"What is one of the most important pieces of information that you often see left out of a bid?”

In my "perfect world" every bid should be accompanied by a $5 BevMo e-certificate. I do around 300 meetings a year so that would add up. :) Seriously speaking, my answer may surprise you....the bidding hotel's direct web site! This is easily the property's best selling tool. Yet, often it's either missing or it's just a generic link to the hotel's brand or management company. And sometimes when I do get a link it's this ridiculous 500-character scripture that looks more like the NASA launch codes than a web site link. It's very difficult to cut and past the latter for a client.

" Do you think it’s important to have my cell number among my contact information? "

SPOILER ALERT my answer is going to go in a different direction.

My quick answer to your question is your own comfort level. It’s up to you if you want to contemplate taking a client’s call during Game of Thrones. If we see your cell number, we will think that’s an open invitation to call it if we need to reach you. I know some sales manager’s who keep a business and a personal cell phone.

Now, that “different direction” I alluded to: Let’s just talk about your office line as it appears in your e-mail signature information. Depending how that phone number is formatted (e.g. dots, dashes, spaces, in an image box, etc.) my cell phone cursor may not be able to recognize it as an actual phone number, preventing me from quickly calling you. Try sending yourself your contact info. Then in the e-mail see if your cursor recognizes it as a phone number. It’s often surprising that it doesn’t work. And the irony is, what do you want more than anything else? To talk to the client. Make sure we can dial you.

"Often I'm trying hard to secure a contract signing by the end of a month for quota purposes. Do you have a suggestion to enhance my chances?"

Sure! Drink heavily! Pray! Bribe! LOL. Here's a thought, don't make the due date the last day of the month. Let's say, for example, you want the contract back by September 30. I'd recommend making the due date September 25, about 5 working days in advance. Many company Legal departments prioritize contract reviews by due date, and often find themselves giving initial feedback on the due date. Then there are the subsequent revised versions, followed by the signatory process. By building in a small date buffer you may get your feedback on the "fake" due date and allow enough time to process the contract by the desired date.

"I read through all the Questions from the Trenches and found it enlightening. I saw one about credit apps (as in which ones to send). So I was wondering if you had any ideas about getting credit apps in a client’s hands quickly?"

You did?! (read through everything?) You found it, what was the word? Enlightening? I find Vodka to be enlightening myself. :) Anyway, I think you answered your own question. As soon as you get that joyous request from a client to go to contract on a short-term program, IMMEDIATELY get the credit apps in their hands. Why wait until the contract process is done to do that? Keep the process moving...and I’ll do the same with the Vodka.

"How important is the Food and Beverage Minimum in my initial offer to Groups?"

You said “beverage” in your question? Always Road Warrior’s favorite topic. Let me tell you about this wonderful glass of wine that I had the other..... whoops, sorry, got side tracked. :)

Typically, we realize that a hotel won’t lose a program over that number, but that said, if your bid is significantly above the competition, it’s going to negatively stand out. I know that the number is usually computer-generated based on the planned meals and number of attendees. But often sales managers just blindly plug in that number into the bid without thinking about it. I’ve eliminated hotels in the short-term frenzy just on that criteria alone.

So that all said, my advice is take a look at the overall program. Does the importance of the group’s sleeping room revenue take priority over any F & B consumed? Every situation is different of course. I suggest just a strong minimum number you need to qualify the space, and/or convey in your bid that it’s just a number based on the specs and you won’t lose the bid over that.

"An RFP wanted me to bid on one program but offer availability on three sets of dates. The reasoning was because the client was not sure which date they would ultimately use (subject to all attendees’ schedule openings still TBD). I had all three dates but the rates were different. And the first date was the highest priced. Do you recommend placing the bids in date order or rate order?"

My answer is based on the client’s familiarity with your hotel. If it’s a repeat client and knows your usual rate structure, then date order would suffice. However, if the first date is much higher in price than the other two, I would recommend pointing that out first, before listing the prices. If the client is new to your hotel, then it’s best to list the lower price date first. The last thing you want is the buyer to see the first date (and higher rate) and stop reading if it’s above the budget in their mind.

But no matter what, I feel you should start your presentation stating that you’re presenting pricing on all three (and if you only have one or two dates, make reference to the dates you don’t have availability). My favorite phrase is “I know you asked for...”. This alleviates any ambiguity in the client’s eyes. So, for example, “I know you asked for bids on three sets of dates, I only have one date available”.

Oh, and my second favorites phrase? “Why yes, I will have another drink.” :)

"Help. Sometimes after I finish contract negotiations with a 3rd Party on behalf of a client, I then get “adjustments” from the client Meeting Planner, then from the client Procurement Office, and then from the client Legal Staff. That is four people! What can I do about that?"

"Nothing. Next question.

