Since its inception in 1994, Hospitality Softnet, Inc. has established itself as a leader in the hospitality industry, providing cutting-edge sales training and operational support tailored to the unique needs of hotel properties worldwide. With an extensive suite of over 25 copyrighted programs, Hospitality Softnet addresses the evolving challenges of hotel sales and operations through onsite, virtual, and online training. This article takes a closer look into the various sales training programs offered by Hospitality Softnet and explores their impact on the business landscape today.
A. Onsite Training Programs: TrainUP Division
Hospitality Softnet’s onsite training, delivered through the TrainUP division, is designed to provide hands-on, practical training facilitated by experienced Hotel Sales professionals. These programs are tailored to enhance the skills of hotel sales teams, ensuring they are skilled to meet market demands and drive revenue growth.
1. Selling Steps to Success
This program focuses on professionally facilitated direct selling and catering training. It equips sales teams with the knowledge and techniques required to effectively sell hotel services and catering options. By understanding the nuances of the sales process, participants can enhance their ability to effectively close deals and increase revenue.
2. Selling Steps to Success: The Next Level
Building on the foundational Selling Steps to Success program, this advanced training delves deeper into hotel sales and catering. It is designed for experienced sales professionals looking to refine their skills and adopt advanced sales strategies. This program helps participants develop a strategic approach to relationship selling, enabling them to handle complex sales scenarios effectively.
3. Prospecting Sales Training
Effective prospecting is crucial for identifying and engaging new potential clients. This program provides a detailed review of how to prepare for highly effective prospecting calls. Participants learn to identify promising leads, tailor their approach to different decision makers, and convert potential clients into loyal customers.
4. Director of Sales Boot Camp Training
Targeted at new Directors of Sales, this boot camp is facilitated by experienced hotel sales professionals. It covers a wide range of topics, including sales leadership, team management, and strategic planning. By enhancing the management skills of sales directors, this program ensures that they can lead their teams to achieve outstanding sales performance.
5. Reservations Sales Training
This program focuses on reservation sales training, teaching participants how to manage and optimize the reservation process. It covers key aspects such as handling inquiries, upselling techniques, assumptive closing, and providing friendly customer service. Effective reservation sales training can significantly impact a hotel’s occupancy rates and revenue.
B. Virtual Training Programs: theCLASSROOM
Virtual training has become an essential component of professional development. Hospitality Softnet’s theCLASSROOM division offers virtual training programs that combine the convenience of online learning with the interactivity of a virtual classroom.
1. theCLASSROOM
This platform offers a blended training approach, combining online modules with virtual classroom sessions. Participants can access training materials at their convenience while also benefiting from real-time interactions with instructors and peers. This flexibility makes it easier for busy sales professional leaders to enhance their skills without disrupting their daily responsibilities.
2. Telephone Coaching Calls
These coaching calls provide convenient virtual training for sales and reservations teams. The calls are designed to address specific challenges faced by participants, offering personalized guidance and feedback. This one-on-one, or group coaching helps individuals refine their skills and improve their performance in real-world scenarios.
3. Tailored Coaching Calls (TCC)
Similar to the Telephone Coaching Calls, these tailored sessions offer professional one-on-one training customized to the participant’s needs, as a follow up to a
mystery shop training call. Whether it’s addressing specific skill gaps or preparing for a major sales presentation, tailored coaching provides targeted support to help sales professionals achieve their goals.
C. Online Training: theCAMPUS
TheCAMPUS is Hospitality Softnet’s online training platform, offering a comprehensive range of courses that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for hotel sales teams spread across different locations.
Preparing for the Call
Effective Qualifying Skills
Effective Presentations
Closing Skills
Overcoming objections
Effective Reservations Skills
Sales Leadership for General Managers
Selling Eastern Weddings
Selling to the Jewish Market
Selling Against the Competition
Prospecting – Digging for Gold
Using LinkedIn as a Resource
Time Management
D. Teleprospecting Services: theTEAM
Effective prospecting is a cornerstone of successful sales strategies. Hospitality Softnet’s theTEAM division provides teleprospecting services that support ongoing sales efforts.
