As new promotional tools enter the market place
alarms are sounded and it is announced that sales calls have been replaced by
the new tool of the day (fill in the blank of your favorite digital marketing
tool). However we inevitably realize that the new tool is just another tool in
the sales professional’s toolbox and that the sales call: the ability to
prospect, work leads, and build relationships is at the heart of any sales
professional’s career.
Based on current research on
the modern hospitality sales professional,
“One aspect of sales training that must be given greater attention is the relationship between sales and higher education. As hotel sales continues to evolve as a discipline, a profession, and a functional area of the organization, a collaboration of industry and faculty is needed to create the coursework defining a sales concentration for an undergraduate degree in hospitality or general business. An expanded partnership should result in the development of courses integrating the advanced knowledge and skills that reflect the changing elements of selling and buying” (Rach, 2015, p. 27).
Johnson & Wales University’s College of
Hospitality Management in Providence, Rhode Island is one of a handful of
schools to have recognized this need for collaboration in its Advanced
Hospitality Sales Seminar course. This unique,
senior-level course focuses on developing sales skills. In addition to a deep exploration of
prospecting, sales presentations, and account penetration, students are awarded
a course-embedded experiential education certificate for participating in a
professional networking event and a sales blitz with Johnson & Wales
University’s community partners the Procaccianti Hotel Group (Renaissance
Providence, Hilton Providence, and the Hilton Garden Inn). The February 3rd event represented
the third year the Procaccianti Hotel Group has hosted the winter sales
blitz.
Steven Ricciardi, Director of Business Development
at the Renaissance Providence Hotel stated
after the blitz his team “…went through the leads and wow what an impressive group of
students. They all did an excellent job!” Elizabeth Shanley, Area Sales
Manager for TPG Companies added, “…Your class is phenomenal! Thank you for
letting us be part of such a great program”.
Students in the Advanced
Hospitality Sales Seminar course also found the sales blitz to be a rewarding
experience.
Sarah Antunes, a Baking & Pastry Arts/Food Service Management
major, “I was nervous to go to some of the companies on the list and
talk to people that were general managers, owners of these huge businesses,
even state officials! I was mostly nervous because I was looked
at like I was just a "kid", but once I sat down and talked to
them I felt extremely confident and they stopped looking at me as a
"kid" and saw me as a young professional. It was a great opportunity
to not only build my confidence professionally, but also show people who have
been in the industry for years to be impressed by someone who has only been
working for a few years. Definitely the most proud I have felt after doing a
project for school, and an amazing way to build up your confidence talking to
people.”
Michael Estrin, Hotel & Lodging Management major, “The Sales Blitz with The Procaccianti Hospitality Group was a wonderful hands-on experience that opened my eyes to the responsibilities of a hotel sales professional. This opportunity truly made me more excited to start my career in sales!”
Michael Estrin, Hotel & Lodging Management major, “The Sales Blitz with The Procaccianti Hospitality Group was a wonderful hands-on experience that opened my eyes to the responsibilities of a hotel sales professional. This opportunity truly made me more excited to start my career in sales!”
Dillon Slattery, Sports, Entertainment, & Event Management
major, “I thought it would be very beneficial to experience how an actual sales blitz would be conducted in the real world, and how hotels identify and pursue potential accounts.
Since the inception of the
Advanced Hospitality Sales Seminar course in 2012 Johnson & Wales
University’s Providence Campus has provided this advanced sales experience to
over 240 students, many who have gone on to sales internships and entry-level
sales positions in a variety of hospitality organizations.