LOL I feel your pain. You know, every 3rd Party has different levels of abilities and services to their client; and each client has different levels of contract reviews and procedures. There are just too many scenarios. That said, if you’re concerned, anxious, frustrated, and/or in need of Valium or Vodka, the suggestion I toss out is to be proactive. Make it clear, in writing, to the 3rd Party, that once you’ve agreed to terms, you understand there could be “adjustments” made by some of the aforementioned entities, but depending what those are, it could affect the deal on the table. You should share that in a friendly toned correspondence, but the goal is to eliminate everyone’s surprise if you have to change the terms. "

"A contracted Group in our hotel has a rate clause that stipulates no other Group contracts or transient rates over their dates can be below their established Group rate. As I'm getting other incoming RFP's over this Group's dates, should I state in the bid that this situation exists?"

Without a doubt you should! I'll digress to a similar situation I had recently. I received a bid from a hotel that was about $5 above what I knew (but the hotel didn't) was my client's top price ceiling. I was fairly confident that if this hotel was chosen I could likely secure the additional $5 reduction, as it's an assumption at our end, there may be some "play" in the rate offering. Only after the client then chose this property, and I went to contract, was I informed that the rate couldn't go any lower. I looked like an idiot to my client, and quite frankly, I can look like an idiot on my own without any help from a hotel. :) 

"Ok, I see there have been lots of excellent questions thrown at you in the past. But if I were to ask you the best piece of advice you could give to a Sales Manager, what would it be?"

Uh, don't cross over to the "Dark Side" and become a Meeting Planner. :)

That said, I wanted to think of an answer that could apply to any Sales situation, regardless of size, short term, type of client, etc. After careful consideration, and one too many Tequila's, here's my answer....

Get the name of the client's company right! Adidas is one of my clients and I can't tell you how many times I've seen it spelled Addidas. But that's just one example. Many end users have told me that the second they see the name of their company spelled wrong, it's "game over". Their thinking is if the sales manager can't even get the name of the buyer's company right, why would they count on them for anything else? Sounds obvious right? It still doesn't stop it from happening--regularly. In that same vein, get the name of the buyer, or third party, right too. I can't tell you how many times a bid has been sent to me, with the opening salutation being Doug, Derek, or even Dick. In regards to the latter, I'm ok, because I've been called worse. :)

"I had a potential client contact me to set up an overnight site visit. I told the client that our policy is a site rate (not comp) but it would be credited to the Master Account if a contract is signed. The client got a little, shall I say, indignant, and felt they could find a hotel that would "happily comp them". I was in a tough spot. What is your opinion?"

I think there is a general expectation that the room is comped, but I also know, based on your location (intentionally omitted by me), that the hotel's policy is necessary. If the "client" is the actual end user, I think it's more a surprise than indignant most of the time. If it's within your capabilities, suggest instead that you'll happily provide transportation from/to the airport, comp internet, comp room service dinner, etc. I think that lessens the blow. That said, if the "client" is a 3rd party, doing the site visit for a client, I might suggest that your hotel revisit that rate decision. If the client goes, the room charge is just the responsibility of their company, but if a 3rd Party goes, that room charge is coming out of our pocket. We wouldn't want to charge the client for the room, and we're already paying for our flight just to get to you. Of course, in our distorted minds, our "expectation" would be a Presidential Suite, Limo Transportation, and a private meal in our suite, cooked in the room by the hotel's chef. :)

"Whenever I get an RFP I write the Meeting Planner acknowledging that I received it and will be working on it. Does that have any value to you?"

Ha. No value if it's not my meeting. Sorry, couldn't resist. I know what you meant. Anyway, in general, there is no harm in doing it. You may get an e-mail back from the Planner telling you that your hotel/area was not under consideration and you received the RFP by mistake, thus saving yourself some time. But in direct answer to your question, that's like saying "the check's in the mail". Until we have your bid we will just review the ones that are coming in and prepare them for the client. A more productive correspondence may be to say something akin to: "At first glance it looks like we have availability and I will be responding to your RFP in full before the deadline". That raises the expectation level, and allows us to preliminarily plug-in your hotel as part of the options that will be presented to the client.

"I've heard you mention "hidden clues" in RFP's. I saw one of your recent RFP's where the client was seeking Palm Springs area (Resorts only), San Antonio (Riverwalk area only), and Dallas (DFW Airport properties only). That was an interesting mix."

So here's what I found interesting....trying to determine if that was a statement or a question. Sorry, that was snarky. :) My caffeine hasn't kicked in yet. Anyway, in this situation, the RFP was for a program in August, so if you look at the cities and the time of year, then it's fairly easy to deduce that the client was very cost-sensitive. This was not stated in the RFP, but making that judgement would help you guide your proposal accordingly. Another example of a "hidden clue" would be an RFP stating that it wants to be within 10 minutes of the airport. Now unless the client is fairly local to that airport (and knows the area well), that just may be a guideline. For example, if they client says they want to be within 10 minutes of Indianapolis Airport, and the client is based in Florida, they may not know the area at all. In this situation, they are not that many full service properties with significant function space within 10 minutes of the airport. If you're one of the downtown hotels or suburb properties, but 15-20 minutes away, you should still bid. You should also point out that you're outside that 10 minute radius, but state why your hotel is worth it.

