Description

2026 Sales Summit

 2026 UMA Sales Summit Learning Sessions and Schedule*

Monday, July 13

8:30 – 10:00 AM

1) …and then there was none. Let’s Repair the Sales Gap in the Motorcoach Industry

Brokers are evolving very quickly and are a symptom of a problem that has frustrated charter and tour customers for decades. As the internet evolved to as the search device for consumers, those seeking bus and motorcoach services were and are increasingly greeted by brokers with friendly, “can-do” messages, and immediate quoting and reservation systems.

Bus and motorcoach companies must face a reality, either demonstrate professional sales acumen or surrender your business and margins to brokers.

This important session explains the challenge in depth and the steps salespeople in the bus and motorcoach industry must take to secure themselves in the marketplace.

10:00 – 10:15 AM – Break

10:15 – 11:00 AM

2) Understanding Your Customer aka Feeding Your Family

Who is the prospective customer and what do they want? Do they want a quote? More information?

Too often we see a charter customer when in reality the individual we are speaking with is a representative of charter customers. Their problem is they do not know the questions to ask, so they ask about price. Savy salespeople know this and shape the inquiry into conversation that positions them to offer a solution rather than a price.

This session covers the simple, yet subtle, art of helping a prospective customer find solutions to the group’s charter bus needs.

11:00 – 12:00 PM

3) Empathy…Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings

It is 1974 and Morris Albert is singing his hit song “Feelings,” hoping someone can empathize with his lost love. More than a few empathized with Alberts as the song sold millions of copies.

Empathy is the capacity to listen, understand, share, and resonate with another person’s emotions and perspective—essentially “feeling with” someone rather than just feeling for them. It involves putting yourself in another person’s shoes to experience their reality without losing your own perspective.

This session covers the important steps in developing empathy for the prospective customer.

12:00 – 1:30 PM – Lunch, sponsored by Gray Line Tennessee 

1: 30 – 2:00 PM

Workshop continues.

2:00 – 3:30 PM

4) Building Trust, the Art of Converting Customers to Clients

Today’s customers are presented with boundless choices yet chartering a bus can prove frustrating for some consumers as the differences in passenger carriers is not always clear and it is an infrequent purchase.

These conditions are rich with opportunities for reputable companies that can consistently deliver empower their salespeople to confidently be the “go-to” person for chartering a bus or motorcoach.

From delivering a proposal to arriving on time, trust beats price. This session covers the basic steps of building and maintaining trust.

3:30 – 4:00 PM – Break

4:00 – 5:00 PM

5) Money in the Bank – Turning Inbound Calls into Booked Trips

The science of understanding the customers’ needs, gaining their trust, presenting the solution is all part of the sales process but we have some final steps.

The call structure.

What to say—and what NOT to say.

How to avoid the “price shopping” trap!

This session covers the structure required to empower the you, the salesperson.

5:30 – 7:30 PM

Music City Mix and Mingle at Ole Smoky Distillery, Sponsored by Tennessee Motorcoach Association

Tuesday, July 14

9:00 – 10:15 AM

6) Okay, Let’s See Your Hand – Closing the Deal “

It’s been a short but effective conversation. You have a good understanding of the prospective customer’s needs, and you presented a solution along with a price and terms. Now you’re waiting for the green light to book the charter. Really?

The professional salesperson knows they need to close the deal. But wait, they might say NO, or worse, let me think it over! Stabbed in the heart with rejection.

Rejection is all part of the process and handling “no” and hesitation is all part of the process. This session gives you the tools to develop a structure that wins.

10:15 – 10:30 AM – Break

10:30 – 11:30 AM

7) Scoreboard says…

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi was quoted saying, “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”

It is important to make a record of the individuals you speak to about your company’s service, the number of proposals you make, and the number of closed sales. With records, you can review the prospects that produce the most sales and review new approaches for prospects that did not close.

If you are selling, you are going to hear, “No,” and that’s a good thing. Known as the greatest life insurance of all time, Ben Feldman said he could never neat his own stats. For every 10 prospects he had he managed 3 sales interviews and closed 1. That’s a lot of “no,” but Feldman took a very positive view stating, “Every time I heard no, I knew I was one closer to hearing “yes.”

The point is Feldman maintained statistics and knew how he could be the most effective. With annual commission totals over $1million annually, who would argue.

This session demonstrates what and how to record your sales activities and plan for success!

11:30 – 12:00 PM – Wrap-Up Session