In late 2023, I closed Marakia Tourism’s largest-ever corporate group booking: a 180-person pharmaceutical company retreat valued at EGP 650,000. Here’s exactly how it happened and what I’d do differently.
The Opportunity
A multinational pharma company’s Egypt office was planning their annual team retreat. They’d already spoken to three competing resorts. I found the opportunity through a LinkedIn post from their HR director mentioning “team bonding activities” — a classic trigger event.
Phase 1: Discovery (Week 1-2)
I didn’t pitch resort packages immediately. Instead, I scheduled a 30-minute discovery call with their HR director and operations manager. My questions:
- “What made last year’s retreat successful? What fell short?”
- “How does your team define a great retreat experience?”
- “What’s the one outcome that would make this investment worth it for leadership?”
Their answers revealed something critical: they didn’t just want a vacation — they needed team-building programming for newly merged departments. No competitor had asked these questions.
Phase 2: Tailored Proposal (Week 3)
Instead of sending a standard package brochure, I built a custom proposal:
- 3-day itinerary with structured team activities (not just beach time)
- Dedicated event coordinator from our side
- Flexible room configurations for breakout sessions
- ROI slide showing how similar retreats improved employee retention at other clients
The proposal was 12 pages. My competitors sent 2-page rate sheets.
Phase 3: Navigating Objections (Week 4-5)
The procurement team pushed back on price — we were 15% higher than the cheapest option. Instead of discounting, I reframed:
“The cheapest option doesn’t include a dedicated coordinator, team-building programming, or flexible meeting spaces. If the retreat doesn’t achieve your team-building goals, what’s the real cost of that?”
I also offered a satisfaction guarantee: if their post-retreat employee survey scores didn’t improve, we’d credit 10% toward their next booking. This removed the risk.
Phase 4: The Close (Week 6)
The deal closed after a site visit. I invited their HR director and two department heads to experience the resort firsthand. During the visit, I introduced them to the event coordinator who would manage their retreat — making it personal.
They signed the contract that week.
Key Lessons
- Discovery is everything — The 30 minutes I spent asking questions gave me an unfair advantage over competitors who led with pricing
- Sell the outcome, not the product — They didn’t buy a resort; they bought improved team cohesion
- Custom proposals win — 12 pages of tailored content beat 2 pages of generic rates every time
- Remove risk, don’t reduce price — The satisfaction guarantee cost me nothing but sealed the deal
- Site visits close deals — Bringing decision-makers on-site made the experience tangible
What I’d Do Differently
I’d involve the CFO earlier. The procurement pushback added two weeks to the cycle. If I’d gotten financial buy-in during discovery, I could have closed in four weeks instead of six.
Every big deal teaches you something. This one taught me that the best salespeople are really consultants who happen to close deals.