The first rule of sales and marketing is to know your product’s niche; Show contagious enthusiasm about your product or service; Be prepared to answer the question: Why should I choose you instead of the competition? If at all possible, do some research on your potential cus-tomer to ascertain their needs; Display and distribute professionally-created collateral material; Concentrate on selling the benefits of your product or service instead of the features; Prepare an emotional question to pull the customer in: “Wouldn’t your boss be pleased if you could show him or her how much money you saved?” Act as an on-going resource for your customer. Let him or her know that you are available to assist in solving a problem even if they aren’t buying your product immediately; Follow through! If you promise to send a presentation by Thursday, do it. When in a business networking situation, make a note of what you promised on the back of the cus-tomer’s business card; Remember that you are selling a rela-tionship and building a bond comes first. Nevertheless, the first and last rule in selling is to ask for the sale!

September, 2009

The Shilo Star is a monthly on-line publication for Shilo Inns’ Employees. Submit your ideas, information and photos to Leslee Gemmill for

Editor, Linda Burt

Shilo Sales Crew Clobbers The Competition . . .

Tried and True Tips of the Successful Sales Staff

Choose/Commit/Change

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get

what you’ve always gotten!

Richard Bandler

During the last week of August, the Portland metro Shilo sales team con-verged on Portland area businesses to sell the Shilo advantage. [L to R] Cami Pollack, Regional Director of Sales; Erin Coppedge, Portland Air-port; Jeannine Geist, Beaverton & Rose Garden; Kya Groves, Eugene; Raynell Flannery, Richland; Susan Christopherson, Newport; Maritheresa Diehl, Salem and Newberg; Laurie Beck, Ocean Shores and Tacoma; Mike Itatani, Regional Director of Sales.

Word of Mouth can be the best sales tool of all.

Mr. Hemstreet has always attributed the success of Shilo to his loyal and dedicated employees who offer satisfied Guests the Special Shilo Hospitality. These Guests spread the word about Shilo’s value and gracious service. Each and every employee is a valuable sales repre-sentative. A “Good morning,” a smile or a “Thank you for staying with us,” will always go a long way toward promoting valuable goodwill and happy memories of the entire hotel chain.

Who’s Who in the World of Shilo Inns. . .

Kudos to Yvette McClinton on her Nampa Shilo Employee of the Quarter honors after two years of service!

Behind the Scenes.

Nampa Suites Employees of the Quarter are [L to R] Melissa Coffett and Carey Joseph., a sterling housekeeping team that helps the hotel run smoothly. This duo just “loves working at Shilo” and they are pretty close to irreplaceable, according to General Manager Cindy Sullivan. Melissa has been at the Shilo since February, 2009, and Carey started in July, 2007. Together, they generated a happy comment online from Karie O’Donnell from Ellensburg, Washington. “The Shilo Inn Nampa Suites was a wonderful place to call home for a week. The staff were all amazing and attentive. The room was well appointed and very clean. I cannot say enough good about the property. A special note to Carey Ann in housekeeping: What a fine young lady! Thank you to the entire team for the wonderful hospitality.” Great job, ladies, for stepping high to meet the Shilo standards!

Congratulations to Troy Summerill who is the new general manager of the Shilo Inn Suites Hotel & Restaurant, Killeen, and to Tim Van Houten on his promotion to general manager of the Shilo Inn Suites Hotel, Ocean Shores.