"What's the best advice you can offer regarding an unexpected phone call from a potential client that I've sent an RFP bid to, but have never spoken live with?"

Here's some irony...the one thing that a Sales Manager wants to do more than anything else is talk to a client. You want to be able to move beyond the check-boxes of RFP's, and the generic responses in bids, to really display your passion, personality, and sales savvy. Yet, I often find that the sales person is so caught off-guard by the phone call that they become more reactive (to questions) than proactive (to sell). Have a "Play Book" of generic questions ready to ask (statements to make) that could apply to most calls. Here's a few but I'm sure you can add some of your own: "Allow me to share specific reasons why your group should select our hotel". "I'd like to reiterate and emphasize some of the best points of our bid." "I've been with this hotel [or have been in the industry] for ______ years and am easily prepared to make this is easy process for you."

"We received a short-term RFP in which the buyer stated that all attendees are paying their own sleeping room charges. In your opinion, does that change the emphasis on the rate?"

Not necessarily. Attendees paying their own charges can be looked at two different ways. I often have programs where the attendees are paying their own R & T, but ultimately the buyer's company is footing the bill. Clients often do this if attendees are crossovers from various departments and within their own department's travel budget is where this housing will be charged. In this situation, the client is usually equally concerned about rate as if all the charges were master billed. Another situation of course is when the buyer is inviting attendees and they choose to stay in the hotel or not. The buyer has the desire to keep the rate "in line" but would be less inclined to fight over, say, a minimal differential. Dropping the rate by $10 may save the attendee a mere $20 over a two day program, but does nothing for the buyer. In this scenario, I'd explore the options with the client. Perhaps offer a $10 rate drop or focus on hard costs of the buyer (e.g., F & B, AV, etc).

"Recently, we received an RFP where the client wanted a hotel within 5 minutes of our airport, and as part of the specs, needed a function room set-up u-shape. We're about eight minutes away and the only function room we had could sit their number of people, but it was a permanent board room. Should I even have bothered responding with an offer?"

Absolutely! Here's why. It's short term and availability among the hotels within their criteria could be negligible. Even if that were not the case, I think you come close enough to specs to merit it (of course I feel otherwise if you were, say, 20 minutes from the airport). The quality of your hotel and offer may be strong enough to allow them to consider something beyond their initial parameters. That said, be sure to do the following: 1) Make your bid (price, incentives, concessions) strong enough incentive to make them consider you. 2) Use the words "I know". For example "I know that you were seeking a hotel within five minutes and I know you wanted a u-shape room. However, while we are just eight minutes away and the only room we have left is our beautiful permanent board room, here's why we are worth being considered....." It's important that you acknowledge what they originally asked for, otherwise they will think you just missed the instructions.  

"Very often, when submitting bids, I ask additional questions relating to budget, goals, decision time frame, etc. And, more often than not, none of those questions are answered. I guess I should be thrilled if I even get an receipt acknowledgement of the bid, right?".

Keep in mind that our attention span is skewed....much like the sleeping room to function space ratio we are always seeking. :) We're probably quickly reviewing the bids, absorbing every third word, and likely skimming over your questions. If you want some "action" on your questions, try "action" sentences. For example, you may typically write "when do you expect a decision?". Instead, try something like "I noticed that there has been an increase in the demand over your dates, likely caused by a few large conferences in the area. I'm concerned that my Director will require me to release the space with little warning should another group show enhanced interest. Please advise when a decision will be made, in the hopes I can buy you some time." In essence, you've asked a question, disguised as a statement. You may not get any response to this either, but you're increasing the odds of getting one. 

“Recently at our internal national sales gathering, there was a guest speaker, and he advocated waiting until just before the RFP deadline to send in our bid. He said that it showed that the sales manager had given the RFP a significant amount of thought and evaluation, and thus the reason it was coming near the end of the bidding process. You seem to advocate the opposite?"

Well, with all due respect to that speaker, the most articulate way I can respond is by saying.....what's he smoking? As I've stated before, I've experienced so many instances where the RFP comes out on a Monday with a deadline Friday, and by Wednesday the client is wondering what I have already and is anxious to make a decision. By that time that "well thought out" bid arrives, we've already made a choice! Now, that said, I do agree with his concept of trying to show that you just didn't "turn and burn" the RFP, while simultaneously you're trying to show how quick and efficient you are. A happy medium would be to state within your RFP "while this bid is arriving quickly, please accept it as an indication of our desire to earn your business, but rest assured I gave it a thorough review and am presenting a strong option".

“We had a computer glitch and I was just seeing an RFP for the first time, and the deadline was an hour away. Would you have suggested rushing to get it done (and possibly in my haste not being as thorough as I would want to be) or sending a note to the buyer and indicate I would be late? Would the latter frustrate the buyer?"

