In the picturesque heart of the English countryside lies Stapleford Park, a grand country house hotel steeped in history and set amidst 500 acres of stunning grounds. As its Director of Sales, Martin Terry brings a wealth of experience, a deep understanding of the hospitality industry, and an unrelenting passion for connecting with customers to drive success. In this feature, Terry delves into the strategies that keep Stapleford Park competitive, the evolving landscape of sales, and what’s on the horizon for the hotel events market.
From Travel Agent to Industry Veteran
Like many in the hospitality business, Martin Terry’s path to his current role wasn’t meticulously planned. “I’m sure, like many people, I fell into the hospitality business,” he says. Reflecting on his early career, Terry explains, “I was a travel agent originally who then became a representative for British Midland, which is an old airline out of the city airport. And then I literally connected with Thistle Hotels at the time and joined Thistle as one of the regional directors of sales in London.”
Over the years, Terry’s career included roles with Forte Hotels, Granada, Holiday Inns, and Handpicked Hotels, where he spent 19 years managing sales and revenue for a collection of 22 properties across the UK and Channel Islands. His time in the industry has afforded him a unique perspective on how sales and customer engagement have evolved. “Speaking to people now is becoming a real challenge,” he admits. “But actually, if you can talk to customers, I still believe you can convert better than emailing or whatever other form of communication. Zoom or face-to-face is still the best way of communicating with customers.”
Creativity in Sales Strategy
The hospitality industry has faced seismic shifts, not least due to the pandemic. Terry’s ability to adapt and think creatively has been central to his success. “In my last role as a consultant with a hotel in Cornwall, they didn’t have any meeting and events facilities,” he recalls. “So we created those in and around what we could do from the offerings in the restaurants to the public areas and really created exclusive events effectively, which we could then get to market.”
At Stapleford Park, creativity continues to play a crucial role in targeting different markets. “You’ve got to look at distribution. Be very analytical in your approach, look at the market, the feed-in markets, but also create those products and pricing,” he says. His approach involves “a deep dive into the data” to identify trends, refine pricing strategies, and ensure a targeted, efficient approach to distribution.
Connecting with Customers: A Lost Art?
Terry champions direct communication with customers, lamenting what he sees as a growing over-reliance on email. “I’m very tenacious, very persevering,” he says. “I think there’s too much hiding behind email. If customers are prepared to give you the time to speak to you, you will end up with a much better result. Because how can you really find their genuine needs, their passion, their driver behind an event, as an example, if it’s all by email?”
However, he acknowledges that post-Covid, finding ways to connect has become more challenging. “I’ve noticed that a lot of people exclude phone numbers from their email footers,” Terry observes. “To find someone’s phone number is probably the biggest challenge that you actually have now.”
A Transforming Role
Reflecting on how the sales role has evolved, Terry notes a significant shift. “The role of a sales director is a very different role now,” he says. “It’s very much a case of just looking at distribution across all channels. You’ve got to make sure you have a very targeted approach to all market segments. You have to understand revenue, marketing, and social media. So you’re becoming a lot more of a commercial director stroke person, if you like.”
This evolution has been particularly apparent in the country house market. “If you look at the percentage of business that will come to someone like Stapleford Park, the level of business that comes through the online travel agents is significantly lower than if you’re in a city centre,” he explains. Instead, the focus is on events and individual leisure, which requires a different approach to messaging and customer engagement.
Weddings, Meetings, and Events: Trends and Challenges
As the events market continues to recover, Stapleford Park is well-positioned to capitalise on its unique offerings. “The wedding market is still pretty strong,” Terry says. However, he has observed a trend towards smaller celebrations. “The weddings have become smaller. I’m not saying the spend has dropped, so people are probably celebrating harder, but with a smaller group of people and creating a greater experience for that smaller group.”
The meetings and incentive market is also a key focus for midweek occupancy. “With this current global crisis, there’s a potential to increase the number of meetings held domestically as opposed to people going overseas,” he predicts. “Companies would try to keep meetings, events, conferences in the UK if they’re a UK-to-UK company.”
Embracing Wellbeing and Nature
Looking ahead, Stapleford Park is set to embark on an exciting new chapter, with wellbeing and nature at its core. “We’ve got 500 acres of land, so it’s how we use it,” Terry says. Plans include creating wild water swimming experiences and incorporating nature recovery as a key pillar of the guest experience. “It’s about the guest experience at the end of the day, but also about staff welfare and how they feel and interact with customers.”
The focus on wellbeing extends beyond guests to employees, emphasising the importance of creating a supportive and engaging work environment. “It’s all about the inner self,” Terry explains. “How we work with our guests, but how we work with our staff because their interaction is the most fundamental and important part of everything that we do in hospitality.”
Advice for Aspiring Sales Directors
For those considering a career in sales within the hospitality industry, Terry has simple but heartfelt advice. “Perseverance, tenacity, enthusiasm, drive, determination. They’re just sort of bland words, but they’re all things from the heart and your character,” he says. “It’s winning in the right way, interacting with people, being part of a team. But have fun as well. I think it needs to be fun because it’s a difficult industry to keep people in and to attract them.”
As the conversation concludes, Terry reflects on the need for cultural shifts to attract new talent. “It’s about creating the right culture,” he says. “Reward and recognition have to come into it. We need to work harder, smarter with colleges and schools so that they perceive the industry as fun. It’s not just about long shifts but creating an environment that is engaging and fulfilling.”
