selling travel july 2014
TRANSCRIPT
THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS
JULY 2014
Main Features:
Selling travel in a spam
legislated world
Know your photo
Apps like RAYS
Do your suppliers
know HOW to sell
their own
products?
4 EDITORIAL
The DESIRE to travel starts earlyand continues throughout one’s
life – are you marketing toGeneration Z?
Share your money making ideasin SELLING TRAVEL.
CONTACTSteve Crowhurst
www.sellingtravel.net
Publisher:SMP Training Co.
www.smptraining.com
ContributorsSteve Crowhurst
SELLING TRAVEL is owned and publishedby Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. AllRights Reserved. Protected byInternational Copyright Law. IC TRAVELAGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut andpasted but not sold, resold or in any waymonetized. Using any images or contentfrom IC TRAVEL AGENT must be sourced asfollows: “Copyright SMP Training Co.www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co.568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach,BC, Canada, V9K-1G1 Note: SteveCrowhurst is not responsible for outcomesbased on how you interpret or use theideas in SELLING TRAVEL.T: 250-738-0064.
7 SELLING TRAVEL IN A SPAM LEGISLATED WORLD
13 THE CASL HASSLE REPORT & SURVEY LINKS
27 3 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN SENDING MESSAGES
28 REMEMBER THIS?
30 CLIENT UPGRADE
32 GOTTA SHOOT 16:9 OR PANORAMIC
36 ASK YOUR CLIENTS
37 SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW by Jill Wykes
38 TAPPING INTO YOUR INNER EXPLORER by Steve Gillick
40 DO YOUR SUPPLIERS KNOW HOW TO SELL THEIR OWN PRODUCTS?
42 IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING…
43 RFID
44 DREAM MERCHANTS
46 RAYS - A NEW APP
48 THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE!
50 QR QUIRKS
51 SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR FRIEND by Jill Wykes
52 THERE IS NO 110%!
54 R-U- NBG?
57 GOOD READS
58 THINKING
59 YOUR SALES PROCESS
If it’s not yet 5pm where you live, you still have time to make one morecall, close one more sale or e-mail one more promotion!
Attention Suppliers: Advertising in SELLING TRAVEL reaches the serious business-minded travel agent. Promote your products and services using Selling Travel’sunique promotional formula – you write the articles on how to sell your own productsoffering step-by-step selling tips, tools and techniques that you know have workedfor your agency accounts. Full page rates range from $300 to $425 based on numberof insertions. Remember, if you can’t sell it to them, they can’t sell it for you!
THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS
TRUE SUPPORT FOR TRUE PROFESSIONALSAt Nexion Canada, we know that you are passionate about your travel business. So we provide you
with the professional support and industry relationships you need to be more profi table and effi cient,
giving you the freedom to run your travel business the best way: your way.
A full-service host agency combining decades of experience, Nexion Canada provides independent,
Canadian-based travel professionals of all experience levels with:
• Your choice of up to 80% of commissions
• Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers
• Technology tools to better manage your business
• Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo
GDS systems
• Training, coaching and networking opportunities
• Innovative marketing programs to grow your business
• Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers
• Lead generation for qualifi ed agents
• Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge!
It’s time to join a family of professionals that truly supports your independent business dreams.
It’s time to join Nexion Canada.
• Your choice of up to 80% of commissions
• Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers
• Technology tools to better manage your business
• Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo
• Training, coaching and networking opportunities
• Innovative marketing programs to grow your business
• Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers
• Lead generation for qualifi ed agents
• Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge!
Contact us today to learn more about our growing family of travel professionals. Visit www.Join.NexionCanada.com Email [email protected] 866-399-9989
MENTION THAT YOU SAW US IN IC AGENT MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE!
10131503-Nexion_Ad.indd 1 10/29/13 2:18 PM
SELLING TRAVEL IS BACK!
Well I have to say it’s nice to be back on the digital shelf. Had to take a breather to reassess how
many e-Magazines one man can produce and not to mention keeping the content fresh and
timely. Managed to launch IC Travel Agent with a focus on the Home Based seller of travel, and
during that time it was evident from your emails that you wanted the all-purpose How-To
magazine that offered something for everyone, suppliers included, and that was Selling Travel.
