Most sales training teaches people what to pitch. This one teaches people how to think.
Sales is the service of helping others balance where they are at and where they want to be.
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Meetings & Conferences
32,000 sq ft of flexible, light-filled space on Boston Harbor — from the Rose Kennedy Ballroom to intimate boardrooms.
They’re buying the outcome
Weddings & Celebrations
Waterfront ballrooms, floor-to-ceiling harbor views, and a culinary team that honors every tradition.
They’re buying the moment
Room Blocks & Catering
Guest rooms, Chef-driven catering, and a dedicated planning team — the whole event under one roof.
They’re buying the experience
I. Intentional Awareness
There are three kinds of awareness. Tap each to open it.
🧭
Internal Awareness
Know for Yourself
How clear are you on what's important and why?
Before every call, tour, or renewal conversation.
Open ▾
Clarity
- What is this event actually supposed to accomplish?
- What would make this conversation worth their time?
- What do I want to be true when we hang up — a hold, a site visit, a date?
Motive
- Why does this event matter — revenue, retention, culture, or a milestone?
- Why now? A new fiscal year, a board meeting, a wedding date, a rebrand?
- Why should they trust us with it — what have we earned so far?
People
- Who has a say — Decision Maker, Guardian, User, Coach?
- Who carries the day-of stress — the planner, the event manager, the host?
- Who haven’t I accounted for — procurement, finance, an outside planner, AV?
Measure
- How will they know the event worked — attendance, feedback, business closed?
- How are they handling events today — in-house, another venue, a planner?
- What are they judged on — budget, guest experience, or the story told after?
Movement
- What am I asking for — a site visit, a courtesy hold, a proposal?
- What’s the smallest commitment that keeps this moving?
- What do I owe them when we hang up, and by when?
CreatesClarity→Focus→Action
👁️
External Awareness
Read the Room
Who has a say & what role do they play?
What mode are they in & what's their win?
Open ▾
Identify — who has a say
Decision Maker — Exec / Bride & Groom / Assoc. DirectorGuardian — Procurement / Finance / PlannerUser — Event Manager or Program LeadCoach — The planner or champion inside
Uncover — what matters most
What they thinkHow they feel
MoneyTimeRiskStatus
Let’s stop asking “What question gets me a site visit?” & start asking “What question uncovers their Mode?”
The best questions are simple, conversational, and easy to answer — the kind that don’t feel like discovery. Work them in this order, and each answer opens the door to the next:
Situation→Mode→Improvement→Hook
Establish context without sounding like discovery.
- What do you know about the event so far?
- Where have you held it in the past?
- How many are you expecting, and who’s coming?
- Are you planning this internally, with a planner, or both?
- Has anything changed since last year?
- What’s hardest to get right with an event like this?
- What are you focused on this quarter?
Where most of us struggle. Instead of asking about facts, ask about experience — these seven tell you almost everything about their Mode.
- How’s that been working for you?
- How do you feel about where the planning stands today?
- What’s been the biggest challenge?
- What’s been the most frustrating part?
- What’s taking more time than it should?
- Where do you feel the most pressure — budget, timing, or the guest experience?
- If you could change one thing about the last one, what would it be?
People don’t buy the ballroom. They buy improvement.
- What would make this event a success?
- What’s most important to improve from the last one?
- If the day went exactly right, what changes?
- What would make the biggest impact on your guests?
- What’s costing you the most today — time, budget, or stress?
- What would free your team up on-site?
- Where do you think the greatest opportunity is?
Timing separates a real opportunity from a someday.
- Why is this important now?
- What’s driving the timing — a date, a budget cycle, a season?
- What happens if nothing changes?
- When do you need the space confirmed?
- What made this move to the top of your list?
Know who matters before you go further.
- Besides yourself, who else is involved in the decision?
- Who ultimately signs?
- Who runs it on the day?
- Who else would want to weigh in — finance, procurement, leadership?
- What does success look like for them?
🪝 The HookOnce you’ve heard their Situation, Mode, and Improvement — the hook writes itself. Offer a next step that fits what they just told you, and turn it into a warm, informed next conversation.
Build the Hook
“It sounds like [Situation] is creating [Impact]. If there were a way to [Improvement], would it be helpful to see how?”
“It sounds like running it across two venues put a lot on your team last year. If there were a way to keep the whole program under one roof so your people could actually be at the event, would it be helpful to see how that would work?”
