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Relationship Wins Repeat

How to Build Long-Term Corporate Travel Partnerships


Want to go from vendor to valued partner in Business Travel Sales? Learn how to build corporate travel relationships that stick, and scale.


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Your Rate Isn’t Enough

Anyone can load a rate. Only a few build relationships that make the spreadsheet disappear.

One-off bookings don’t protect your base. They don’t secure your RFPs. And they certainly don’t get your name added to someone’s emergency call list. To build a real partnership in Business Travel Sales, you need more than good numbers—you need trust, consistency, and the kind of support that travels further than your comp set.


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Why One-Offs Don’t Last

One-and-done bookings often come from a reactive place: a sudden project, a relocation, a random OTA stay. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend your entire quarter chasing the next one.

The truth? Corporate loyalty isn’t built in a single transaction. It’s built in how you follow up, how you show up, and how you support their program when nothing is technically “on fire.”


What Partnership Really Looks Like

A partner is proactive. A vendor waits to be asked.

Partnership means:

  • Checking in with no agenda

  • Anticipating the traveler’s needs before they call

  • Building relationships with the travel buyer, not just the traveler

  • Being easy to reach—and even easier to trust

You don’t need fancy gifts to stand out. You need follow-through that feels effortless.


Read the Code, Not Just the Contract

This is where the Business Travel Code™ becomes your secret weapon.

When you understand what travelers value—ease, consistency, personalization—you stop pitching and start supporting. Your hotel becomes an extension of their program, not just a property on their list.

Here’s the move: Apply what you know about your client’s traveler types (use personas!) to inform:

  • How you greet

  • What you prioritize

  • When you reach out

  • How you build loyalty that lasts


The Quiet Work That Makes You Their First Call

Here’s what high-performing BT Sellers know:

  • Travelers don’t always make the decisions. Admins, EAs, and TMCs do.

  • Most of your comp set isn’t picking up the phone after 5 p.m.—you can.

  • People remember how you made their travelers feel. That’s your edge.

Whether it’s a personalized check-in note or remembering that one exec always wants a Dr. Pepper in her fridge, those details aren’t extra—they’re essential.


The Lie, The Lesson, and The Truth


The Lie:

“There’s always another chance to win the account.”


The Lesson:

Every moment matters. Trust doesn’t wait around for your follow-up. It grows through consistent, intentional effort, especially when there’s nothing immediate to gain.


The Truth:

Real partnerships are built in the quiet moments, not just the pitch meetings. Your rate may win the bid, but your name is what wins the room.


Download This Week’s Free Resource

Free Resource: Relationship 5 Weekly Ritual

Want to build deeper connections without burning out?

Download the Relationship 5™ Tracker—a printable tool to help you stay accountable to five relationship-building actions each week.

Includes space for:

  • Quick check-ins

  • Value-based follow-ups

  • Strategic intros

  • Recognition notes

  • Personal touches that make you unforgettable



The Reframe:

You’re not selling nights. You’re building trust.

And trust doesn’t need a pitch. It needs presence. When you build the kind of relationship that can’t be matched, the client stops comparing and starts depending.

That’s how you Make Them Stay™.

 
 
 

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