Several Decades ago, in the airline sales era, when de-regulation hit, it became evident to all those with a half gallon of intelligence that the future held doom for the legions of airline sales people employed everywhere in the schedule business.
I remember those, in the battle of wits who were lightly armed, saying, " they will always need someone to deliver brochures," who later disappeared into the smoke, along with the front line sales troops, the myriad of sales offices, the inept District Sales Managers - all of it went away.
Call it, "right sizing." Call it, Bored of Directors cutting expenses so that their own pay-back in stock returns stayed high so polo pony feed could still be afordable. Oh well, such was the day.
Digress not, flash forward, now to the hotel business. It was only a decade ago, that the big companies: Omni, Radisson, Holiday Inn, tedium ad naseum and their various franchises that traded Director of Sales (DOS) like toilet paper, under wear or what ever example comfortable to you, but for some time now, the titular head of the long-gone sales department has vanished.
Also, has the well paid sales staffers. Hotel management has never really been what you might call, "sharp," when it comes to promotion, sales or marketing, most owners confuse the last term with Saturday's activities at the local Albertsons.
Scratch the average General Manager and you'll find a DOS trying to get out. They know they want to be one, but just can't quite figure out how to smile and make the troops happy at the same time without drawing blood.
Tough for them to do.
Anywho, if the current financial disaster continues, and Washington's politicies seem to push us that was, in my opinion, the flock of medium hostelries and high end pricey resorts in big trouble (hiding from bankruptcy at this writing) will continue and their owners will shy away from hiring any superman (women) to save them.
So, fugghheeddaaabbouuttiiittt. Been there, done that. Save yourself the grief. Or, as an ex-wife once said, $80,000 a year x 3 months= ?
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