The big issue just now, on both sides of the 49th is the
anti-spam laws introduced into Canada as of July 1st.
Not all consumers know about it, want to know about
it or care about it. That said it’s now in your business
life and as everyone keeps saying the legislation is the
strictest in the world. Not to belabour the issue, but
we have to, I’ve given a couple of pages to some ideas
on how to work with this new hassle. Also included
the results of a recent survey. Feel free to add your thoughts to the survey to grow the data.
Be sure to check out my new e-Store where I am turning every workshop, webinar, article and
keynote speech into easy to read and implement eGuides that you purchase and download in an
instant. Look for the Store Member opt-in links and receive a 20% discount once you join.
Here’s to your continued success in SELLING TRAVEL.
Best regards.
Steve Crowhurst, CTC
www.sellingtravel.net
The How-To Magazine for Travel Trade Professionals
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher
This month’s issue of Selling Travel
includes a Special Report:
The CASL Hassle Survey.
After reading it you can continue to
review additional responses by
clicking here to view.
Click on the icons below to opt-in.
Want more time with your family?
Stay at home andearn big money!
Join Today!
Visit: TheTravelAgentNextdoor.ca
Call: 416-367-8263
Tollfree: 1-844-845-8263
BB023 10-5-14
JoiN A WEbiNAR TodAY!
• You keep 85 -100% of preferred
supplier base commission.
• Get commission paid twice monthly!
Why wait?
• Upload your promotions to over 300
social networks in seconds.
• Gain access to 100s of suppliers thru
our affiliation with TRAVELSAVERS.
• Get your own personal dashboard
report to manage your bookings.
• Have your personalized, fully-bookable
website.
• Enjoy your own phone extension that
rings at your home.
• Know where you stand with real time
commission tracking.
• Marketing that includes direct mail to
your customers.
• High end customers? No problem with
the Affluent Traveler Collection.
Work in the comfort of your own home!
Are You On The List?As a member of The Travel Agent’s Store you’ll receive advanced notice of new
titles when they hit the shelves AND you’ll receive a discount too.
The BI
ICTA610
Try us out this month…
Enter this Promo Code upon checkout and SAVE 10%
G ALL Store Bundle valued at OVER $275
now on sale for ONLY$199!
Click here to join The Travel Agent’s Store member list.
Selling Travel
in a
Leg
W
islated
orld
Will your clients
turn you in and send
you to email jail?
The How-To Magazine for Travel Trade Professionals
“But I was only trying to email their
refund information. Honest!”
Well, it’s on every travel agent’s mind. Whether or not they will be heading to
email jail in the hilltop CASL or will they be able to continue marketing to their
long term latest and prospective clients without doing time. Let’s review.
Okay. Take a breath. Keep calm. That’s the
spirit. The only way you are going to end up
in eMail Jail is if anyone, more than one
actually, talking hundreds of consumers
complain about your CEMs.
The question is then, will this happen?
Would any of your clients actually report you
for sending them the same information
you’ve been sending to them for years? No.
Not very likely.
The rules and regulations that CASL presents
does however wake you up to the fact that
you should always be sending out quality
information to those that actually want it. To
do it right means you do one of two things:
1. You create all-purpose content that your
clients can read through and select their
preferences. No harm done there.
2. You create several content formats to
suit the personal travel needs and wants
of your segmented client list. This means
sending cruise information to your
known cruisers, golf info’ to your golfers
and historical tour info’ to the clients
who like to roam around very old cities.
If you just roll along pumping out the same
old “stuff” and then send it to everyone
regardless of their travel profile then for sure
someone might get upset. If they do, the
general outcome would be a reply to your
email asking you to stop sending, or a phone
call requesting the same thing – stop sending
stuff that doesn’t interest “me”!
Once again the question: Do you feel that
anyone on your client list is unhappy with
what you send to them and would they
actually report you to CASL?
It’s for you to answer and then decide what
to do. The decision to send a spam
complaint by a customer is not a task to be
undertaken lightly. Do yourself a favour and
go check out the complaint page here:
http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/frm
-eng/MMCN-9EZV6S
Make sure you read through every word and
then follow the clicks as if you were going to
file a complaint. For the average person to
do so, it looks quite daunting. Not only the
process, but it also states that your personal
information may be / could be shared with
various security bodies. Not what most
people want happening in their lives. The
less known about “me” the better.