Mode detection shapes how you ask — to gain their permission:
- Growth “It sounds like you’re looking to…” → improvement
- Trouble “It sounds like this is creating…” → relief
- Even Keel “It sounds like things are working, but…” → possibility
- Overconfident “It sounds like you’re comfortable with where things are…” → curiosity
Align — before end of conversation
These are the questions you ask the planner — and each buying influence behind them. Decision-Maker phrasing is shown; tap any question to see how to ask the same thing of the Guardian, User, or Coach.
Defines the outcome — clarity
GuardianBudget / Risk
What budget, contract terms, and standards matter most?
Ex: Budget per head, minimums, contracts, insurance
UserExecution / Experience
What does the event need to deliver on the day?
Ex: Flow, timing, AV, catering, the guest experience
CoachInfluencer / Alignment
What would make this a win for your organization?
Ex: Attendee satisfaction, brand, the story people tell after
Reveals the process — reality
GuardianBudget / Risk
How are approvals, contracts, and payments handled?
Ex: Procurement, deposits, insurance, sign-off
UserExecution / Experience
How are you planning and running events today?
Ex: In-house vs. venue, past events, what’s stressful
CoachInfluencer / Alignment
How do venue decisions get made and championed?
Ex: Who decides, who advocates, past partners
Identifies friction — truth
GuardianBudget / Risk
Where does risk or exposure typically show up?
Ex: Attrition, liability, contract risk, overages
UserExecution / Experience
Where does it get stuck or go sideways on-site?
Ex: Setup, timing, AV, catering, headcount changes
CoachInfluencer / Alignment
Where do priorities or opinions conflict?
Ex: Experience vs. budget, brand vs. cost, timing
Tests commitment — decision
GuardianBudget / Risk
If it ran on-budget and fully covered, what changes?
Ex: Protected, on-budget, one trusted partner
UserExecution / Experience
If we handled the details, what improves for your team & guests?
Ex: Less stress, a standout event, more time
CoachInfluencer / Alignment
If this succeeded, what’s possible for future events?
Ex: A repeat partner, referrals, a go-to venue
CreatesIdentify→Uncover→Align
🎯
Situational Awareness
Solve for Improvement
Is this account worth pursuing?
The right account — and the right time to pursue it.
Open ▾
Right Fit
Are we the right fit for this group?
- Group size fits our event space.
- Their dates are open on our calendar.
- We solve a real budget or logistics problem.
- Room nights & spend support the effort.
- Event has annual or recurring potential.
- Opens the door to the whole organization.
- Access to the planner or decision maker.
- The harbor setting is the draw — not just any hotel.
- Trust can be earned before contracts are due.
Right Now
Are they ready to solve it?
- Last year’s event fell short.
- They want a more impressive experience.
- Planners want it simpler to run.
- An event or meetings budget exists.
- A deposit & contract pathway is clear.
- Leadership is bought in.
- Event dates are set or close to it.
- Headcount and room needs are known.
- Space won’t hold at this size for long.
Right Fit+Right Now=Opportunity Qualification
II. Simple Shifts
Change the word. Change the answer.
Same question. Different door. Curiosity opens it.
Select a shift above to open it.
✕ Instead of
“Why did you pick that venue?”
✓ Try
“What led you to that venue?”
“What went into that decision?”
Why it works
“Why” asks people to defend a decision. “What” asks them to describe one. Same information — without the wall going up.✕ Instead of
“Tell me about your event.”
✓ Try
“Help me understand what you’re planning.”
“Help me get up to speed on how the decision gets made.”
Why it works
“Tell me” is a command — it puts you above them. “Help me” makes them the expert and you the student. People are wired to help.✕ Instead of
“Why do you say that?”
✓ Try
“What makes you say that?”
Why it works
You get the story behind the statement instead of a defense of it. Use it any time they say something you don’t understand yet — it never sounds like a challenge.✕ Instead of
“Why did you go with them instead of us?”
✓ Try
“Help me understand — what made that the better fit vs. this?”
Why it works
Asks about the choice, not the person. You learn the actual criteria they book on.You’re not softening the question. You’re removing the reason to guard the answer.
Curiosity + Empathy = Context
How you show up before the conversation earns you the right to ask.
Belief + Trust = Content
What they share reveals what really matters.
Context + Content = Contrast
What you uncover reveals the distance between where they are and where they want to be.
Role + Mindset = Reality
Role = how they see the problem. Mindset = how they feel about the problem.