It was a good time at the Shilo Corporate Pirates’ picnic re-cently coordinated by Antonia Cabal, GL, Bonnie Catlin, Pay-roll and Benefits Manager [L] and Ian Shub, Central Reserva-tions Manager [Lower Left]. Cap’n, crew and mates delved into their treasure trove of recipes to provide potluck to com-plement the burgers and brats. Bonnie came to Shilo six years ago from Consolidated Freight-ways. Bonnie and husband Mike have six kids and six grand-children (three boys and three girls) who make Bonnie’s “eyes sparkle,” ranging in age from one to seven. Bonnie says her and Mike’s vacations are spent building and planning their 20-acre retirement retreat in Plains, Montana, on the Idaho/Montana border. Bonnie’s favorite part of working for Shilo is her payroll “dream team.” Ian Shub co-chaired the picnic for the second year with Bonnie. He manages the 26-member Central Reservations crew, in-cluding agents, the Star Rewards agent, the GDS agent and the support staff. Ian hails from Chicago, moved to Phoenix where he worked for Wells Fargo before joining Shilo 4 1/2 years ago. He loves to cook (and eat!) international dishes, but his favorite food is BBQ ribs. He enjoys reading, travel and riding roller coasters. His favorite country is Thailand, where he found kind and gentle folks living in a scenic paradise. “Aye see you later. Ye’ll ne’er get me buried booty!” calls Ian as he flees back to his fellow pirates. “Arr ‘tis been fun, Gar,” yells Bonnie.

What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu? For Bird Flu you need Tweetment and

For Swine Flu you need Oinkment.

Mel Harbough, as-sistant head house-keeper/laundry em-ployee from Salem Shilo, takes a break to chat with one of her favorite country music stars, Aaron Tippin, who recently performed at the Oregon State Fair.

Shilo Stars, Special Guests, Kudos and More . . . Walter Evans III wrote a glowing report of his and his wife’s experi-ence at the Seaside Oceanfront Restaurant on her special birthday. “We have a weekend house in nearby Gearhart and my wife wanted to enjoy her birthday dinner in the Shilo Restaurant because of the memories she knew it would evoke--meals with her late mother at Christmases when the family crowd at our house overflowed the beach house bedrooms and her mom settled in at your Seaside Shilo. “Sunday evening, Bryan noticed my wife opening birthday cards and asked if it was her birthday. My wife said “Yes, and if you are smart, you won’t ask which one.” He re-plied that she would enjoy a compli-mentary dessert at the end of our meal. “Our dinner was very good; my wife enjoyed pot roast as her birthday comfort food. She said it was tender and well seasoned. I thought my cashew shrimp and scallops was terrific. Needless to say, her crème brule for dessert was very good and a nice ending to a very pleasant and relaxed dinner experience. “Bryan did your hotel chain proud by his skilled service and sense of humor--never intrusive, but adding an appropriate comment as he served us during our dinner. He is an asset to your company who should prosper in the hospitality industry--and you should keep him on your team and challenge him. He is a good face for your company. . . his good service was a bonus and one that added to our enjoyment.” “I just wanted to drop you a note about your Tacoma location and what a pleasure it was to stay in this hotel. The staff was fabulous, very friendly and extremely helpful. The room was clean and comfortable and the hotel in general was well kept. We will definitely recommend this location to anyone traveling to Ta-coma. Thank you. Brenda Thesen.”

[Warrenton/Astoria Shilo Staff] You really know how to put a smile on someone’s face. We had a wonder-ful time. Everyone was so nice. Best we had in a long time. Elden and Jill Lamb, Laura’s mommy and dad.

In August Tacoma: Shawna Williams, 5 years Yuma: Cynthia Bergh, 5 years Richland: Mai Sartain, 5 years Nampa: Darci Mills, 5 years Warrenton: Royce Kenoyer, 5 years Klamath Falls: Kaci Gomez, 5 years Tammy Lynn Brooks, 10 yrs Palm Springs: Julia Rivera, 5 years Corporate: Sandy Grund, 10 years Patrick Neill, 10 years The Dalles: Laverne Lindhorst, 30 yrs

In September Tillamook Restaurant: Maria Barajas, 5 years Seaside Oceanfront: Jorge Talavera, 5 years Salt Lake City: Maria Teresa Bahena, 5 yrs Rosa Elvia Morales, 5 years Corporate: Cami Jo Pollack, 5 years Beaverton: Artemio Real, 5 years

“This July we booked our stay with you through Hotwire.com. As a young family, we carry many things with us to keep the children happy. In packing up our belongings, we left there a dear friend, my son’s puppy that he sleeps with at night. I contacted your hotel immediately and to our amazement, luck and your efficiency, you found it. Wow! Good news at our household. Your staff offered to mail it to us at no charge. All I can say is, “Thank you!” The stay at your hotel was enjoyable, but the true service level of all your staff [Seaside East] shined the most after the fact and your efforts do not go unappreci-ated. The LePine Family, Vancouver, BC.”

