hsmai.org 1

If you need technical assistance with thewebcast, contact us at hsmai@commpartners.com

and we will assist you immediately.

““Internet MarketingInternet Marketing”” SeriesSeries

The The ““Researching Companies Online: What Researching Companies Online: What

Can I Learn Before the Sales Call?Can I Learn Before the Sales Call?””

webinar will begin shortly.webinar will begin shortly.

hsmai.org 2 hsmai.org

Tuesday, November 18Tuesday, November 18thth, 2008, 2008

2:00 2:00 –– 3:00 PM EST3:00 PM EST

Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

Researching Companies Online: Researching Companies Online:

What Can I Learn Before the Sales Call?What Can I Learn Before the Sales Call?

hsmai.org 3

Overview of Format and TopicOverview of Format and Topic

� ModeratorBarb Taylor Carpender, CMM, CHSCManaging Director, HSMAI University

hsmai.org 4 hsmai.org

HSMAI University Alliance PartnerHSMAI University Alliance Partner

hsmai.org

HSMAI University SponsorHSMAI University Sponsor

TravelCLICK, the leading provider of hotel ecommerce solutions, TravelCLICK, the leading provider of hotel ecommerce solutions, offers awardoffers award--

winning Internet marketing solutions from website design to conswinning Internet marketing solutions from website design to consumer review umer review

monitoring that drive more direct bookings and higher revenue fomonitoring that drive more direct bookings and higher revenue for your hotel.r your hotel.

hsmai.org 6

POLL QUESTION #1POLL QUESTION #1How many people are participating in

this webinar at your location today?

hsmai.org 7

TodayToday’’s Speaker s Speaker

� 8 Years of e-Commerce SEO/SEM Consulting� 20+ Years of direct hotel sales experience� Approved vendor with Marriott, Hilton and Wyndham Hotels

� e-Commerce expert and frequent speaker at industry events

� Fortune 500 client projects ranging from strategic e-commerce planning, Customized SEO/SEM Solutions, Web 2.0, online press releases and SWOT Analysis to drive revenue

� Gordon LiametzRevenue Performancewww.RevenuePerformance.com

About TodayAbout Today’’s Information s Information

� As you will learn today there is a lot of information to know about searching for companies and people

� Your task is to find websites that are most relevant to you and in turn, use these sites to find sales leads and information about your prospects and clients

� Too much information can become overwhelming, so pace yourself. You can also get too many results. Be sure to search again by adding another criterion.

hsmai.org 8

Finding Company InformationFinding Company Information

� Despite the mountains of information you will accumulate today, there may be situations in which you still can't find what you're looking for

� Sometimes having a straightforward approach does not work, and you have to start looking from other angles

� Perhaps the company you are looking for is too new, has changed names, keeps a low profile online, is a subsidiary, etc.

hsmai.org 9

Make Sure You Use the CompanyMake Sure You Use the Company’’s Full Name s Full Name

� Make sure you are using the exact company name

� Use of acronyms and features such as and, &, Co., Ltd., Inc., and so on can also confuse the situation

� The name of a business that is familiar to you may not be its official name, such as Bloomingdale’s

� Bloomingdale’s is listed under Macy’s, the parent company

hsmai.org 10

Company Contacts and Parent/Sister Company Contacts and Parent/Sister

CompaniesCompanies

� Information such as the names of the company's senior executives may be all you have to go on when conducting your research

� Call those executives you find. Although they are most likely not your primary contact, their office will certainly know who you need to be speaking with

hsmai.org 11

Researching General Company Researching General Company

InformationInformation

hsmai.org 12

`

hsmai.org 13

hsmai.org 14

hsmai.org 15

About Financial DatabasesAbout Financial Databases

� Because the information is drawn from corporate filings, coverage is of public companies only

� The databases cover international companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges only

� You can often secure industry information on these sites and also research the competitors of that company

hsmai.org 16

hsmai.org 17

hsmai.org 18

hsmai.org 19

hsmai.org 20

hsmai.org 21

hsmai.org 22

hsmai.org 23

Keyword Strategies for the Search EnginesKeyword Strategies for the Search Engines

24

25

26

People SearchPeople Search

hsmai.org 27

28

Other Networking Websites

hsmai.org 29

www.123people.com

hsmai.org 30

hsmai.org 31

Company AlertsCompany Alerts

32

1.

2.

