Fun Work Day – Building New Friendships

Everybody thinks being a hotel sales manager is all fun and games – entertaining clients, schmoozing, playing – believe me, it’s not.  And while we DO those fun things, it’s also just one part of our responsibilities.

This is the fun part – Triple A Baseball games – Giants feeder team in Sacramento – the Rivercats …  Sunday afternoon game with a client and her hubby and my hubby.  But it goes beyond that. This lady is someone I’ve known just as a meeting planner for many years.  I’ve always been intrigued by her personality – her “outgoingness” – her interaction with others in positive ways.  My new job and the segments I am responsible for have put us together in business and encouraged an opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level.  I still admire her spunk and desire to motivate others.  She is also taking the reins as president of  one of the meeting professional associations I belong to and she is working on engaging me as one of her board members.

Thank you, Kit, for the vote of confidence!  I see a huge opportunity to make a new friendship – not just work related, but a personal friendship.  I like her as a person.

Itty Bitty and Kit … Baseball!

The rest of the reality of being a sales manager is 8 – 10 hours a day of making prospecting phone calls to potential clients, responding to requests for proposals for meetings, conferences, training sessions, special events from meeting and event planners, showing the property to prospective clients, negotiating and preparing proposals and contracts, following up on outstanding pieces of business – meeting sales call quotas and dollar quotas on business booked, maintaining relationships with not only existing clients but also prospective clients, checking in with clients who are “in house” during their meetings, attending after hour mixers and meetings, it never ends.  And I love it.

Though I hate to admit it, working is my salvation.  It keeps me grounded, keeps my mind busy,  keeps me physically busy, keeps me engaged with others on a work and social basis.

Working makes me appreciate my down time – and gives me the ability to help those I love when I need to.

I have had jobs I loved – and jobs I hated where I cried all the way to work.  But I’ve worked in the hospitality industry since 1969 and I cannot begin to imagine doing anything else.

I wish everyone loved passionately what they did for a living.

Namaste – I honor you – and wish you contentment in whatever ;you do.

 

Itty Bitty