Course Description
This course deals with the personal sales, media advertising, publicity and communication mix in a hospitality organization. Material will center on personal sales strategies, managing a sales office in a large hospitality business and deploying the sales force to attract group markets. As well, advertising strategies will be covered, including the relationship between advertising agencies and the hospitality firm, and the selection of the appropriate creative medium or vehicle to communicate the message to the target audiences.
Course Content
- Hospitality Sales techniques including:
- Partnering and building professional relationships;
- Communication styles;
- Buyer behaviour;
- Prospecting and pre approaching;
- Translating features into benefits;
- Planning and executing the presentation;
- Handling objections;
- Closing the sale;
- Servicing the sale;
- Selling ethics;
- Management of self and employing of technology for increased effectiveness;
- Recruiting Sales Professionals;
- Hard vs. Soft selling;
- Staffing and operating a sales office in a large hotel, resort or other hospitality business;
- Developing an effective advertising and public relations plan for a hospitality business;
- Selecting advertising agencies;
- Differentiating advertising medium and vehicles to target markets;
- Using public relations as an effective part of an advertising plan;
- Creating print ads for target markets.
Learning Activities
The course will be delivered through lectures, readings, case analysis, role-play, guest speakers and industry study. Sales Management Software will be introduced and used where appropriate.
Means of Assessment
Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.
| Participation |
10% |
| Presentation(s) |
10% - 30% |
| Assignment(s) |
20% - 40% |
| Examination(s) |
20% - 40% |
| Total |
100% |
To pass the course, students must achieve a cumulative grade of 50% on a weighted average basis in all non-group assessments as well as 50% overall in the course.
Students must write midterm(s) and final examination to pass the course.
Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, the successful student should be able to:
- Define and use marketing terminology such as: competitive analysis, marketing plan, the P's of marketing, personal selling, price objectives, product review, promotional plan, public relations, situational analysis, segmentation, target market, product differentiation, and service marketing.
- Analyze a marketing situation and present recommendations for appropriate strategies/tactics to advance business goals.
- Explain the basics of consumer purchase behaviour.
- Differentiate needs, wants, problems, and demands. Discuss motivational theory and the impact on product design. Discuss purchase theory models.
- Discuss the impact of internal marketing on purchase behaviour.
- Identify key elements of an effective marketing plan specific to hospitality and tourism.
- Identify sources of information for determining target markets; segmenting target market according to demographics, psychographics, geography and use frequency, and identifying segments offering most desirable potential for business.
- Discuss the appropriate marketing mix including product analysis, pricing strategy, promotional strategies, and distribution plan.
- Identify appropriate hospitality and tourism industry distribution channels. Describe the major social media marketing portals that can be used to promote a company, brand, product, or service.
- Discuss the elements of a communication strategy. Identify benefits of the various promotional tools, including personal selling.
- Create a sales presentation.
- Describe the relative strengths and weaknesses of personal selling, public relations, publicity, merchandising, and advertising as they apply to the hospitality industry.
Textbook Materials
Text Book (recommended): Abbey, James R. Hospitality Sales and Marketing, AHLEI Educational Institute (latest edition) or similar textbook(s) or other material(s) as approved by the department