Why do so many hotel sales teams default to being order takers instead of rainmakers? What sets a rainmaker apart in today’s hotel sales landscape, and how do they consistently stay ahead of the RFP curve?” How can hotel sales leaders shift their teams from reactive responders to proactive revenue drivers, and what are the first steps to making it stick?” ATTENDEES: Don Barnett, LondonHouse Chicago Cory Falter, Lure Agency
Hotel sales teams drown in inbound RFPs, yet conversions stay stubbornly low. Don Barnett argues it’s because most sellers react instead of rain-making. He and Cory Falter explore how right-sizing tech stacks, embracing personal branding, and adding human touches—like one-to-one video replies—turn faceless proposals into trust-rich partnerships. They debunk the myth that AI will replace hospitality pros, share hacks to claw back hours with automation, and outline a “deconstruct-and-rebuild” blueprint that makes pipeline management sane again. If you’re tired of letting price be the tie-breaker, tune in to learn how proactive outreach, service-first mindsets, and LinkedIn visibility convert leads into lifelong fans.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Opening banter & “what made you smile?”
01:00 – Order takers vs. rainmakers: why hotels default to reactive selling
02:50 – The double-edged sword of endless inbound RFPs
04:30 – Shocking conversion rates & the cost of low qualification
06:15 – Inside LondonHouse’s CRM reality: Delphi vs. modern tools
08:00 – Defining a rainmaker: relationships over revenue math
10:05 – When RFPs erase your team’s true value
12:00 – Trust, handholding & small-meeting decision makers
13:30 – Personal branding as lead magnet (Nat Berman shout-out)
15:00 – Will AI replace sales pros? Don’s hot take
17:10 – Human nuance tech can’t touch (custom fan moments)
18:45 – Career security & the hospitality “human moat”
19:55 – Don’s deconstruct-and-rebuild playbook for proactive teams
22:20 – New puzzle pieces: AI templates, Affixify, Amaze Insights, Lure Agency
24:00 – Showcasing your sales team on the website—why it matters
25:30 – Video & voice notes that cut through copy-paste noise
27:10 – Psychology of trust: people buy people first
28:00 – Where to connect with Don & episode wrap-up
💥 Key Takeaways
Proactivity, reactivity: market-share gains live outside the inbox.
Personal brands close deals—buyers remember faces, not floor-plan PDFs.
Tiny tech hacks (AI email templates, quick Loom videos) give back hours.
Show your squad: featuring real humans on M&E pages increases RFP wins.
Relationships scale when you treat LinkedIn as “reputation at scale.”
🔗 Resources & Shout-Outs
Don Barnett on LinkedIn: / donbarnett
LondonHouse Chicago: https://www.londonhousechicago.com
Affixify • Amaze Insights • Lure Agency.
🙌 Ending
If this convo sparked an “aha!”, smash that 👍, subscribe for fresh InnSync insights, and drop your biggest rainmaker tip in the comments. Want more bold hospitality sales ammo? Follow Cory & Don on LinkedIn—then go turn those tire-kickers into lifelong loyalists. See you in the next episode!