Blacksburg, VA � November 2004 � Virginia Tech is proud to announce their next Catering Sales Workshop presented by Howard Feiertag and Stuart Feigenbaum � scheduled to be held February 7-9, 2005 � at the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center in Blacksburg (adjacent to the campus). Registration for this workshop closes January 25, 2005.

Howard and Stuart pair their years of expertise to lead a fast-paced, interactive, two and a half day workshop covering �successful selling in today�s markets.� Through presentations, discussions, and exercises, you will gain valuable knowledge while practicing the skills necessary for your success. Howard and Stuart explain how the powerful message �Sell! Don�t Use Your Menus as a Crutch!� can revolutionize your job in terms of productivity and enjoyment.

The 2-1/2 Days of Intensive, Highly Interactive Workshop Covers:

• Trends in the Industry. The number one trend � we are in a recovery period. This translates to more business for your property! This also means occupancy, rates, revenue, and demand are on the rise. To kick off the program, our first session will examine where we are, and where we are going in this business to increase our share of the markets. This examination will lead us to a better understanding of what is needed to improve our sales volume and quality.
• The Catering Product. Confidence is a prerequisite for credibility and credibility is a prerequisite for catering sales success. But, most important is product knowledge. In this session, we will explore what information is necessary to know in the areas of food, beverages, service, and facilities. The concepts of food cost percentage and gross margin pricing will be discussed.
• Prospecting for Better Catering Business. There are three ways to increase your catering sales income: 1) sell to more people, 2) sell more to the same person, or 3) a combination of both. You will learn in this session how to uncover new leads through existing prospecting sources (social, business, civic, and group), and then review the process of successful prospecting.
• Handling the Inquiry. This session is an all time favorite in most sales programs. We will take a look at opportunities that are lost through mishandled phone inquiries. Participants will experience first hand how easy (or difficult) it is for people to do business with a property or caterer. Are you pounding the pavement looking for business when business is actually slipping through the cracks? This session will force you to examine the training that has been provided to administrative staff.
• The Catering Sales Process. Knowledge is Power. The sooner this is learned in our industry, the more productive our sales efforts will become. Stop talking and start listening! This session will provide you with insights on how to gain valuable information from your prospects that can strengthen your position. Through this highly interactive session, that covers scenarios, such as site inspections, tours and walk-ins, we will practice and learn the simple, effective steps in the catering sales process.
• Negotiating the Deal. A very popular book sports the title, �Getting from No to Go!� In our industry, sometimes no is just as important as getting to go. This session will focus on your becoming a more productive sales advocate in confirming a piece of business. Tips and tactics will be discussed that are essential when negotiating during a sellers market. Being prepared is the key and again knowledge is power when negotiating and we will show you how to do it to your best advantage.
• Making the Agreement Work. Utter the word contract and usually both the client and the caterer or property staff groan! Contracts are a necessary condition of doing business today. It is not easy coming up with a contract, or agreement that works well for both parties. Every sale made requires specific clauses which protect the interest of the property, its owner and management staff. Careful consideration should be given in areas of attrition, termination, and cancellation. This session will explore what is necessary for your protection in writing contract clauses.
• Writing Better Catering Sales Letters: Dear Mr. Smith, thank you for choosing us. Form letters never excite or make your clients feel good; in fact they can cause doubt. So why use them? In building long-term relationships, essential to our business, we should get more involved in writing to our client as we would want to be addressed. This session will show you how your letters can you do more business by adding �feeling� into your correspondence.
• Make Catering Market Segments Work For You. The service side of our business is time-consuming! Those in sales should focus their sales energy to achieve maximum results. This requires a plan! This session will provide you with a template for developing a quantifiable/measurable catering sales plan. In addition you will receive hands on assistance to develop a document that targets your most lucrative market segments.
• Open Agenda. Did we miss anything? This final session is designed for the participant to ask questions or bring up topics for discussion that were not addressed in previous session. Think hard, and come with a list.

Contact:
Sharon G. Scott
540�231�5567
Online Program Registration