The Moving Target Theory
Or
Who Is My Hotel Sales Representative This Week?

How many of you have methodically gone through all the paces and headaches associated with selecting a meeting or conference location, revealing the step by step intimate details of your function agenda to an attentive hotel sales representative, enjoyed building an ideal "working relationship" with that sales representative as the advance registrations and resulting room reservations began to come in? And then, a few weeks prior to your long anticipated activity, telephoned the hotel to learn that Ms. Jones or Mr. Smith, your hotel sales representative, no longer works for the hotel?

This defibrillator "jolt" is not only shocking to you the meeting planner, but to a large number of us in the hotel sales profession as well.

For 22 years in the military, I enjoyed having a single employer. Certainly my duties and responsibilities changed as well as my geographical work locations. However, my allegiance was always to the same employer. Thus, as I stepped out into this civilian world, one of my biggest misconceptions was that everyone else selected an employer and stayed with them until retirement also.

During the summer of 1993, 32 individuals that I personally knew changed job positions within hotel sales in a 3-month period; 4 of them for more money, 3 for actually less money and the remainder moved laterally for basically the same wages. What would cause such occupational turbulence?

Meeting planning responsibilities are usually assigned as an additional duty to a primary job tasking. As such, meeting planners usually, but not always, remain with their respective employer/agency for at least a 4 to 5 year period of time and normally longer. This job stability offers quite a contrast to counterparts in hotel sales.

Reasons for this "Moving Target Theory" (you can’t hit what you can’t find) are numerous. At least one half of hotel sales representatives are forced to change jobs based on circumstances totally beyond their control. Quite often they will arrive at work one morning to find their owners or hotel management company is, "Changing our marketing emphasis/going off in a new direction" which does not include you or your particular talents.

Additionally, as a hotel sales representative, you are always subject to the proverbial "Hotel Buyout" or "Flag Change". Let’s first address the hotel buyout. In the past 12 years we have actually run out of dyed in the wool hoteliers that understand the hotel business. Rather, we now see a great number of deep pocketed investors that desire to "build a hotel on Boardwalk" for a fast return on their investments. These investors used to be able to at least hire a management company that understood hotels to handle the daily operations. Well, like the hula-hoop and my 8-track cassette deck, those too have rapidly disappeared. As a result, we now often experience the blind leading the hard of seeing.

When hotel buyouts occur, quite often the new company will retain the present sales & marketing staff for at least 6 months until they can learn all the client files, booking trends and general sales interworkings and mechanisms. When this is complete, they then replace all positions across the board with their own personnel. Whether you did a good job or bad job for the company is totally insignificant.

Changing of hotel flags and brand names quite often determines in someone’s perception whether or not previous sales staff members will fit the new corporate image?

The other half of this "Moving Target Theory" is actually self-initiated. A sales representative my become disgruntled with a newly assigned supervisor, their management style (or lack thereof), a positional passover, job frustrations due to lack of increased monetary compensation, less than promised commissions or the always "elusive bonus program".

This disgruntlement usually occurs from October – January of a particular year (especially for Directors of Sales) when annual marketing plans are due or when they can begin afresh with a new bonus/commission program with a brand new product.

Finally, a lot of sales representatives fairly new to the profession make this change for change sake after 1 year on the job. The reason is simply to reflect additional jobs and experience on their personal resumes. Unfortunately, in a city the size of Orlando with over 120,000 available hotel rooms, there appears to be no stigma attached to such transition. At times (based on supply and demand), changing employers is about as easy as changing your tie. I would have said socks. However, having recently joined the ranks of Weight Watchers International, Inc., the latter action is one of the most difficult of my entire day leaving me breathless after bending over this built in beach ball called a stomach.

Being let go by an employer for no sufficient reason can be a shock to one’s system and self-esteem, create a 12 pound stomach knot let alone severely bruise one’s ego. Quite often the employer’s attitude appears to be one of, "I’ve paid you for the services you have rendered, what further could I owe you?" Whoever said the game of life is fair?

It is a sign of a successful salesperson who can put their sudden release aside. Then, avoid taking it personally, refuse to ask, "What’s wrong with me" through an in depth self analysis, and instead press on to learn the benefits and attributes of their new product, take up the baton and return to the sales race with a whole new outlook and perspective.

You as meeting planners have trusted these individuals in the past and you can continue to trust them in the future. Simply because your sales representative opted to play the "Moving Target" game prior to your group’s arrival at their previous hotel, does not mean you should at all hesitate to contact them for their advise, recommendations and experience prior to your conference. Normally a hotel will not tell you where these individuals have gone for fear of losing business. The best source of locating "Moving Targets" will be by contacting other hotel sales people. If nothing else, it is a fairly tight community.

What’s A Planner to Do?

Perhaps the best course of action (and of course this is coming from a hotel perspective) is to adopt yet another phrase from the military. "You’ve got to accept losses in an operation of this magnitude!" In other words, accept hotel sales manager transition as a way of life and be sure to document everything. If it is an item of importance to you and the success of your meeting activity, then insure it gets into print, perhaps even as an addendum to your hotel contract. This is not to say you should not nurture, enjoy and cherish working relationships you have established with specific salespeople. The idea sharing and planning benefits to be gained from such relationships is invaluable for all parties concerned.

It is just that your fiduciary remains with your employer. If to guarantee success you must document each critical detail crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s – so be it. Such documentation acknowledged by both you and your hotel sales representative will certainly make your game plan easier for follow on hotel members to digest and will ultimately guarantee that these details will happen.

In the planning phase ask questions. Never assume everything will take place automatically or as a matter of routine. "In what order will the meal be served? If the welcome and introduction are running overtime, who should I notify and when?" Once you have contracted with a hotel or conference facility request to meet the other key players. The general manager, director of sales, director of catering or food and beverage director, front office manager, accounting personnel or controller, executive housekeeper and maintenance superintendent as a minimum. It is extremely rare they will all be gone when your group arrives. This is not meant to create anxiety. Rather, to enhance your comfort level in case the "Moving Target Theory" effects your next meeting.

Having spent many strenuous hours on military firing ranges in search of evasive targets, I leave you with one last piece of guidance carefully disguised in the commands shouted by a firing range instructor. "Ladies and Gentlemen, with 6 rounds load and chamber. Ready on the left, ready on the right….Ready on the Firing Line…COMMENCE FIRING!" ………..Beware of that Moving Target!