Tweet

Company: The Knowland Group, Lewes, DE
Company Description: The Knowland Group is a proven innovator, developing intuitive marketing products and services that streamline and support event and group sales in the hospitality industry. Founded in 2004 by CEO Michael K. McKean, the company is headquartered in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and serves more than 3,000 hotel clients and 25,000 users globally.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Department of the Year - Hospitality & Tourism

Nomination Title: The Knowland Group's Sales Department

Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July 2010 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

The sales momentum of July 2010 began on the heels of a record-breaking month in
June of that year. More than 250 contracts were signed and large enterprise
deals were made. Following that successful month, the Knowland sales team
continued to sell well above the industry standards. The team consistently blows
typical industry sales numbers out of the water.

Despite these impressive gains, the late summer and fall of 2010 were not
without their challenges. The summer vacation season slightly stunted some of
the sales gains that were made in the spring of 2010, especially the record
breaking sales month of June. During the summer of 2011, however, the tide
turned under the direction of VP of Sales Phil Saims and sales numbers did not
falter. The highest selling month of the year was June 2011, the first official
month of summer, where sale increased nearly 450 percent over the previous year.
Another challenge the sales team faced was from the competition. Six years after
Knowland formed, its two main competitors consolidated. Undaunted, the Knowland
sales team rolled up their sleeves, got down to work and continued to gain
market share. With this spirit, 2011 has been a great year for Knowland. Sales
have increased steadily nearly every month of the year. The two best months of
the year to date are May and June. Between May 2010 and May 2011, sales
increased by more than 300 percent and between June 2010 and June 2011, sales
increased nearly 450 percent as previously mentioned.

The high volume of sales in 2011 is attributed to several factors. A key
contributor is the growth of the sales team to accommodate the demand for
Knowland products and services by hotels, resorts and conference centers around
the world. Since the beginning of 2011, the sales team has grown by more than 40
percent.

In addition to the growth of employees, Knowland has expanded its product
offerings with Professional Business Development services. Professional Business
Development or PBD specialists act as an extension of a hotel’s sales team. The
PBD specialist will make cold calls, track and pursue revenue goals and book
business, so sales managers can focus on building rapport with clients to form
lasting relationships. PBD has proven itself as an innovative way to help hotel
sales teams if they need assistance, no matter the size of the property.
Throughout 2011, a large part of the sales team’s focus has been on selling
Knowland’s revolutionary sales and catering tool, Target Net. The sales force
automation platform allows hoteliers to manage their sales funnel from lead
generation to event planning. The Knowland sales team successfully guided
clients through a product upgrade while simultaneously keeping up with the
rapidly expanding client base, especially large accounts.

With the integration of new leadership, new products and an increase of the
sales staff, the end of 2010 and the first three quarters of 2011 were both
productive and successful for Knowland. As the fourth quarter begins, the sales
team’s focus will remain on proactive selling and expanding the client base of
large hotel owner/management companies.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://www.knowlandgroup.com/data/PDFBase/s%20Target%20Net%20to%20Drive%20Revenue
%20and%20Propel%20Sales.pdf
http://www.knowlandgroup.com/data/PDFBase/KG%20Employee%20Growth%20July%20PR.pdf
http://www.knowlandgroup.com/data/PDFBase/ny%20of%20the%20Year,%20CEO%20Wins%20
Executive%20of%20the%20Year.pdf
http://www.knowlandgroup.com/data/PDFBase/land%20Hires%20Record%20Breaking%20VP%
20of%20Sales%204.12.11.pdf

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated sales organization:

Phil Saims brings 16 significant years of hospitality sales experience and
unbounded creativity to Knowland. As the Vice President of Sales, Phil provides
leadership to Knowland’s ever growing team of sales professionals. Before
joining Knowland, Phil was the Regional Director of Sales at the Crowne Plaza
and Holiday Inn National Airport. Under his direction, he received the Sales
Team of the Year and was recognized as Director Sales of the Year for North and
South American of IHG, which is the highest honor for sales within IHG. He also
earned the highest consistent shop scores in 2010 and his team has the highest
average shop call scores in the company.