Do you know what I find frustrating? Vending machines that refuse to take my dollar bills? Doesn't it know I'm going through a $@#&% caffeine withdrawal?! But I digress. Anyway, the course of action I'd suggest is to send a quick note, explaining you'd be late and pledge to have the bid ASAP...ideally as close to the deadline as possible. It becomes frustrating if we've prepared and compared bid options for the client only to have another bid show up late and unexpected. Another idea may be to at least send a note with the rate and pledge to build the rest of the bid shortly. No matter what though, the key is to at least acknowledge that you're going to be late. 

"I have a question about competitors. Let’s say “Apple” and “Microsoft” (using these as an example). If Microsoft wanted to have a meeting at my hotel, and we recently hosted Apple, would it help me (or hurt me) to mention that to Microsoft?"

I have some client’s who wouldn’t want to host a meeting in the same State as their arch rival, let alone the same hotel. That said, I think it comes down to the type of meeting. 

If the pending “Microsoft” RFP is a program where they are hosting their customers or vendors, they probably don’t want to do the program at your hotel for fear of not seeming unique. Likely “Apple” has similar customers/vendors. So in this circumstance, it’s your call if you want to come clean about it.

If the pending program is just an internal meeting, and the competitor’s was the same, I’d certainly trumpet your hotel’s experience in dealing with similar type programs.

"We recently received an RFP with dates over Easter Sunday. We’d probably pay the group to come in over those dates! :) Should I mention it to the Group? But if I don’t, I might spend all the time on the RFP only to find out they made a date mistake.”

I know what you’re saying. My clients often misread a calendar, but fortunately, as a side note, Road Warrior never does. By the way, I’m looking forward to this whole Y2K thing, how about you?

Seriously, our mantra is never to respond empty-handed. If the RFP does not require a lot of your time, I’d respond in full and make sure to point out that you’re checking to see if indeed Easter Sunday dates are accurate. You win either way. If the dates are correct, the client will be impressed that you at least checked while still providing the RFP response they want. If it was not supposed to be over Easter Sunday, you’ll impress the client again that you had the forethought to check and avoid extra work for them. My only caveat would be if the RFP would require a lot of time. If so, I’d at least point out the Easter Sunday question and then, at a minimum, provide a rate offer.

" A colleague of mine at another hotel saw your seminar and mentioned that you felt short-term sales were like dog years. I asked my friend what you meant by that and she said that I should write you about it and maybe it will make the Q & A."

Well I guess it did didn't it? Your friend MUST be a dog-lover. You can see mine on the Contact Us page.  Anyway, my reference come from the fact that the ticking clock in short-term sales is crucial. Changes, updates, decisions are being made quickly and on the fly. We need the input of sales managers and the wait for feedback sometimes is akin to watching water boil. Basically, in my metaphor, one hour of short-term sales process seems like seven hours, one day like seven days. My point? When asked questions from a buyer regarding a short-term program, do your best to quickly respond, even if it's just to convey that your working on an answer. In this case, silence is not golden. But a Retriever can be. :)

“We make it a priority to respond to all RFP’s within 24 hours, particularly short-term leads. When we are unavailable, we offer alternative dates and they are usually quickly declined. Then at some point after the deadline, the dates do become flexible, and by that point we often don’t have those anymore. What are your thoughts on this?”

In an old John Wayne movie, he once said “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise”. That’s out of context but it meant he was on a quest and hoping nothing got in his way. That has nothing to do with your question, but I like that quote. :)  Anyway, keep in mind that a short-term meeting literally just became a need. The client is hoping to find hotels that are within their preferred dates and would normally decline alternatives, especially ones that are the first to arrive in response to their RFP. By the time the bidding deadline arrives, the client may be looking at mostly unacceptable options (pricing, function space, perhaps a general lack of choices), and then would consider alternatives. Remember dates are not flexible until, well…..until they are flexible!  My advice is to follow up with the client right after the deadline. Casually inquire if they were able to secure quality options on their preferred set of dates, and if not, remind them that you offered alternatives. Do both in the same correspondence. The client may not remember that they got a bid from you earlier that you were offering alternatives. I know the life span of my brain cells are shortened by the alcohol I consumed the night before. :)

"We compete a lot with a hotel that I have to admit is better than ours in many aspects. I know I can do a good job for a group but how can I sell myself as well as my hotel?”

I like to equate short term sales time akin to Dog Years. What I mean is that basically one year of human time is like seven years in dog time, and short term sales is not much different. One hour in short-term sales is like seven normal business hours. Keep that in mind when providing quality communication, timely deliverables, and being proactive, not reactive. You see, if we’re booking a program, say a year out, we have no assurances that our sales manager will be there in a year. We can’t be too swayed by that person, thus making it more about the hotel than the person. However, if we’re doing a short-term meeting, then we’re thinking the odds are pretty good you’ll still be there by the time the meeting rolls around. :) So, that’s your opportunity to win us over and make the decision as much about you as the hotel.

