The Sales Perspective

There are two sides to every deal. M&C looked into how meetings suppliers view the process of selling to and negotiating with planners with an online poll conducted this past December. Planners might be feeling the push from the 134 industry providers who responded, as 84 percent said they feel they have to sell more aggressively than they did two years ago.

As planners know, suppliers use a variety of marketing methods, the most popular being trade shows and networking events, cited by 88 percent of the sample, followed by e-mail (87 percent), the Internet and in-person visits (81 percent each), and direct mail (75 percent). Far and away, in-person visits generate the best results, according to 43 percent.

When suppliers schedule time to chat face-to-face, they are most likely to make the effort to visit the planner’s office (79 percent) or make reservations for a lunch meeting (77 percent).

Many industry trade shows are available for suppliers to market their destinations, services and wares. Regional shows are the most popular among respondents, with 63 percent exhibiting at such shows.

Suppliers do have a few complaints about working with planners. Almost half (49 percent) said planners don’t return calls, 31 percent said planners never have time to talk, 30 percent said planners come on FAM trips but don’t book, and 28 percent said planners aren’t forthright in negotiations. Still, 21 percent had no such gripes.