Now, on the other hand you might be faced
with a professional plaintive as one article
titled the person who just loves to get in
there and stir it up with a financial reward at
the end of the day.
To me it seems that CASL will scare a lot of
marketers into doing it right, and also scare
a lot of consumers from lodging a complaint.
The average person who is being inundated
with “real spam” might finally go for it and
lodge a complaint. That professional
plaintive using spam to scam and probably
opts-in for this very reason, will for sure seek
out a victim via CASL.
On the right of this page I’m showing you the information
section that awaits anyone who clicks to make a spam
complaint. It’s extensive.
When you arrive at the end of that page you will see red text
and that’s where you click to proceed. Then you will come to
a questionnaire, name address etc., and eventually the reason
for your submission – and here are the reasons are taken right
off that page:
Would any of your clients turn you in based on any one or
more of those 13 reasons – note that the person lodging the
complaint can select as many reasons as they wish.
My suggestion here is that you strive to comply with all things
CASL, review the CASL fightspam.ca page as the information is
far better than what the trade has offered which garnered fear
more than confidence.
In essence you can carry on emailing your clients if you have
their okay, or implied okay, and if you believe your clients will
not turn you in for staying in touch then that’s a business
decision you make – however if I were you, I would be sure to
add in a call-to-action and push hard for that opt-in. As always,
check with your own lawyer as and when needed especially to
explain various CASL rules.
The above graphic is taken right off the CASL fight spam webpage and as you can see it is clean
and well laid out and I like the Get The Facts area as the information is very clear to the reader.
So make sure you read this entire page and click on all the buttons to discover what works and
what does not. Study the time lines you have in order to get yourself sorted and as mentioned
before, use your own lawyer when in doubt or go straight to CASL via this webpage and pose
your questions directly. That way they will know you have good intentions and trying to work
within the rules. Not all situations are known or covered – they never are, and so your specific
heads-up to the CASL team might help make changes to certain rulings that are simply hurting
small business.
0 | P a g e
1 | P a g e
THE CASL HASSLE REPORT
Heartfelt thanks to the 46 out of the few thousand on my lists who have now opted in to the
CASL HASSLE survey. Not too bad a response really. Sort of like… well very similar to the returns
asking clients to opt-in!
I’m sharing the results as they continue to come in with nothing doctored. You can review the
actual results here at this link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-RJX2MTC8/
Would have been nice to have around 50 responses and 46 is close enough. I’ll take what I can
get. I’ll leave the survey open just in case others wish to contribute. Click here to do so:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FG85TKD
The responses are very much self-explanatory and probably represent the mood within the
travel trade.
Good luck and keep selling!
Steve Crowhurst, CTC
SMP Training Co.
www.smptraining.com
www.sellingtravel.net
www.ic-travelagent.com
www.thetravelagentsstore.com
A bit of hokey pokey
CASL Hassle fun:You put your opt-in in
You take your opt-out out
You put your opt-in in
And you shake it all about
You do the CASL Hassle
And you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about! HEY!
I know who you email!
2 | P a g e
I’m sure the answer to this question is literally a mixture of what you read above. Some have managed to
send an email to everyone on their list and some are struggling to do so. If you haven’t managed your list
then of course you may be facing that 40% churn rate as people cancel or change their email addresses.
Whether or not the client will opt-in and give their consent is a decision you cannot control. After July 1st
however you can follow up by phone but not by email unless you have the client’s consent.
3 | P a g e
Looks like the responses are very close to being evenly split as to the outcome of CASL. The fact of the
matter is this: some travel agents will indeed lose business and some of those lost clients will surface on
the lists of the competition. Some clients were looking for a way to say “Hey… stop sending me stuff!” Or,
“You didn’t take care of me, I’m moving to another agency!”
Then there are the clients you never really wanted but felt you had to service them – these are the
complainers, the cheap bookings, the clients who argue about your fees etc. Now you have an excuse NOT
to contact them.
As the months roll on you should end up with a very clean and mean list. This could be a good thing unless
you put value in a list of hundreds even if they don’t book any travel. Sort of like the LIKES on your
Facebook page. No one actually books with you, they just enjoy what you post.
