The saying “change is the only constant” is a maxim that applies to the hotel industry. Yet it’s not entirely accurate for our industry, as there’s another constant that’s equally impactful to hoteliers: competition.
No matter what’s going on in your local market, or in the macro-economic environment, the hotel industry will always be competitive – especially when it comes to corporate business. For some hotels, beating the competition can be quite challenging in both good times and bad.
To be well-positioned for success, hoteliers need to find ways to increase sales and productivity to stay ahead of the competition. One effective way to achieve this is by incorporating a B2B CRM software into your hotel’s sales and marketing strategies. Here are five ways to boost your hotel sales productivity with a B2B CRM.
Integrate your most important data
PMS integration enables your hotel to centralize all relevant profile data directly into the sales automation CRM module as well as reservation and production data at the account level for reporting and business intelligence. With PMS integration, your sales team can access vital production data along with future reservations – all without having to switch between tools.
Integrating your CRM with your PMS also means that PMS accounts such as corporate accounts or travel agents will be automatically accessible within the B2B sales solution. The custom match and merge rules allow you to automatically match and merge accounts that meet your rules, allowing you to focus on the sales tasks as much as possible.
Takeaway #1:
Integrating your CRM with your PMS saves time and energy and enables sales teams to provide a more personalized experience to your guests.
Optimize the sales pipeline
One of the key advantages of a B2B CRM is its ability to manage each step of the sales process efficiently. By providing a clear view of all activities associated with an account, hoteliers can easily track opportunities by sales stage, manage related quotes and contracts, and follow the sales pipeline from the lead to the point where the business is won.
This level of organization allows hotel teams to follow up with prospects and close deals with ease. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into the sales process, enabling hotels to optimize their sales funnel and increase conversions.
The B2B CRM is designed to simplify the sales process and the workflow engine allows you to automate tasks, so that sales teams can focus on generating leads, nurturing relationships, and closing deals. By effectively managing each step of the sales stage, hotels can gain a competitive edge and maximize their revenue potential.
Takeaway #2:
The B2B CRM makes closing deals more efficient by providing valuable insights into the sales pipeline to optimize processes and increase conversions.
Automate tasks in your sales workflow
Hotel sales teams are faced with a variety of repetitive tasks that are both urgent and important. By automating time-consuming tasks within your sales workflow, your sales representatives can now focus their time and energy on high-value tasks that are important but not always seen as urgent, such as prospecting, customer acquisition and relationship building.
For instance, instead of manually tracking leads and attempting to remember to follow up with them, you can set up tasks with due date reminders in your CRM reducing the risk of losing leads in the sales pipeline. CRM-driven automations can also ensure that your sales representatives spend more time building long-term relationships that eventually result in sales, thus increasing the revenue of your hotel.
Takeaway #3:
A B2B CRM software can help you save time, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive more revenue for your hotel by streamlining your sales process across pipeline management, prospect outreach and sales cycle optimization.
Activity management
With a B2B CRM you can easily view and track all activities associated with your accounts. By tracking and managing all the activities of the sales stage, managers can easily identify areas where their team could be more productive and take corrective action to improve their team’s productivity.
For example, you can track opportunities by sales stage, generate and manage related quotes and contracts, essentially following the sales pipeline from the lead to when the business is won and the contract is signed. By minimizing the manual effort of logging activity, you can keep your sales teams focused on identifying the best course of action at each customer touchpoint.
Takeaway #4:
With a B2B CRM, hoteliers can ensure that their sales team stays on top of their tasks, which ultimately leads to increased sales and revenue.
Manage your team
Managing a team can be challenging – especially amidst strained resources due to sub-optimal staffing and high demand. The B2B CRM provides a 360-degree view of staff activity so managers can easily identify areas where their team could be more productive.
By identifying these issues early on, managers can take proactive measures to address them, rather than continuing to experience issues that both affect the guest experience and employee morale. After all, no one wants to struggle at work – and improper skills and workload matching can lead to costly retention issues.
Takeaway #5:
A B2B CRM improves team productivity and ensures that everyone is working efficiently towards the same goals.
Bringing it all together
B2B CRM is a powerful tool for boosting productivity and improving the efficiency of sales teams. However, it’s important to choose a CRM platform that fits your hotel’s specific needs and integrates with your existing tools.
Look for a tool that augments your team’s capabilities by taking the lead with your sales pipeline and drives demand across your corporate business by managing activities, integrating with the PMS, tracking sales stages, analyzing activity, and managing teams. With a robust B2B CRM, hoteliers can streamline their sales processes, increase efficiency, and – most importantly – drive revenue growth.
At Cendyn, we offer the only fully integrated B2B & B2C solution in hospitality. Our eInsight™ Sales and eInsight CRM create a single platform for Sales & Marketing teams as well as B2B and B2C with enhanced sales automation. Our system supports the management of corporate accounts as well as travel agents and provides a unique insight into these accounts, enabling you to generate more business across segments, accounts, and departments.