1. Outbound Prospecting Calls
These calls help identify new potential customers, expanding the hotel’s client base. By proactively reaching out to prospects, sales teams can uncover new business opportunities and build a robust sales pipeline.
2. Ongoing Prospecting and Sales Service Support
This service provides continuous support for sales teams, ensuring that prospecting efforts are sustained over time. By maintaining a steady flow of new leads, hotels can achieve consistent revenue growth. This program ca also support handling inbound inquiries.
E. Mystery Shop Calls: proSHOP & ListenIN
Mystery shopping is a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of sales and service interactions. Hospitality Softnet’s proSHOP & ListenIN divisions offer a range of mystery shopping services that provide actionable insights into sales performance.
1. Sales and Catering Shops
These mystery shops evaluate the skills and effectiveness of sales and catering teams. By simulating real customer interactions, they identify strengths and areas for improvement, helping teams refine their approach and enhance their performance.
2. Reservation Shops
Reservation mystery shops assess the effectiveness of reservation teams in handling inquiries and converting them into bookings. This evaluation helps hotels improve their reservation processes and increase occupancy rates.
3. CVB Shops
Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) mystery shops assess the effectiveness of CVB interactions which represents the ordering hotel. By evaluating how well these bureaus handle inquiries and promote the hotel, these shops provide valuable insights that can help improve CVB partnerships.
4. Sales Candidate Shops
These shops evaluate the selling skills of potential sales candidates before hiring. This ensures that hotels hire individuals with the right skills and attitude, reducing the risk of poor performance and high turnover.
5. Prospecting Call Shop
These shops assess the effectiveness of prospecting calls made by the hotel’s sales team. By identifying strengths and weaknesses in prospecting techniques, these evaluations help teams improve their approach and increase their success rate.
6. Competitive Shops/Intel
Competitive mystery shops assess the sales performance of competitors. This intelligence helps hotels understand their competitive landscape and develop strategies to gain a competitive edge.
7. BT/LNR Competitive Shops/Intel
These shops evaluate the competitive set’s negotiated rates for business travelers and local negotiated rates. This information helps hotels price their offerings competitively and attract more business travelers.
8. Competitive Catering Side by Side Comparison/Intel
This service provides a comparative analysis of the catering offerings of competing hotels. By understanding how their catering services stack up against the competition, hotels can make informed decisions to enhance their catering offerings.
F. Operational Support Services: ProFACTS
Hospitality Softnet’s ProFACTS division offers a range of operational support services designed to enhance the overall performance of hotel properties.
1. On Site Service Standards Assessments
These assessments evaluate the service standards of hotel operations. By identifying areas for improvement, hotels can enhance their guest experience and operational efficiency.
2. Operational Audits/Best Practices
Operational audits provide a comprehensive review of hotel operations, identifying inefficiencies and areas for improvement. This ensures that hotels operate at peak performance and deliver consistent service quality.
3. Casino Service Standards Assessments
These assessments evaluate the service standards of casino operations within hotels. By ensuring high service standards, hotels can enhance their casino offerings and attract more guests.
G. Industry-Specific Services
In addition to its core offerings, Hospitality Softnet provides specialized services for specific segments of the hospitality industry.
1. Marinas Intel
Competitive analysis services for marinas help these properties understand their competitive landscape and optimize their offerings to attract more guests.
2. Apartment Complex Intel & Lead Management
Services for apartment complexes include competitive analysis and sales support. These services help apartment complexes improve their sales strategies and compete effectively in their markets.
3. Modular Home Communities
Quality assurance sales assessments for modular home communities ensure that these properties maintain high sales standards and deliver exceptional service.
Conclusion
Hospitality Softnet’s comprehensive suite of sales training programs and operational support services plays a crucial role in enhancing the performance of hotel properties. By addressing the unique needs of each property and marketplace, these programs ensure that hotel sales teams are well-equipped to meet market demands and drive revenue growth. Effective sales training and operational support are essential for success, and Hospitality Softnet continues to lead the way in providing these vital services.
Awards and Recognition
Hospitality Softnet’s commitment to excellence has been recognized with numerous awards. In 2023 and 2024, their TrainUP division was named one of the Top 10 Sales Training Company in America from Manage HR Magazine. This accolade underscores the quality and impact of their training programs.