Student Sales Blitz

Today's blog post comes to you from the business center at the Indianapolis Hilton (which does not charge guests for using the Internet to check e-mail like some do).  I wish more were less greedy to get as much money from guests when they are staying in their hotels but that is another rant someday, along the same lines of scumbag airlines charging for luggage during a recession and not so friendly to families travelling with children. 

The reason I am making this post from the Hilton is that I am with 30 students from my sales class on a sales blitz.  A sales blitz, as you may or may not know, is a concentrated sales push by phone or by foot, or sometimes a combination of both to generate business on the spot or hot leads for the future.  My students were sent here in a shuttle from campus (about an hour away) this morning at 7 am to do the blitz for the Hilton.  The day begins with a continental breakfast and greetings from the GM and those representing sales and other functional areas of the hotel, such as front desk.

The students then are then broken into two groups and taken on a tour of the hotel, which has the most spacious guest rooms you ever saw, and always wows the kids.  After the tour, one group begins to shadow various aspects of the hotel such as front desk, housekeeping, foodservice, catering, and so forth.  The other group goes to a meeting room where a bank of phones and call sheets await them to start making calls to see if those listed on the sheets have any business they might want to book in the next year or so.  This is great experience for those wanting to learn sales. 

Prior to lunch the HR manager comes in to meet with the two different groups on internship programs at Hilton, and interviewint tips.

The students are then treated to lunch in the hotel's restaurant, which has a great arrangement with local farmers to provide meat, produce, and other finished goods year round to be used by chefs to prepare meals.  There is a hugh mural painted over the service line depicting the various local products that are used in foodservice and the walls are adorned with pictures of the farmers, cheesemakers, vinters, and so forth, that supply the chefs.

In the afternoon the groups switch so that those who called in the morning do job shadowing and those who shadowed hit the phones.

The students will all be given gift bags at 4:15 today and debriefed on how their day went.  They will then jump on the shuttle to go back to campus.  Tomorrow the second group of 30 students will do the same thing under the guidance of my TA's.

Why am I sharing this with all of you?  Simple.  It is a great way for the students to be in touch with the career that we are preparing them for in the classroom and kitchen.  It gives some of them a better idea their career choice, too.  I highly recommend doing them with your students because they are great learning experiences and the hotel's are happy to have the students for the day to make calls, clean up contact information, and shop their brand as a future employer.   If wanting to know more please contact me.