Industry Insight: Six Non-traditional Sales Tactics with Lori Darling, Corporate Director of Sales
Lori Darling has built her career on identifying revenue opportunities beyond the traditional playbook. As Corporate Director of Sales for MMI Hotel Group, she leads portfolio-wide strategies that expand demand channels, activate community partnerships, and uncover overlooked business segments.
Her six non-traditional sales tactics focus on creative prospecting, relationship-driven selling, and experience-based packaging that helps properties capture business others miss. From local affinity partnerships to story-driven group programming, Lori’s approach reflects MMI’s broader sales philosophy: adaptable, market-aware, and relentlessly focused on driving performance for ownership.
Lori shares her thoughts below:
Non-traditional sales tactics
LinkedIn Strategy – Post weekly
Instead of room rate, meeting rental, AV, and food & beverage minimums, purchase an all-inclusive corporate training package for $159 per person, and there will be no unforeseen costs at the end of the meeting.
Turn Sales into Consulting
Her six non-traditional sales tactics focus on creative prospecting, relationship-driven selling, and experience-based packaging that helps properties capture business others miss. From local affinity partnerships to story-driven group programming, Lori’s approach reflects MMI’s broader sales philosophy: adaptable, market-aware, and relentlessly focused on driving performance for ownership.
Lori shares her thoughts below:
Non-traditional sales tactics
- AI-Enhanced personalization for proposals and outreach: Instead of generic offers, use custom amenities for specific event types.
- Experience-based packages: instead of selling a room, sell an experience.
- Curate local experiences such as wellness retreats, food tours, and music events
- Create downtime on-site experiences around fire pits, sports courts, etc.
- Collaborate with local businesses for cross-promotions – local wineries/breweries do tastings and arts-and-crafts demos. Create based on demographics and the appeal of the group or meeting guests
- .Customers are increasingly valuing meaningful experiences over amenities
- Community and Niche Group Engagement.
- Special interest groups such as Photography Clubs, Foodie Clubs, and Car Clubs, etc.
- Build content relevant to their members
- Special interest groups such as Photography Clubs, Foodie Clubs, and Car Clubs, etc.
- Sell directly via social platforms.
- Live Stream (Facetime) room tours and event spaces (can shorten decision-making timelines when the planner can see what their event will look like), 360-degree tours of event spaces
- Show creative sets and on-trend decor
- Integrate a live video introduction of the salesperson and the space with the proposals
- Run Social Media Contests for weekend getaways
- Live Stream (Facetime) room tours and event spaces (can shorten decision-making timelines when the planner can see what their event will look like), 360-degree tours of event spaces
- Partnership-driven referral.
- Create incentive plans for event planners, corporate meeting plans, and wedding vendors
- Offer revenue shares, bonus perks, or co-branding opportunities for referrals to create a true partnership
- Become a voice in travel and hospitality niches, you’re not selling – you're convening decision makers.
- Host industry podcasts or webinars
- Host “construction project managers breakfast”
- Host “Medical Practice Managers Happy Hours”
- “Executive Assistant Appreciation Luncheon”
LinkedIn Strategy – Post weekly
- What event planners forget about attrition clauses
- 3 Hidden costs in off-site meetings
- Why midweek shoulder day meetings save 22%
- Goal of posting: When buyers research venues, they find “your hotel” as a resource – not just a sales rep.
Instead of room rate, meeting rental, AV, and food & beverage minimums, purchase an all-inclusive corporate training package for $159 per person, and there will be no unforeseen costs at the end of the meeting.
Turn Sales into Consulting
- Help the planner reduce travel spend
- Help them improve attendee experience
- Structure hybrid events
- Become the partner, not the vendor