The NEED for ChAnGe...
The company that I work for is a multimillion dollar hotel resourcing firm for meeting planners. As for improvement to the company I would have to say they are doing well on their own as a “whole” company. As for separate departments within the company the marketing department is struggling. The marketing department is lacking communication, commitment and trust. The root of the issues stem from the marketing manager. I am in the sales and marketing department and we do not have a quota or number of leads that we need to produce each day or week. There has been an attempt by our manager to start using incentives (an idea that i introduced) for our team goals each month. For example our manager said she would take the top sales rep for each month out to lunch. January was the month that I generated the most sales leads and it’s almost the end of April and I have still not been taken out to lunch. That is one example of communication, commitment, and motivation that could be improved by the marketing manager. There are a number of examples that I could explain but I don’t want to bore you all. So, let’s take a look at how the manager could improve her communication for the marketing team.
I believe that time management and organization would be a great way to help my manager solve this problem. I know this because time management and organization has been a great theory to go by during college. There were many times that I balanced school, work, friends, relationships, family, clubs and travel into my life. I am not saying it was easy but also was a great learning experience for me so that I can apply it to the corporate world. Time management would help my manager understand the amount of work she has and the amount of time she can do it in. Organization will assist her with setting goals and prioritizing her job responsibilities. These tools will allow her to think with a clearer head and responsibly.
There have been so many incentives, promises, and team training that our manager said she would do for us. So I think being able to have her understand her time management and organization skills would give our marketing team a sense of stability and trust when it comes to our manager’s word. Right now we don’t believe anything that comes out of her mouth because everything she has said she would do has not happened. I do not have the authority to confront my manager about her work ethic or lack thereof. So I would have to introduce it in a very non threatening way. One approach I am going to try is to bring up certain incentives, promises and team training that would make her realize that she has not kept her word. I would approach it in a way that would not come across as threatening or demoting. By mentioning certain situations or promises that she has made would hopefully help her understand that she is not performing the way she should.

Interview with Tulcy Jones (used to be Patel) My Marketing Manager
I asked Tulcy sixteen questions regarding her position with Hospitality Performance Network.
JB: What types of Challenges to do you face on a daily bases?
TJ: The main challenges that I face on a daily bases are time management, sales objections and getting a hold of meeting planners. I also struggle with organization on a daily bases.
JB: How do you deal with deadlines, stress, difficult people and internal politics with HPN?
TJ: With deadlines and stress I tend to focus on organization and time management so that I do not get overwhelmed. When it comes to difficult people I try to keep my cool and be optimistic with I have trouble making sales calls and working with clients over the phone. Politics with the company include administration and sales. Also promoting HPN when they are at social events with professional behavior and respect.
JB: What do you like and dislike about your position as a marketing manager?
TJ: I enjoy the challenge that I encounter with sales. I also enjoy marketing HPN and its brand to other hotels. I also enjoy the diverse role that I have as a marketing manager. The main problem that I have being in a manager position is that there seems to be no time at all to get everything done.
JB: How can you make the work day go smoother?
TJ: I know that if I had better time management I would be able to make my work day go a lot smoother. I also think that if I did not have so many last minute projects that seem to creep up on a daily bases I would be able to work quicker and get more of my responsibilities done.
JB: How do you feel about working with others?
TJ: I really enjoy working with others. But I also enjoy having my independence as a manager.
JB: How do you separate the professional from personal life?
TJ: Family and friends know not to contact me M-F 8-5. They know that if they need to get a hold of me then they have to wait for the evening or weekend. I also deal with personal stuff when I get home from work.
JB: Do you enjoy working on group projects?
TJ: Yes, I do enjoy working on group project with others.
JB: What is your ideal working environment?
TJ: basically what I am working in now. I enjoy everyone that I work with. I like that it is a laid back and casual environment. I also take pleasure in working with others but then have the opportunity to work alone in my office.
JB: How does your personality hinder the way you communicate with others during conflict resolution?
TJ: As a person I do not enjoy conflict to I have a hard time giving negative feedback during team reviews, and performance reviews. I also tend to solve the problems on my own before I go to higher management.
JB: How did you education and experience prepare you for your current position?
TJ: I used to work for a high end law firm in London. I believe that career prepared me for the corporate world with confidence. I was able to prepare myself for sales while being educated in risk management.
JB: Who do you mentor and respect at Hospitality Performance Network?
TJ: I would have to say my mentor is Bill Kiser because he used to be the marketing manager so I have always looked up to him. I respect Bill Kilburg because he is the owner of HPN and if it wasn’t for him I would not know everything I do now.
JB: Who have you reached out to or have got the most training from?
TJ: I would have to say John Murillo because he helped me focus on my sales calls. I also tapped into his sales calls to see what makes him motivated and how he approaches objections when clients don’t want to hear about the services we offer.
JB: what were your career goals when you first graduated college?
TJ: I wanted to continue working for the law firm in London and I was in the process of getting my VISA to come to the US.

LIVING in the SHADOW...

This week I shadowed my marketing manager. I unfortunately caught her on a really bad week because she was stressed. Basically I would listen to her on the phone and take notes on her sales pitch. After we finished her marketing calls she then called her clients directly. By listening to her over the phone it gave me a refresher for my own sales calls. After she called and touched base with her clients and the hotels they are working with we continued on with administrative work. Every time the marketing representatives (me) would finish calling a list from the associate the marketing manager has to record the number of leads that were generated by the reps.
One thing that I noticed about my marketing manager is that she was not as organized as she should be by the number of responsibilities she has. By shadowing my manager I was able to polish on my own sales pitch. I also was able to recognize that my manager has a number of responsibilities and even though she could have better organizational skills she still is a great manager.