MYSTERY BUYER TMCs AND HBAs SHOULD DO THEIR HOMEWORK BEFORE MAKING A PITCH SUPPLIER STRIFE
RECENTLY, A TRAVEL MANAGEMENT COMPANY (TMC) RANG ME and asked to have a chat, to which I agreed. There were two of them on the call and they launched into a pitch about what they were doing. Although they were on the phone for about half an hour, they gave me no opportunity to speak and only asked me one ques- tion. Eventually, I said I would leave it for now – they weren’t going to listen, and what they were offering wouldn’t work for us anyway. I get this attitude mainly from TMCs and hotel booking agencies (HBAs) – not all of them, but probably 25 per cent. I wish suppliers would first find out from the customer: how do you work? What is good, what is bad? What would you like to improve on? What would you like from us? They should recognise that every company is different and be asking these questions, rather than appearing to read from a written spiel. I deal with a lot of suppliers and some of them don’t sell like that. We have a
Every company is different, but these people appear to be reading from a written spiel
relationship with them, maybe we see them at industry forums and they come and speak to us – and they don’t always talk shop, because they know you’re not always looking for a new supplier. I might phone them or email once or
twice a year, and then, if we are looking for something, we remember them and phone them because they created a re- lationship. But I wouldn’t contact those who phone and give a blanket pitch on things, even if I did need someone. I realise it can be difficult getting a hearing and they may often phone prospective clients, leave a message and not get their call returned. Probably the best way is through an ITM or BBT forum, where people are more open to talking to them and are expecting those conversations. The best way is not to give a hard sell, but to use those events as an opportunity to find out whose contracts are up and what compa- nies need. It is also a good time to get a name, and then that person is more likely to be willing to talk to suppliers when they ring and say that “we spoke
44 BBT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
at X event”. A phone call is better than an email, which can get deleted, and I recommend in the preliminary chat:
• Ask what kind of hotels the company books – because if 70 per cent of their accommodation is with Premier Inn, there’s no commission on that, which is a problem for HBAs because they retain commission.
• Understand the company’s air policy: does the organisation have special poli- cies for senior directors, or is everyone treated the same?
• Find out what the company would need in terms of payment. A lot of organisations use a procurement card; we don’t – we invoice, and that creates problems for some hotels, especially overseas.
Often suppliers will claim to be able to do something, and we only discover later that they can’t. Over the years, I imagine most buyers have experienced that. I prefer the honest approach. It doesn’t mean they won’t get the business, because their competitors may not offer that service or product either – in which case, we would have to live with it (but if their competitors are offering it, maybe they should be rethinking). An HBA rang me recently, spent half an hour on the phone, asked me hardly any questions and then followed it up with an email – but I was on holiday, so it went to our supply chain manager. The supplier ignored what I’d told them about us using Premier Inn, and told her they did not charge a fee. But with a non- commissionable hotel, they will levy a fee. I guess they were hoping that because she doesn’t work in travel, she might not know that, and because I was on holiday, they were trying to get a meeting with her. Suppliers should be upfront and honest in the first place, because they aren’t going to win the business if they are not truthful.
See Yourspace, p125
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
Illustration: Ben Southan
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