Make Them Stay: A Hospitality Playbook for Business Travel Sales Professionals

by Tabitha James

Overview

Make Them Stay™ - The Ultimate Guide to Business Travel Sales Retention

Make Them Stay™ is more than a sales book-it's a modern-day playbook for Business Travel Sellers ready to win, retain, and grow high-value corporate accounts in today's evolving travel landscape.

Created by industry veteran Tabitha James, this guide combines real-world strategy with personal storytelling, empowering hotel sales professionals to move beyond transactional selling and become trusted partners. Through the proven Make Them Stay™ methodology, you'll master the Business Travel (BT) Cycle, build loyalty through intentional service, and confidently navigate prospecting, RFPs, rate strategy, and account retention.

Inside you'll find:

• The 7 Pillars of Business Travel Sales Success
• Step-by-step guidance through the BT Cycle
• Guides, templates, and tools you can use immediately
• Sales insights rooted in data, empathy, and execution
• Tactical strategies to reduce churn and increase production
• Reflections on identity, resilience, and thriving as a high-performing seller

Whether you're new to the role or ready to reignite your approach, Make Them Stay™ is the guidebook you didn't know you needed-packed with truth, strategy, and the kind of excellence that makes clients stay.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798349466908
Publisher:	Brilliance House Books A Zole Incorporated Company
Publication date:	07/15/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	183 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Tabitha James is a hospitality sales expert with over a decade of experience leading hospitality sales in the hotel industry. She has sold across full-service, focused-service, and extended stay brands, supporting business travel, group sales, multifamily housing, and student housing verticals. Her career spans some of the largest names in hospitality, where she has consistently driven account retention and revenue growth. As a trainer, strategist, and transformational leader, Tabitha brings a rare blend of tactical insight and lived experience from the frontlines of hotel sales and specifically in business travel sales for hotel sales professionals. Make Them Stay™ is her first published sales framework, built for those in business travel sales who want to win, retain, and grow business travel accounts with precision and authenticity.

Table of Contents

Make Them Stay™ - Table of ContentsPart One: The Foundation - The BT Cycle

1. New Business, Prospecting & Front Desk Incentive Programs
2. Account Nurturing, Cross-Selling & Stay Club™ Engagement
3. Evaluation: Reviewing Wins, Refining Strategy & Preparing for Next Year
4. The New Business Hunt: High-Volume Prospecting & Sales Calls
5. The Corporate Rate Strategy Manual: Market Positioning & Rate Strategy
6. Mid-Year Reviews: Strengthening Client Partnerships
7. RFP Season: Execution & Submission Strategy
8. Off-Cycle RFPs: Managing Year-Round Requests
9. Local Account Renewals: Personalization & Early Engagement
10. Rate Loading & Booking Ability Audits
11. Performance Tracking & Post-RFP Adjustments

Part Two: The Framework - Make Them Stay™

1. Pillar 1: The Right Rate
2. Pillar 2: The Right Location
3. Pillar 3: The Right Communication
4. Pillar 4: The Right Product
5. Pillar 5: The Right Booking Process
6. Pillar 6: The Right Recognition
7. Pillar 7: The Right Relationship

Resources

• BT Seller Tools
• Hotel Roles Glossary
• Hotel & Business Travel Terms
• Business Cases
• Using the STR
• Attire Guide
• Books Referenced
• About the Author