Overview: RFPs

When your property receives a new lead, someone is notified by an e-mail message. Who gets the e-mail depends on a couple of things:

• Assignment Rules: If your administrator creates assignment rules, MeetingBroker reviews the information in the RFP, like the number of guestrooms or the market segment, and sends the email to the appropriate sales manager.
• Default Lead Coordinator (DLC): If the customer didn't provide enough information to determine how to route the lead, or if your administrator didn't create assignment rules, the email is sent to your property's DLC.

When you receive a new RFP, review all of the information to determine if it should be reassigned to another user, or if you can bid on it.

1. In the New RFP email message, click the link to view the RFP details. You may be prompted to log in to MeetingBroker. If you are not on a shared computer, click Remember Me to skip this step in the future.
2. In the Message Details window, review the Comments field, and then click the View RFP button to open the full RFP page.
3. Click the Attachments button to view any attached documents or diagrams the customer may have included. Many times customers will put the most important details in the attachments, so make sure you review them before determining if you need to reassign or bid.
4. Review all of the meeting information in the RFP, Additional Info, and Questions tabs.

If, after reviewing the details, you determine that another person should be the owner, follow these steps:

1. Click the Reassign button to open the Select Users window.
2. Select the appropriate user.
3. Click the Update button to open the Reassign RFP window.
4. Type any comments and click the Send button. The user you selected will receive a Reassigned RFP e-mail message.
5. Wait for the Reassign RFP window to close.

If, after reviewing the details and checking space at your property, you will bid on the business, send a proposal.

If your property cannot accommodate the business, turn down the RFP. For accurate lost business reporting, enter the approximate value of the booking as agreed business data first, and then change the status:

1. From the RFP page, click the Business Data tab.
2. Click Agreed.
3. In the guestrooms section, click Edit to open the Room Business Data window.
4. Enter the Qty and Rate information. You don't need to enter exact room types or occupancies. Enter the approximate guestroom rate that would have been offered to provide the estimated value of the booking in the Single Run of House fields.
5. Click the Next and Save button to update the next day.
6. Click the Save and Close button when you have updated the final day.
7. Click the General sub-tab.
8. In the Business Status drop-down list, select Turned Down.
9. Click Save.

The Turn Down RFP window will open.

10. In the Turn Down RFP window, the original sender of the RFP is listed in the System Recipients field and will automatically be copied. If you also want the e-mail message to go to the customer, enter their e-mail address in the To field. If the customer should not receive an e-mail message (for example, the regional sales office has asked you not to contact the customer directly), leave this field blank.
11. Select a Lost Business Reason that explains why you are turning down the RFP.
12. Click the Select Response button to select a pre-written turndown message for the Comments area. You can then customize the message if necessary.
13. Click the Send button.

After sending the proposal, you need to update MeetingBroker as the business progresses by entering Business Data. This includes status changes, updated revenue figures as negotiations are made, and for definite bookings providing the actual consumption figures after departure.