MPI International article

Difficult Times Call for Renewed Emphasis on Winning Relationships

By Jerry Jensen


Everywhere you turn these days you are reminded of just how bad things are. You can’t turn on your radio or television, your computer, pick up a newspaper, even walk down a busy passageway, without hearing about yet another gloomy announcement or forecast.  One of the real dangers during these periods is the tendency for bad news to drive more bad news. The collective mind set of our population becomes pessimistic, causing each of us to begin to mistrust others and adopt the feeling that we must “look out for number 1”.

Of course, individual “protectionist” thoughts really end up not serving us very well; in fact, that type thinking really ends up making a bad situation worse. This is true in the hospitality industry just as it is in every other type of business. Hotels start to worry about slow downs in travel and meetings and, in many cases, toughen their stand on cancellation and attrition policies. Meeting planners, fearing that their hotel contacts will react this way, start to ask for more concessions, precisely at a time when the hotels are desperate for every dollar.

What we should all do is remember the old axiom that should describe all of our relationships, WIN-WIN. By pulling together as real partners in business, hotel sales people and meeting planners will achieve more than by becoming adversaries. If I, as a hotel sales professional, am really concerned with meeting the needs of my planner, I will focus on what is truly a win for that planner. Conversely, if my planner really wants a great experience for his or her attendees, that planner must be aware of what is a winning situation for the hotel. Keeping the win-win philosophy, even reinforcing it now as we make our way through an economic recession, will help keep working relationships to grow in a positive direction, makes both sides happy, and, who knows, may even help break the negative news/mind set cycle the country is currently in, which would REALLY be a WIN!