Hotel Sales Management: Analysis of James Lavenson's Speech and Impact

This report analyzes a speech by James Lavenson on hotel sales management, focusing on the strategy of engaging all employees in sales efforts. It examines the 'Everybody sells' approach, where every staff member, from maids to bartenders, actively promotes the hotel's services. The analysis highlights how this strategy, exemplified by the 'Think Strawberries' initiative, led to increased sales and profitability by fostering a customer-centric environment. The report concludes that active employee participation in sales is crucial for boosting sales volume and organizational success within the hotel industry. The report references the original source of the speech to validate the analysis and conclusions.

HOTEL SALES
MANAGEMENT

Table of contents
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................4
Conclusion of James Lavenson’s Speech................................................................4
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................5

CONCLUSION
Conclusion of James Lavenson’s Speech
The most impactful thing which emerged out of the speech was that, for the hotel
industry, it is very necessary for each employee of the organization shall actively
think of selling the services to the guests. The president of the Hotel Plaza
emphasized on the tricks and tactics of selling the hotel services to the customers. It
started a program which yelled out “everybody sells”. Each and every employee of
hotel from maid to cashier, from waiter to housekeepers were asked to sell the
services to the customers (Everybody sells: Let’s “Think Strawberries”, 1974). The
president was quick enough to answer to a staff who said that guests no longer go for
the desserts, to which the president replied sell the strawberries then. This became the
selling mantra for the entire staff of the hotel who were then focused on selling the
strawberries to their customers.
The sales of the strawberries increased in the Hotel. This resulted into more sale
of desserts that eventually yielded greater tips for the waiters. The phenomenon
spread to other departments and each of hotel’s employee was determined to sell their
services such as Bartenders begin to ask the customers if they would like to have
more drinks. In short, the entire staff became the salesperson for the company. The
immediate effect was seen in the increased productivity and profitability of the hotel.
Thus, it can be concluded from the speech that when each and every employee of
the company starts taking part in customer service actively and starts acting as a
salesperson, then it surely increases the sales volume and profitability of the business
organization.

REFERENCES
Online
Everybody sells: Let’s “Think Strawberries”.1974. [online]. Available through
<http://www.jeffcoy.com/gems/docs/Think%20Strawberries.pdf>