When we send bids out we often state that the offer is valid for a set-time (like five days). Does that influence you at all in trying to get a decision?

The short answer is "no". You know how many clients are, they need availability quickly, but then might take a week or more to make a decision. It's the law of the land. :) However, I see no harm in stating your deadline anyway, if for no other reason it protects you should we choose your hotel down the line and the rate really does go up because of diminishing inventory. That said, if you're going to state a deadline, at least make it a reasonable time AFTER the RFP deadline. I sometimes shake my head when I send out at RFP on Monday, with a deadline to respond by Friday, and a hotel bids Monday, telling me the rate is only valid until Thursday??? I haven't even submitted all the bids to the client until after the deadline.

On a recent program we were eliminated because our price was too high. Our inventory prevented us from going any lower. When should I tell the client that this price is not the usual for us?

Excellent question, but of course, we only place the best questions in this section anyway.  :)
 
 “When” you do it is up to you based on the flow of the communication, but be sure to do it at some point. The last thing you want the client to take away from your bid is that you’re hotel is always at this price level. They may be reluctant to send you future RFP’s. So perhaps you state it when presenting the bid, or after learning of the turndown, explain why your rates were high and convey that it’s not always the case.

Do you know what is frustrating? Getting requests that are too generic. For example, "send me your credit apps" or "send me your catering menu's". Do they want a credit card application or a direct-bill app? Do they want all my menu's and types or just for certain meals?

Ok, and I've said this many times, think about this in Short-term Sales format. The request is coming from someone who basically wants the answers "yesterday". So instead of responding with "which ones do you want", it's better to send them all. I'd put in a note that states you weren't sure which ones specifically you were being asked to send, and for convenience and time-sensitivity you were sending both, or all.  Guaranteed you will be appreciated for your proactive, rather than reactive, efforts.

I received a short-term RFP with a requested response within 24 hours. This group may have been a competitor of another contracted group over those dates. I needed to get the contracted group's approval but my contact with them was traveling and I was unable to meet the deadline. What would you suggest in this situation?

I'd punt! Whoops, sorry, I was distracted by a football game while doing this. :) This situation comes up more times than I care to remember within my short-term riddled world. Often, by the time a hotel gts the approval they are seeking, a decision has already been made and the hotel is out of the running before getting out of the gate. Wow! Football AND horse racing metaphors in this paragraph. :)

I would ALWAYS recommend presenting the bid by the deadline as a "second option", and state that it's not for a lack of space or sleeping rooms (often the deal breaker and one we would interpret is the reason for the "second option"). Rather, be SURE to convey that it's because you need to seek approval from another group and potential competitor.

It would be even better to state the name of the competitor because perhaps the group seeking space would not want to be at your hotel because of the other group's presence and render it all a moot point. It cuts to the chase and saves everyone time potentially. If you're not able to share the other contracted group's name, then still present your "second option", explain why, and ask the inquiring group for their list of competitors. This still accomplishes the same goal.

I've been working with a 3rd Party on a potential program. I met the client during a site visit and now the client is calling me direct with some agenda alterations and inquiring about additional space. Typically this inquiry would come from the 3rd party and now I have this conundrum. Do I negotiate with the end user now?

Conundrum? I LOVE that word.  Any sales manager who is that articulate can do anything in my book. But that didn’t answer your question did it?

I suggest that as soon as the client makes the first call, you should certainly not hesitate to assist and address any questions. After all, you’re a sales person and you’re trying to close a deal. That said, you should immediately inform the 3rd Party that this has transpired and be accurate in describing the scope of the discussions you’ve had. At that point you’ve fulfilled your obligation to the 3rd Party and now it’s up that person to have a discussion with his/her client and how to proceed with further inquiries.

We have a small hotel and it's our policy not to bid on programs with function space more than six months out. Sometimes, we receive RFP's that are beyond that window and I'm just forced to state we are unavailable. What are your thoughts?

My thoughts? Well, I think the American Pika is underrated in terms of animal protection requirements; and I think that baseball should rid itself of the Designated Hitter....oh wait, I think you meant about your question, right?

Ok, I won't discuss whether I agree with your hotel's policy or not (I am sure executives much smarter than me have a reason for that). But from a meeting planner's perspective, I think it does not do you justice to just state you're unavailable. I'd come clean about the hotel's policy. Why? Well, let's say I really like your hotel, and maybe I'm willing to wait to book my program to get within your 6-month window. Just saying you're unavailable makes me move on and search elsewhere.

If we have never worked with you (or another 3rd Party) what's the best way to initiate that relationship so we may enhance our opportunity to work with you in the future?

Great question! In fact so good it made this month list. I get about a dozen cold calls a week from sales manager's and honestly that can become a little daunting, and not beneficial for either side. They all start to sound the same to me and I don't believe anything is accomplished.