From Alan Haynes, Everett, Washington, came this sweet tidbit. “We just loved your hotel [Tillamook], very clean, wonderful staff. Warm pool, great hot tub. The restaurant had great food and staff. We are definitely plan-ning another vacation at this location.”

“This is the only place I want to stay when I come to Palm Springs. By far the best rates and service. Always clean and friendly with great service. I can’t say enough about your hotel! Had a great time. Service was great. Looking forward to coming back. Richard A. Martinez, Pico Rivera, CA.”

This sleepy-time puppy pal was captured by staff and sent home to his master.

In the Spotlight . . . Special Tributes . . .

American-Owned & Proud of it!

Shilo Inns .

A raving five-star comparison review from an Arroyo Grande, California, family was posted to Tripadvisor after their recent summer vacation. “First off, let me say that I’ve stayed at every hotel in Oak-hurst during the last seven years on our annual trips to Yosemite . . . the Shilo Inn is the cleanest, has the largest rooms in the area and has the friendliest staff. We always stay on the highest floor at any hotel because it is always the quietest (no stomping, walking or creaking floors above you). The noise from adjacent rooms is almost inaudible. The Tenaya Lodge regular rooms aren't as nice as the rooms at the Shilo Inn. Breakfast at the Shilo Inn is NOT just a continental one with stale, packaged sweet rolls and juice. You get a good assortment of cereals, juices, milk, homemade waffles, bagels, fresh fruit and coffee. Other than actually having a restaurant, this is the next best thing for a lite breakfast. Tenaya Lodge breakfast buffet costs $15 per person now . . . the [Shilo] staff was great. All in all, the best, cleanest, nicest place to stay in Oakhurst and the prices are totally comparable and even cheaper than some of the other hotels in Oakhurst!”

Watch your thoughts, they become your words.

Watch your words, they become your actions.

Watch your actions, they become your habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

George Eliot

Salem, the beautiful capital city of Oregon and the second largest in the state, straddles the Willamette River, about an hour from Port-land. It is estimated that this area has been inhabited for 10,000 years, originally by native Kalapuyan fishermen and farmers. The area offers Willamette Uni-versity and is home to many win-eries, including the oldest in Ore-gon--Honeywood Winery. Muse-ums, boutiques, art galleries, parks, and shops abound, including the noted Salem Repertory Theatre in the Reed Opera House. The city has been awarded “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foun-dation for 30 years for its dedica-tion to urban forestry. Flowering cherry trees line three blocks of the Capitol Mall. General Manager Pam Urben [Lower Left] began managing the property four years ago and enjoys interacting with Guests. She loves reading, playing POGO online, gardening, traveling and frolick-ing with her grandkids--Dominic (4) and Jazlyn (2). Pam and her husband Mark have been married for 29 years and have two grown children and two fat cats. Although all employees are valu-able, the two longest-running staff who have made themselves virtu-ally indispensable are Kristin Di-cob, [R] front desk supervisor, who began in June, 2005, and Maritheresa Diehl, [Ctr] director of sales, who joined Shilo in June, 2001, and recently returned to the Shilo Inn Suites - Salem.

“We wish to express the appreciation of the entire Brugman family for the wonderful dinner that Melissa Williams arranged for us on August 7 in the Sunset Room [Newport Oceanfront Restaurant]. The location was perfect, the best of all locations we scouted. The menu far exceeded our expectations, so thanks to both Ms. Williams and the chef for provid-ing such a thoughtful selection. From salad through dessert, the family raved about the food. Despite such a large group, the entrees were served very quickly, thanks to Rob, who was both professional and friendly. Although allowing the family to pay in small groups must have been difficult for the wait staff, they were thoroughly professional with each person. Again, thank you so much for the excellent service of your staff and allowing us to say farewell to a beloved family member in such a wonderful location. Sue Powell.”