Make your salespeople realize their own efforts are more important than any lead coming their way.”
Be the client • See and hear how they introduce themselves and your services • Review written initial outreach • Practice initial calls (yes, I said calls ) • Invest in the follow-up • Develop readily available branded marketing pieces in various formats • Immediacy is mandatory (think: within the hour…) Provide resources for research • Look at trade publications, your own database, LinkedIn, Google Alerts • Share your own selling experiences • Move out of your office • Mix things up and sit with your team to audit outreach Make your salespeople realize their own efforts are more important than any lead coming their way. How refreshing is it to be a sales leader fostering an environment of salespeople “fighting” for clients to reach out to? That, sales leader, is a gift in itself.
be expected. Leads should be the cherry on top. Leads are truly gifts, and based on conversations I’ve had this year, these gifts are becoming scarcer. The phone isn’t ringing as much, and venues are not as busy as they’ve been. Leads are drying up; sales leaders are scared. Salespeople should be scared too. So, what should a sales leader do? How do you encourage a salesperson to focus on what they can control versus waiting for those leads to come in? Do you even know if you have true salespeople on your team, or are they really account managers? Start by acknowledging that your salespeople need to get out there and sell. Owners expect this. Do not assume your team knows how to sell, either. Some of your salespeople have never done this before; I can guarantee this, as several salespeople have told me as such. This is a skillset that needs to be taught, re-taught, audited, and developed by you, their sales leader, and you need to be comfortable doing it. Here’s my sales checklist to help get you started: Schedule an individual conversation with each member of the sales team • Step away from your desk for an honest dialogue • Ask what they love and don’t love about their job • Determine if they really are a salesperson ◦ If not, is an account manager a realistic alternative? ◦ Does this make sense for your team structure and goals? Review each salesperson’s existing client base and potential for growth
Jennifer Perna started Fulton Market Consulting in May 2017 after developing an event experience and sales management portfolio for over 25 years in the Chicago catering and special events industry. Jennifer coaches various hospitality- related owners, managers and leaders on
• Encourage proactive outreach • Provide ideas, tools, and treats
growing their sales revenue while also increasing bottom line profitability. She brings a dynamic, approachable and relatable communication style to all levels and members of the team. Jennifer is past president of the International Caterers Association (ICA), sponsor of MIBE (Make it Better Every day), education advisor to ECEP (Elite Catering & Event Professionals) and annual speaker at Catersource. She is a proud graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. When Jennifer is not spending time with her clients, you can find her on a beach anywhere in the world.
• Recognize re-introductions are often necessary • Join your salesperson on client visits. It’s fun! Ask them if they have ever called on a new client • Don’t be surprised with the responses you receive • Define your expectations • Do you start with an email, phone call, or text?
CATERSOURCE ■ SUMMER 2025
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