: i) Commercial organizations; ii) Industrial organizations; iii) Government and semi government organizations; iv) Traders and merchants; v) Professionals and educationalists; vi) The town elite; vii) Social organizations such as the Rotary and Clubs; viii) Multinational local representatives; ix) Embassies and International Organizations x) Professionals e.g. lawyers, architects consultants etc. xi) The rest, any other organizations whose needs can be served. b) For all sales calls, careful planning is required and the following suggestions may help: i) Have a specific reason to call; ii) Try to avoid sales calls to pass the time; iii) Never say; I happened to be in the area and I dropped in to see you; iv) Give a good reason for your call;

v) Learn as much as possible about the organization you are visiting before of your visit. vi) Have your sales ideas and tools ready before you make a call. vii) Set your target for every personal call. Either it should be a definite promise or it should be for the collection of maximum information. c) Besides the above-mentioned personal preparations, basic, sales be considered: a-Be friendly but do not behave in an over familiar manner Make sure you are punctual. Introduce yourself clearly. Your prospect's time is valuable - do not waste it. Make your point quickly. Try to get as much information from him as possible and build your sales around his comments. Make your customer feel important; try to find out his problems, offer your assistance in solving them. a-Use sales kit tools to better explain your facilities. Have floor plans, menus, photographs, etc., available. Avoid saying "I don't know" if specific questions on your Properties are asked. Repeat any promises of follow up in order to clarify your proposed actions with the customer. And always use his name. Do not oversell. Leave promptly when your business is completed etiquette should

2. TELEPHONE SELLING It is important to use the telephone as often as possible in order to contact the customer but disturb him as little as possible. The two types of telephone selling are: 1-Receiving incoming calls regarding Hotel facilities. 2-Placing outgoing calls to increase business. The only advantage of outgoing calls is your preparation before calling the customer. If he calls you - you have to be ready to answer him on the spot. Also, during sales calls by telephone, some etiquette must be considered. a-Analyze your customer's needs as quickly as possible then give him the answer in terms of facts and figures. b-Try to speak his language! A function room explained to a Lady may be described as "charming", the same room described to a man may be "right atmosphere for functional business meetings". 3. INTERNAL SELLING The internal selling involves the product mix to existing customers. The customer has already made the first step by coming in, therefore, it is our internal selling to increase their

average spending. Whereas external selling/ promotion increases the number of customers or external. The entire staff is involved in one form or the other - the internal selling. 4. ENTERTAINING The prospect is invited to the establishment which gives him a real opportunity to sample the product over lunch and, later, a grand tour of the hotel, in order to showing him / her the facilities. Although, this type of selling is limited to the fact that it is expensive but in the pre-opening stage, it is very effective and also necessary.