Tunnel Vision
A sales perspective
Over the years I have had the opportunity to observe many hotel sales people from both sides of the aisle, so to speak. I have sat in the hot seat right along with you as a sales person myself or Dos...and I've also sat in the hot seat for you...as the General Manager or Regional DOS being questioned about the results delivered by the team. In each of these roles, as I have evaluated my peers or my direct reports, I've often wondered, what are the most important traits for a salesperson to be truly successful?
Of course, there's the standard outgoingness, charm, etc. I have seen some pretty successful sales people who were not particularly strong in these areas. Conversely, I have known people who were extremely gregarious who were poor performers. So, what really matters?
I believe an essential skill all sales people must have is Tunnel Vision. Don't confuse this with sticking your head in the sand. A proper degree of Tunnel Vision allows a person to ignore the craziness around them, dig in and do what needs to be done.
It seems a good number of people think sales is a 'fluff' job, all wining, dining and socializing. Those people would be dead wrong. Sales is a tough job! While hotel sales people may not be selling a particularly complex product, they are selling to a very dynamic market, with huge swings in client mood, behavior and preference.
Additionally, the hotel world presents another unique circumstance, the rest of the hotel! A typical hotel is fraught with distractions, complications and operational issues. There are lots of challenges that can crop up every day that can get a sales person down and shake their faith in the product. A sales person without faith should work hard to restore said faith or move on. But, I digress. My point is, there's lots of things to distract. Which brings me back to the importance of Tunnel Vision.
Tunnel Vision allows a sales person to keep their thoughts and minds focused on the goal at hand, regardless of the challenges occurring in the hotel or even in the sales department. I believe this type of focus is what allows a sales person to keep on picking up the phone, knocking on doors and asking for the business. A sales person who is caught up in emotional bologna going on around them cannot, I repeat cannot, give their sales efforts the 100% focus required to achieve phenomenal results. A sales person must be passionate, which of course requires emotion. But, a sales person who invests emotion in things that are out of their control, which there's plenty of in a hotel, will not be completely effective.
Today, I am going to focus on Tunnel Vision...buckling in for the drive toward crazy, wild success!
