 Do you find dealing with addendums for your contracts rather annoying? Well, you're not alone. Your meeting planner client is likely annoyed with the process as well. But we're going to talk about some ways today to make it a little bit less painful for both you and your meeting planning client today. Hey, it's Leanne from leancolderwood.com and often a meeting planner's program will change and it will come time for them to work with you again on a contract addendum. Now this isn't going to be your most favorable task of the day. You probably want to tend to more strategic work. But chances are it's not the favorable task of the client either. In fact, if it comes that they need a contract addendum, it's because things have changed on their end and sometimes things have changed drastically. So whether it's a reduction or an increase in guestrooms and meeting space, they're going through a whole plethora of changes from programming to formatting to delegate registrations, etc. So doing a contract addendum is not high on their priority list either. So we do need to get through these addendums. And today we're going to talk about six things that you can do that can help make it easier for that meeting planner to get through the addendum process. And then you come out of it looking like the rock star. And again, that carries a lot of weight into building and cultivating the relationship that you have with your meeting planner. So let's look at these six tips. Tip number one, be present. Now that's a very tactful way of saying don't ignore your client when they reach out looking for a contract addendum. And you would think that would be an easy one, but you wouldn't believe how many times that meeting planners, their request for an addendum does get ignored. And it does get pushed to the back of the list of things to do. Now I do talk about how to make strategic choices with your time. And I have a video that you can check out here to learn more about that. But you do need to acknowledge the meeting planner's request and be present throughout the process with them. And that will help build the relationship you have with that planner. Tip number two, be helpful. Now this could be the first time your meeting planner client is going through the addendum process and they might lean on you for advice on how to change their program that's in their best interests. Now as a hotel sales manager, your best interests are also the hotel. But often if you are also taking your client's best interests to heart and not putting them in a space where they could be more liable for damages, that will turn them into a repeat client. So find options for them. Be consultive in the process with the contracted addendum. Tip number three, be resourceful. So often when a program grows, it may outstretch the walls of your hotel. And again, that planner's going to be looking for solutions. Chances are you partner with other neighboring hotels in this manner and you can now lead your meeting planner down the road of ensuring that they have enough space at neighboring hotels. So this does a couple things. This strengthens your relationship with your meeting planner client, but it also strengthens the relationships between all of the meeting partners in the community. And that can go a long way in helping deliver successful programs. So be resourceful with your clients. Tip number four, be flexible. So often when a contracted addendum lands on our plate, we want to get it off of our plate as soon as possible and get an addendum signed. But often again, the meeting planner, he or she, they are sorting through a ton of different options on how to make this work best. So be flexible with your time. Be flexible with your space and try to avoid having to go to a second addendum by rushing a meeting planner through the process. Give them the time that they need to get all their ducks in a row. Tip number five, be empathetic. So throughout all of the tips that I've outlined to this point, it's so important to try to put yourself in the shoes of your meeting planner client. They are stressed to the max. And I get it. You're getting stressed with this process too. I don't mean to mitigate your stress in any way, shape or form. But being empathetic to the meeting planner actually puts both of you in the same boat. And again, strengthens the relationship and you now become partners in the process. So please keep that in mind as you're working through your contract addendums. Tip number six, be clear. So giving your client all of the options and the ramifications of each and every option will save them a lot of guesswork in which way they should go with the contract addendum. Additionally, sometimes it doesn't even need to be an addendum. Potentially it may just be an amendment. And if you go to the blog post on this topic, I've included a link on what the difference is between an addendum and an amendment. So you might want to check that out to ensure that you're clear on the two definitions when you're communicating that in return to your clients. So again, be clear in all of the options and outline it clearly for your client. Now that you have some new creative ways on to help clients with their contract addendums, you might be in a position to better schedule your time on dealing with the addendums and then of course schedule time for your more strategic projects. If you click on the link below making choices with your time worksheet, it'll take you over to my website where you can download a worksheet that will help you through the decision making process on how to better manage your time and your productivity in the office. And of course, if you like this video and you want to share it with your peeps, please do so. Just share or subscribe to my channel and send it out to the other hotel sales managers in your office. They might pick up a tip or trick as well on dealing with their clients. I hope you enjoyed this week's video and we will see you next time. Bye for now.