Why is venue and hotel sales training in higher demand than ever? The answers are clear:
- Customer expectations are higher.
- Competitor activity is noisier.
- An old school smile and dial approach is no longer cutting it.
But it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got a serious HR problem if your sales team is losing momentum, motivation, or margin. It might simply be time for a refresh.
“The first clue that your team needs sales training is, of course, the lack of sales and money.” said John Asher, CEO of Washington based growth strategy consultants Asher Strategies, in his LinkedIn article 5 Key Symptoms Your Team Needs Sales Training
“But beyond these glaringly obvious items, there are other red flags which indicate that a formal sales training programme (rather than firings) needs to be implemented in hurry.”
So, what are these “glaringly obvious items” he describes?
Here are five telltale signs your sales team needs training, and what to do about it.
1. The Need for Hotel Sales Training is Real When They’re Competing on Price – and Losing!
It’s a red flag you urgently need venue sales training when your team’s closing strategy is slashing rates. And here’s why:
- Competing on price alone turns your hotel, venue, or service into a commodity.
- You’ll attract bargain hunters who entangle you in a race to the bottom, not loyal, quality clients.
- It bypasses the opportunity to dig into what the client actually values.
Accordingly, your team (and broader business) will benefit from hotel sales training to master the art of value-led selling and confidently overcoming price objections, without giving everything away.
2. They Keep Losing Out to the Competition
Do deals keep slipping through your fingers more often than you’d like?
It’s probably about your positioning rather than your facilities, because the most successful teams know:
- What the competition is doing
- Where your property stands out
- How to swiftly and impactfully articulate the difference
For all these reasons, expert sales training for hotel staff helps teams design meaningful USPs and leverage them in sales conversations.
3. They’re Talking More Than Listening
You’ve got a problem if you sales team haven’t yet cottoned on great salespeople have two ears and one mouth.
The thing is, today’s buyers want to feel heard, not hustled. This means learning to:
- Ask great needs-based questions
- Listen with intent
- Present tailored solutions with relevant success stories
This is why consultative sales in hospitality is an in-demand skill, turning sales pitch-heavy team members into trusted partners.
4. Their Prospecting Game Is Stuck in the Past
Still relying on cold calls and brochure blasts circa 1988? It’s about as relevant in the 21st century as shoulder pads!
Today’s buyers need a contemporary approach, including:
- Omnichannel touchpoints
- Hyper-personalisation
- Creative outreach with real strategy behind it
All this calls for hotel sales training to help your team fill their pipeline in today’s digital first environment.
5. They’re Missing Opportunities to Upsell or Cross-Sell
You’re leaving money on the table if your team only sells what the client asks for. Whereas top performers know how to:
- Spot hidden opportunities
- Join the dots between needs and services
- Start bigger picture conversations
The good news is leading venue sales training equips sales teams with frameworks and tools to confidently recommend more, without sounding pushy or insincere.
Isn’t it Time You Raised the Bar?
Are your team is showing one or more of the above signs? It’s a sign they’re ready for fresh skills, new thinking, and results-driven hospitality sales training.
At Selling Savvy, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Get in touch to chat about how our flexible, industry-specific hotel sales training helps your team sell more and smarter.