I've often suggested that the sales manager should utilize the National Sales Office as an "in road". All high volume 3rd Parties have a assigned National Sales Manager that assists them with RFP searches at the national level. If my corporate contact reached out to me first and asked me if I would entertain a cold call from a sales manager, I am more likely to agree AND pay attention. :)

You see, the National Rep is serving as my filter and since I have a working relationship with the person, I am going to respect their request. I believe this is a more prudent way approach it.

As a site selection company, are you really partnering with us to sell our property to the client, or just giving them a spread sheet with rates?

Was it something I said? :) You know, that's a viable question. I can't speak for all my peers in the industry, but my perspective is that you're paying me a commission for services rendered, not just passing on an e-mail.

It's my responsibility to present the positives, and if any, the negatives of your property for the client's group based on their criteria. Certainly I have influence with my clients and what motivates me on your behalf is the quality of your bid, and that's not just saying price. The "hot buttons" are the thoroughness of the responses and your communication skill-set. You don't need a prior working relationship with me to succeed.

What do you suggest when the RFP specs don't coincide? For example, the sleeping room dates don't match the Function Space dates?

With short-term business we are all in a hurry and yes us "buyers" make mistakes too, just not often. :)

Recently I sent out an RFP where I stated the room nights were 3/5 but put the function was was 5/3. I did say in the RFP (which was sent out in late February) that the program was urgent and extremely short term and I needed an answer within 24 hours. Normally, one doesn't put that much urgency on a lead three months out, so the natural assumption would have been the 5/3 was a typo and should have been 3/5.

I use this scenario in my seminars and stated the hotel probably should have assumed 3/5 as well, bid on that, and mention the contradictory specs...offering that if I meant 5/3 to let the sales person know and they could rebid.

This comes under my "don't respond empty handed" mantra. The program was 10 days out and I needed quick answers. It was a simple one-night program and I would have preferred the sales manager to have bid on at least the 3/5 dates.

So in my round about way, I'm trying to convey that if time allows, you can ask the question about the contradiction before bidding, but if it's a short-term lead, take an educated guess, so you don't lose out to a competitor that did.

I received an RFP....oh, let me be honest, it was one of YOUR RFP's. You asked for the name and size of a General Session we have in mind for your group, and well, it's our hotel policy not to give that out (implying a promise/guarantee) in advance during the bidding process. I don't want to anger you and lose the business. Can I ask for mercy from the court of Road Warrior Meeting Planning?

Now how can I be "angry" with such an eloquent and articulate sales person? :) I actually discussed this question in one of my recent seminars and a variation of this question appears in Past Questions from the Trenches (see link below).

The simplest recourse is to just politely acknowledge the request but clearly state that it's against Hotel policy to provide that information in advance. If you cannot provide the info and don't acknowledge that you're aware of the request (and explain your policy), I'll just assume you didn't see the request for the info on my RFP, and/or chose to ignore it. THAT would anger me. :)

I've been at properties that require us to respond to RFP's in a specific manner and format. Yet, the RFP asks us to respond in a way that is contrary to our instructions. What do you think is the proper course of action?

The RFP doesn't pay your salary does it? Enough said.

Now, that said, the RFP is a little important in your life too. My suggestion is to adhere to your hotel's policies, but I wouldn't ignore the fact the RFP was requesting otherwise.

It would be appropriate, very early in the response bid, to acknowledge you were aware of the instructions but your hotel's guidelines are specific. This shows that not only did you read the RFP, but are calling attention to the shortcoming in the response. By now mentioning it all, the common interpretation by the client would be you glossed over the instructions which only serves to hamper your bid.

Ok, I'm responding to a short-term RFP and I’ve only got one shot to sell my property to you. What will differentiate me from my competitors? 

Well, assuming that you’re competitive in room price with your comp-set, I'm going to suggest that you focus on trying to avoid harming yourself. Here's what I mean. Let's say I'm doing a rooms-only program. If you poetically write about the abundance of your function space, the wonderful catering on property, and the state-of-the-art AV department, I'm going to know that you not only didn't read my RFP thoroughly, but that you also just cut-and-pasted some promotional verbiage, both faupauxs in Road Warrior Meeting Planning land.

Conversely, don't throw "enticing" incentives like an infomercial. "If you act now, we will give you 50% attrition... and a set of steak knives!" I'm being facetious, but if my program is four weeks out and I'm just starting the RFP, odds are I've got a pretty good handle on my room block count.

Differentiate yourself? It's short-term so be short. Bullet point answers. One paragraph of truly selling me your property and why it fits for my group.

Happy hunting!

Like most hotels and resorts, we're running a lot of promotions and incentives, but what really attracts short-term?

As every program has different needs and specs, some incentives are more valuable than others. I prefer to tell you what incentive doesn't have much value added to a short-term bid---lenient attrition!

