Most hotels have a position titled Director of Sales and Marketing. But why…when these are different functions, each requiring special skill sets?
Excellence in any position requires the 3 Ts – Time, Talent and Tools. One without the others is insufficient. Even two of three is not enough. All three are essential.
Hotel Directors of Sales and Marketing are generally Sales leaders. And that’s a good thing…because if this person is not managing the hotel’s direct sales efforts, likely no one else will. And Sales is a full-time job.
So, what about ‘and Marketing?’ There’s little Time to develop Talent. Even less Time to execute if one has the requisite skills. Same with Tools; again, there’s a learning curve that takes Time, and more Time to keep up.
In today’s digital world, it’s an unfair expectation that someone perform all responsibilities of the Director of Sales and Marketing. The tendency is to hold these associates accountable for Sales only, neglecting the ‘and Marketing.’ But at what cost?
Marketing sets the table for success. Consider a hotel’s website makes hundreds of first impressions each day…tens of thousands annually. Is the content current, correct, complete and compelling? Can the site visitor make a totally informed decision – about lodging, dining, an event and/or recreation? And because travelers consult multiple sites prior to booking, is the hotel’s story told consistently across the Internet, including OTA and review sites, as well as social media channels?
The ultimate metric is converting more lookers to bookers. Alternatively, 88 percent of online consumers are less likely to return to a website following a bad experience. And that makes the job of Director of Sales (and Marketing) unnecessarily difficult.
It’s ALL marketing. Really. The purposeful process of connecting people and brands.
