Stop Selling Like It’s a Mixtape – Here’s How to Bring Your Hospitality Sales Team into the Future

Alright, hospitality sales leaders—if your team is still out there selling like it’s the early 2000s, it’s time for a reality check. Remember mixed tapes - yes, they evolved, just like your buyers have and so should your teams. The sales game has gone full digital, and while your competitors are streaming on all the right platforms, you’re stuck burning CDs. It’s time to get your team out of the sales Stone Age and into the fast-paced world of digital hospitality sales.

Here’s how you can help your sales team stop handing out mixtapes and start streaming with the best of them:

1. Know Where Your Buyers Hang Out—Spoiler Alert: It’s Not the Office

Gone are the days of popping by someone’s office with cookies or stopping in to see the "decision maker or admin". Buyers are no longer waiting for you - in fact, I would bet that the person or people responsible for driving business TO you, is sitting behind a computer screen from their home. They're scrolling through LinkedIn, browsing Instagram, and if they get one more email from a hotel, they may take drastic measures. Your sales team needs to know where their buyers are digitally hanging out if they want to get noticed.

Think of LinkedIn as the new lobby. If your team isn't spending time researching and engaging with potential clients online, they’re missing where the real connections happen.

Actionable Tip: Make LinkedIn engagement a non-negotiable part of your sales process. Your team should be commenting, sharing, and connecting with prospects before trying to pitch anything. That’s where the real value starts.

2. Build a Community—Your Team and Buyers Need More Than Just a Sales Playlist

Most teams I talk to have no approach to building community outside of "going to network events or hosing events at their hotels". Let's throw in the occasional tradeshow where you "see everyone" and that to everyone is community. While those are vital activities, buyers want to feel like they are part of something bigger, not that you are just sniffing around to show them the latest renovation and to book their next meeting. A community where ideas are shared, wins are celebrated, and failures are learning moments. You need a collaborative environment where your top sellers aren’t just hitting their numbers, but also teaching the rest of the team how to do the same.

When everyone comes together to idea share, it becomes a community.
Actionable Tip: Set up regular virtual events, bring buyers into a slack channel or invite them to curated events JUST FOR THEM with no pitch!

3. Write Content That Provides Value—Nobody’s Interested in Your Renovation or Need Dates

Let’s be real— some of your team may be connecting with people on LinkedIn and sending the "how can I help you with guest rooms or meeting space" pitch via a DM. Your buyers RUN from this. No one wants a cold pitch. First, you don't even know if you can help them, and secondly, that is like asking for marriage on the first date.

Sure, all companies have target accounts. How you approach them is nuanced and if you miss it, you tick people off. Buyers today are smarter, and they’re doing their research before they ever hop on a call. The issue is - I'd say 90% of your teams aren't providing any value on digital channels beyond "look at our renovation, need dates, open roles". We have to shift from SELLING and TELLING to providing VALUE.

What happens if an event goes south? How does a planner avoid it? What is the best kept secret in your city? Why do hotels charge what they charge. What is the SERIVCE CHARGE - explain it!

If your team isn’t providing value upfront, they’re going to be ignored like the behavior teens give parents.

Actionable Tip: Challenge your team to write one LinkedIn post a week that tackles a problem your prospects face and pointers on how to navigate it. FAQ's are great too. This isn’t about selling; it’s about educating and being credible.

4. Embrace Change—Even If It’s Scary as Hell

Change is uncomfortable. But if you’re still clinging to the good ol’ days of in-person sales blitzes and cold calls, you're going to get left behind. The sales world is moving faster than ever, and sticking with what you know is the biggest risk of all.

If your team isn’t learning new digital tools, exploring new strategies, and embracing platforms like LinkedIn, then you’re holding them back. You don’t need to have all the answers—you just need to be willing to jump in and try something new.

Actionable Tip: Call me. I will work with your team IN PERSON so they master all of the above and feel comfortable driving revenue by embracing the digital shift.

The Bottom Line

Hospitality sales is no longer about who can knock on the most doors or make the most calls. It’s about who can build the most authentic digital connections and provide value. Your buyers are streaming content, engaging online, and making decisions based on relationships built before the pitch.

So stop selling like it’s a mixtape and start streaming with the best of them. Help your team understand where their buyers hang out, create a culture of learning, provide value through content, and embrace the change—even if it feels like uncharted territory.

Promise it's not that scary here.