When I'm booking these programs inside 30-60 days, it's fairly safe to say that my room count needs are fairly accurate, if not downright precise. Certainly that's one of the beauties of short-term business. Conversely, offering me the latitude to slip as much as 25-50% is about as valuable as offering AV discounts when the group is sleeping rooms only.

Rather than attach some generic PDF for me to read through announcing all the wonderful promotions that have little or no value to me, instead take just a moment to think what is potentially important to me for this specific program. Whether it's discounted' Food & Beverage, a beer/wine/apps welcome reception (that maybe I didn't schedule), or perhaps a guaranteed 3pm check-out. The latter is a great incentive, particularly to a small group when you see that their meetings are ending mid-afternoon. The program is short-term so you can accurately forecast if a handful of rooms leaving late hampers your operation.

In short….be creative with the short-term incentives.

A 3rd Party just contacted me regarding the status of her commission check. I know "sales" is before, during, AND after a program, but the commission is handled by corporate at this stage. What's my role?

Can I even begin to tell you how much I despise chasing my own commission checks? It happens more often than not, and at the end of the day, that's my last impression of working with the hotel.

Yes, I (we) thoroughly understand we don't get paid until the group pays the hotel and after that there is a process to the, well….process. And yes, it's out of your direct control and likely you're passing the inquiry on to the CSM or accounting. That's ok. But DON'T wash your hands of it at that point. Tell the 3rd Party what you've done and ask accounting or the CSM to copy you on the response. Target about a 24-48 hours to follow up with them if you don't get a response.

Think of it in these terms. After a program has gone definite and it's assigned to a CSM don't you still remain in the loop regarding the program? Why should that stop on the back-side, especially when it's a very important aspect to us? This industry is all about relationships, and believe me when I tell you that your quick reaction, communication, and follow-through to this portion will reap rewards down the line.

A client contacted me recently stating an executive within their company (not my client's boss, just a superior) wanted to stay at my property on personal time and wanted a "deal".  Am I expected to comp the room? We were pretty open.

That's really a tough situation.

Ok, onto another question next month. Just kidding.

I often get that request from my client's too. What's the definition of a "deal" I ask? I mean, if I get a $750 suite for $400, that's a deal right? But maybe it's too expensive for the resquester, particularly when it's their own money. You're stuck in an awkward position if you are not given some kind of guidance.

Failing getting that from your client. I would offer two suggestions.

1) Check what the lowest rate you're selling over those dates, offer that and then upgrade the room.....or

2) Check the lowest rate you're selling over those dates, and offer some discount against that.

Either way is a deal and it leaves it up to the requester to decide. You can toss in an amenity of some kind too. I honestly don't feel a comp is necessary unless it's directly your client or your client's boss who signs the contract.

There is a 3rd Party that I work with frequently and one of her clients contacted me directly about a group meeting. I was in a quandary as to whether I should tell the 3rd Party or not?

Well, first of all why isn't that client using me as their preferred 3rd Party? :) Secondly, I see your "quandary" and raise you a "conundrum". (editor's note: sorry, played Texas Hold 'em last night and the residual "calling" and "raising" mentality kicked in). :)

Seriously, I know this puts you in a tough position. However, unless the client specifically requested not to alert the 3rd Party, I feel that you owe the 3rd Party that you "have worked with frequently" the loyalty to be alerted. After all, this 3rd Party represents other clients and you don't want to harm that relationship either. If that still makes you gun-shy to do so, how about this pecking order....

1) If the RFP request comes directly from the decision maker of the client, then it's your discretion what to do (tell the 3rd Party or not) based on the relationships you have with all concerned.

2) If the RFP request comes from the company that the 3rd Party represents, but a different person than the normal specific client, then tell the 3rd Party. The 3rd Party may want to alert their client that someone else besides the appropriate Event Planner is trying to book group business for that company, and will likely appreciate the "heads up".

3) If the RFP is requested from a different 3rd Party representing the client, I would absolutely tell the original 3rd Party.

Wow, I counted the word "Party" 12 times in that Q & A. Talk about subliminal verbiage. Is it happy hour yet?

What are your thoughts on cold call telephone sales, are they useful?

You know, I've received this powder keg equivalent of a question a number of times this year and avoided dealing with it, taking on other less inflammatory subjects. But because it's December and the Egg Nog is kicking in, I'm tackling it... Two answers. Yes and No.

Let's start with the No. Most of the calls I receive are akin to "I'm the new sales manager in this position" or "I saw you booked a program here in 1974, are there any plans to return?" Ok, I was a little facetious on the latter but you know the drill. I truly believe it's a wasted effort on third parties. For the most part, the clients decide the area(s) they want to RFP so I probably don't know if my client IS planning any return. Moreover, you might NOT be my sales manager even if I do bring a RFP to your property. I'm a third party. In my case I have an eclectic mix of Pharma's, Sports Business, Computer Software companies, non-profits, etc. It may not even be your territory.