33

� Gathering Competitive Intelligence – Use Google alerts to see what is happening with your major competitors in the news, on the Weband in the Blogosphere

� Reputation Management – Find out about what people are saying about your hotel, what people are blogging about. Use Google Alerts to monitor your brand reputation on the web and in the blogosphere

34

hsmai.org 35

hsmai.org 36

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/E-mail-subscriptions.shtml

hsmai.org 37

Tools for Conducting Industry Information Tools for Conducting Industry Information

SearchesSearches

hsmai.org 38

hsmai.org 39

hsmai.org 40

http://www.virtualpet.com/industry/mfg/mfg.htm

hsmai.org 41

About News DatabasesAbout News Databases

� News databases consist of millions of pages of full text articles

� You must specify the keywords you are looking for such as the company name, product or person

� It is also helpful to use synonyms, or words that mean the same thing

� News databases are often good sources of information on private companies

hsmai.org 42

News DatabasesNews Databases

Google News http://news.google.com/

� Provides the ability to keyword search across thousands of news

sources found through crawling the web, while also providing the

ability to browse categories of news where headlines are assembled

automatically

Yahoo News http://news.yahoo.com/

� Similar to Google News, you can keyword search across thousands of

news sources found by Yahoo's news crawling partner, Moreover, as

well as stories fed by major wire services and news partners. Yahoo

Full Coverage lets you browse categories of news, where articles

and resources have been hand-assembled by Yahoo editors.

hsmai.org 43

News DatabasesNews Databases

Rocket News - http://www.rocketnews.com

� Keyword search against news and weblog content gathered from across

the web. Desktop software sold by Rocketinfo provides additional

features, such as the ability search against more resources and to save

searches.

Pandia - http://www.pandia.com

� Search for daily news using the Pandia metasearch engine, and get

headlines, summaries and links to articles from some of the best news

sites on the Internet

All In One News - http://www.allinonenews.com

� You can search 1,800 news engines from 200 countries

hsmai.org 44

Online DatabasesOnline Databases

45

About Online DatabasesAbout Online Databases� The key to choosing the best company directory database for

your work is knowing the types of companies covered in the database

� Some cover U.S. companies or international companies, while some cover both

� Some cover public companies or private companies, while some cover both

� Their search interfaces will look different. All directory databases allow you to do two things: look-up a company by name or ticker and create a list of companies by line of business, size, etc.

� You will need to qualify the database before you make a purchase

hsmai.org 46

hsmai.org 47

hsmai.org 48

49

49

50

Tab on Quick Search to look up a company. Type the company’s name into the search box and click on the Search Now! button.

50

51

.

51

52

52

53

53

54

55

56

57

58

SummarySummary

� Take your time when searching

� Do not get overwhelmed by all of these websites

� Set a goal of five new accounts per weeks to research

� Plan a few hours each month when the entire sales team is gathered and conduct an online sales blitz

� Find the sites that work for you

59

hsmai.org 60

Questions? Questions?

� 8 Years of e-Commerce SEO/SEM Consulting� 20+ Years of direct hotel sales experience� Approved vendor with Marriott, Hilton and Wyndham Hotels

� e-Commerce expert and frequent speaker at industry events

� Fortune 500 client projects ranging from strategic e-commerce planning, Customized SEO/SEM Solutions, Web 2.0, online press releases and SWOT Analysis to drive revenue

� Gordon LiametzRevenue Performancewww.RevenuePerformance.com

hsmai.org 61

Upcoming HSMAI University ProgramsUpcoming HSMAI University ProgramsInternet Marketing SeriesInternet Marketing Series

How Can I Increase My Local Search Revenue?How Can I Increase My Local Search Revenue?

Tuesday, December 9Tuesday, December 9thth

2:00 2:00 –– 3:00 p.m. EST3:00 p.m. EST

Leading Through the Economic Crisis Leading Through the Economic Crisis

and Preparing for Recovery and Preparing for Recovery Tuesday, December 2Tuesday, December 2ndnd

Economic Trends Affecting Hospitality Sellers in Today's TurbuleEconomic Trends Affecting Hospitality Sellers in Today's Turbulent Marketplacent Marketplace

10:00 10:00 –– 11:30 a.m. EST11:30 a.m. EST

Maximizing Revenue in a DownturnMaximizing Revenue in a Downturn

2:00 2:00 –– 3:30 p.m. EST3:30 p.m. ESTWednesday, December 3Wednesday, December 3rdrd

Getting Your Message Across With An Integrated Marketing StrategGetting Your Message Across With An Integrated Marketing Strategy y

10:00 10:00 –– 11:30 a.m. EST11:30 a.m. ESTTen Actions Your Sales Team Must Take in the Next 90 DaysTen Actions Your Sales Team Must Take in the Next 90 Days

2:00 2:00 –– 3:30 p.m. EST3:30 p.m. EST