Alifa O'Neal

Energizer
DISC Type : I

Director of Sales And Business Development at IHG Hotels & Resorts

United States

Overview

Alifa leads sales and business development with a perspective shaped by seeing the events industry from every angle. Her career progressed from hotel operations and food and beverage leadership into roles focused on sales strategy, team management, and complex event programs for major hospitality brands.

She started her career bussing tables and working banquet floors before rising into executive leadership.

Personality Overview

Imaginative

Enthusiastic

Relationship Oriented

They excel at seeing the bigger picture, and the long-term impact of their decisions.  They are people oriented, friendly and like creating new connections. They are not always early adopters but can be pursuaded by leveraging strong relationships.

Topics They Care About

Holistic Event Management
Understands the full lifecycle of an event, from initial sale and planning through to on-the-ground execution for thousands of attendees.
Sales Leadership
Focuses on leading and coaching sales teams, managing revenue strategy, overseeing the pipeline, and developing key client partnerships.
Mission-Driven Experiences
Passionate about blending mission and experience, having led B2B sales and event strategy for corporate programs supporting conservation at the Arbor Day Foundation.

Media Appearances

Alifa has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2026
Director of Sales And Business Development at IHG Hotels & Resorts
1-2023 - 9-2025
Director of Sales at Kansas City Power & Light District
5-2021 - 12-2022
Regional Group Sales Manager at Arbor Day Foundation
1-2019 - 9-2020
Sr. Sales & Event Operations Manager at Boyd Gaming
4-2015 - 1-2019
Food and Beverage Manager at Boyd Gaming

Education

Alifa has no verified education history

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Sales And Business Development at IHG Hotels & Resorts
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Insights For Selling To Alifa

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Talk about their team and how your product will help them do things better and easier
  • Be friendly and entertaining in your conversation
  • Invite them for a lunch or a drink/coffee

DONT's

  • Don’t push them to make a decision too fast, let them get comfortable first
  • Avoid cutting into their flow
  • Don’t be excessively objective, be a storyteller

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Alifa is

  • Relationship and trust can be vital with them, sometimes more than anything else.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Alifa

  • They are unlikely to say no directly, you have to make that decision yourself.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Alifa move?

  • They are not the fastest decision makers, their friendly approach can give false positive signals.
  • Can Alifa take some risk or not?

  • They can take certain risks that are unlikely to have personal consequences.

You And Alifa

Personality Compatibility


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