I'll offer a luke-warm Yes if you're calling the client directly. At least they may know their future needs and if (sacrilege) they don't outsource then possibly you could argue some residual benefit.

Overall, I think it's a waste of time and resources. If we get your voice mail, what are we going to do, save it until needed? At least a "cold" e-mail is something we can file and retain for future use. So like or dislike my response, remember you asked. :)

I don't want to pester a potential client regarding a bid that I sent, but my boss is pestering me for an update. Any "best practices" ideas on how to proceed?

Tell your boss to get off your back! Oh, I think you were referring to proceeding with the client. :)

Well, I'd suggest e-mail over voice mail as the former is more likely to elicit a response. I'd send a concise, brief e-mail, but include detail. I don't believe it suffices to send something akin to "is there any update on XYZ meeting?". Rather, put some content/urgency into the e-mail. Something like this....

"I wanted to follow up on the RFP response regarding XYZ Meeting I submitted to you 10 days ago. Since that time, we've had a number of inquires over your preferred dates. I'm concerned that the offer I originally presented will be affected and I would appreciate any updates that you can provide to best allow me to keep my bid intact."

In a nice way, you've conveyed that you're getting impatient and you've done so in one paragraph... about the length of the average attention span of us meeting planners. :)

The RFP deadline passed and at the time I didn't have availability, but a group just cancelled and now we can fit your program. What's the best way to "sell" my property and get it included in the mix?

This happens frequently to me, and normally I hear from a sales manager via a formal bid. I think this fails on two fronts....

1) Most often the bid just shows up with no explanation as to why I'm receiving it now, after significant time has passed beyond the bidding deadline. My initial reaction is this is a new bid and you're just late, which indeed may be the case but you should at least acknowledge that. If you insist on just responding to the RFP it would be prudent to state why this is late (a group cancelled). This tells me you're "motivated" (see below).

2) For all you know I'm way down the road into the decision process and may not entertain any more bids. Why spend YOUR valuable time responding to the multiple RFP questions only to be told it's too late?

Here's my thought. Send me a quick e-mail. Acknowledge that it's past the deadline but you just had a group cancel. Ask if I'm still entertaining late bids, and if so, mention that you are "motivated" (a great "buzz" word) to secure my business. Possibly even share the room rate you're offering. We can have a quick exchange to determine if your rate and space work for my group compared to other bids.

RFP deadlines are so inconsistent. I'm exaggerating but sometimes I have 24 hours to turn something around, sometimes 24 days. What are your thoughts on these "deadlines" and prioritizing?

Well, in my borderline anal-retentive world, I live by the Dry Cleaner's creed. That is "get it in by 9am, I'll have it back by 5pm". Now, there are way too many variables, both professionally and personally for me to dictate the best way to prioritize. However, I'm of the mind set to respond as quickly as possible. You could plan to address the RFP closer to the deadline, but who knows what circumstances could arise that inadvertently cause you to miss that deadline? Moreover, I've experienced plenty of scenarios where a client knows a deadline has not arrived, yet is anxious to see "what I have" and decides to start the decision making process. On a separate note, if you are bidding past the deadline, for whatever reason, it goes a long way if you acknowledge that you're late and hope that you'll be considered. Otherwise, I may feel like you know that you're late and you don't care if I care

How's this for a delicate situation? A client sent me a signed contract but contacted me the next day to cancel the program, BEFORE we returned a counter-signed document. What are your thoughts? Should we let them off the hook?

Well, this strikes a chord in Road Warrior's soul. Many moons ago while crossing over a great river... whoops, wrong story. Anyway, showing our age, before contracts were sent as signed PDFs, I had a client mail eleven (count em, 11) contracts to various hotels only to cancel all the programs en route. All but one hotel let us off the hook.

I won't even dwell on the legal positioning of this situation, and will just focus on the philosophical. Obviously, as a 3rd Party, I'd want you to let my client "off the hook&". But there are too many variables to answer the question generically. What's the hotel's relationship and value towards the client and/or the planner? When was the program supposed to take place? If it's short-term the hotel is probably harmed. How long has the hotel been holding space during the RFP-to-contract process? Each situation has to be handled and evaluated independently and, hope by the end of the day, all parties are satisfied. This is why Road Warrior likes Happy Hour so much.

I'm a Regional Sales Manager representing multiple properties, and often more than one of my hotels can bid on an RFP. What's the best way to present them and distinguish they are multiple bids?

Great question! Road Warrior will readily admit that he's failed to see past the first hotel listed. Ok, we're assuming you like our ideas on e-mail bids (see Instant Sales Technique Upgrades) and placed the name of the meeting in the subject line. If so, remember that Meeting Planners are probably giving cursory first glances at the responses as they arrive, scanning for hot buttons (like rates). Now, let's say they don't like the first hotel listed. There is a good chance that they won't scroll down any further to find the other properties bidding. Road Warrior strongly suggests identifying in bold at the top of the document that there is more than one hotel appearing in the body of the e-mail.