Gone are the days when event planners were provided information specific to their needs. In the past, when an event planner was looking to do a local breakfast meeting, the sales manager did not send information on guest rooms, dinner menus, bar arrangements, pool amenities, etc. The event planner received information specific to the needs of the event in a presentation that would show the event planner personal attention.
Paper folders, business cards, cover letter, brochure information and menus once were sent in a presentation to the guest for event facility consideration. The Internet has turned this once great presentation and first impression into web sites that provide unorganized or too little information and offer no personal attention to the guest's needs for individual attention.
"Web sites are good," explains Louis Godin, owner of http://www.WebEventPlanner.com, "but the service sales industry has lost track of the fundamentals of selling. Personal attention has been lacking in the sales process through traditional web sites. Sales 101 tells us the importance of things such as client name/information displayed, communicate quick and accurate information and provide special personal attention above and beyond everyone else. This no longer exists with traditional web site service sales and provides no personal attention (instruction)
Web sites have been built to reflect the web designer's technical goals and restrictions instead of the goals and needs of the sales professional. The sales industry must look at its electronic materials and begin presenting sales information by traditional sales standards.