So, final outcome: yes you will lose some clients and some you’ll be glad of the fact they didn’t opt-in.
4 | P a g e
Don’t forget you are dealing with human nature here. CASL has put your clients, plus you & I in charge of
our own email inbox destiny. Not from those professional spammers of course, but from the websites and
services you did opt into and now just delete their emails when they arrive. Pretty soon, if you did not opt
in, then those emails will no longer arrive and or you can unsubscribe. The same thing is happening with
your clients when they see your please opt-in email. They’ll either not bother, had enough, were not
travelling anyway, or they will opt-in and are looking for a well-priced vacation.
You should tally up who responded and who didn’t and do not chase the cheap booking clients or the
nasty ones. Stick with the “perfect clients” that enhance your business and then set about growing more
of those types of clients.
5 | P a g e
The answer is a resounding yes. Some of you will naturally have to wait and see, however with life in the
fast lane as it is for most people and the fact they are blasé about such things as opting in they are already
in charge of the sales process by default.
A percentage of your clients will decide to call you when they need you and bypass all the email flyers and
specials. Their life just got a little easier all round as they will reduce email into their inbox across the
board.
6 | P a g e
7 | P a g e
As we all know – pro’ spammers can do what they want. They are always one step ahead. So all we can
do is ramp up our spam filters and turn a few things off in our Internet Settings and password where you
can. I use SPAMFIGHTER and so far so good. Once it reads your inbox and your deletes it understands
what YOU don’t want, plus of course it can identify spam and remove it to the delete / spam folder.
8 | P a g e
If you attended the Baxter webinars about CASL you should have a pretty good understanding of what
you can and cannot do. Also there are some activities that are exempt, meaning you can do them – such
as telephone a person / client, or send direct mail. The only way to be sure you are on the right side of
CASL is to gain that consent and record the event as and when a client gave you that consent.
It looks like 20% of respondents know how complaints are registered and less how the complaint process
works. I wrote to CASL to find out and their response is shown below. I also wrote to a CASL “expert”
lawyer and have yet to hear back. Hmm?
9 | P a g e
Here is CASL’s response to my complaint process email:
Incoming message 6/26/2014
Re CASL and CEMsHow and where does a person or company complain about email spam and what is the procedure onceCASL considers the complaint as worth pursuing?
Many thanks.Steve Crowhurst
SMP Training Co.Email: [email protected] June 27, 2014
Dear Steve Crowhurst:
Thank you for contacting the CRTC on June 26, 2014 asking how to complain about receiving spam.After Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) comes into effect on July 1, 2014, you will be able to file yourcomplaints with the Spam Reporting Centre at www.fightspam.gc.ca. Details of the complaint process will
be made available on our website at that time under “Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation”:http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/casl-lcap.htm.
I hope you find this information helpful.
Regards,
Michelle EdgeCRTC Client Services | Services à la clientèle---------------------------------
10 | P a g e
11 | P a g e
Clearly all respondents are concerned about CASL and its overall effect on their business. They are also
upset at the time and effort required to initiate the program. That said… the travel agent’s resilience as
already mentioned will shine through.
From a positive point of view, having to contact your clients does offer you a chance to reconnect with
the clients you wish to retain and grow. In this way YOU are back in control of the sales process.
The next thing to ponder is this: would any of your clients ever really “turn you in” and complain about
your CEMs? Chances of that happening are very small unless you really do bother your clients with
unending communication that is nothing but fluff and of no value to them in the slightest such as sending
golf vacation offers to people who don’t golf.
As mentioned some of your clients are not yet aware of CASL – so here’s a chance to arrange a consumer
event to explain it and by that I mean keep it lean and mean – stick to the fact you need consent and then
12 | P a g e
get it. Have everyone sign an opt-in page and once that’s done, carry on with the show and offer your
audience some incredible vacations.
Also get busy via your social media outlets and same thing, tell them then sell them. Do NOT go into detail
or you’ll die a death of a thousand cuts.
CASL will suffer the outrage of both the business community as profits take a dive and the general public
as it starts to hit home that they missed out on some fantastic deals because they were not kept informed.
You are on the right side of the law because you did not pursue any client who did not opt-in. Where can
the client go to lodge their issue – to CASL. