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Kim Snow, Vice President Commercial Strategy, Aimbridge, HSMAI Sales Advisory Board Member
Sales. Marketing. Revenue Management. Distribution. When these functions operate in silos, the result isn’t just internal frustration, it’s missed revenue, slower decision-making, and inconsistent guest experiences.
During a recent HSMAI Sales Advisory Board Meeting, Advisory Board Members shared their on-the-ground strategies for breaking down barriers and building up commercial collaboration.
Here’s what we heard and what you can put into practice.
What’s at Risk When Silos Rule
Misalignment slows everything down.
Think RFPs, pricing, and promotional offers stuck in limbo because departments aren’t in sync. One participant summed it up like this: “Customers are dissatisfied. They have to wait longer, it takes three days to get an answer… it just becomes a big, fat dissatisfier.”
When decisions require multiple approvals across departments, sales teams can’t move fast enough to close deals. This can result in lost opportunities and poor customer experiences.
Lack of coordination can lead to promotions that undercut the brand or attract less profitable business. Silos make it harder to target high-value segments with unified messaging and strategy.
Tactics That Are Working
1) Combine meetings, not just goals.
Several organizations replaced separate sales, revenue, and ops meetings with a single commercial strategy meeting. This creates shared visibility and alignment and accelerates decisions.
2) Empower sales with smart tools.
One team rolled out a “group booking tool” that allows sales to generate rates and net profitability in 60 seconds—helping them book quickly when green-lit, and flag exceptions when necessary.
3) Align incentives across departments.
When everyone is bonused on shared goals like total revenue, guest satisfaction, and profitability and it forces cross-functional thinking.
“It causes you to pause as a sales leader, because you’re responsible for more than just bookings.”
4) Cross-train and co-locate teams.
From bringing revenue managers into the sales office to merging media and client service teams, the message is clear: proximity fosters trust. One team even physically moved teams together and started cross-training to increase understanding and responsiveness.
5) Cut the noise, not the collaboration.
More communication isn’t always better. Over-emailing in the name of transparency can bog teams down. Reset expectations and focus on targeted, meaningful collaboration.
Breaking down silos doesn’t happen by accident. It takes effort, structure, and a culture of mutual respect. One attendee put it simply: “It’s hard work to be collaborative. It doesn’t come naturally. We have to be committed to it.”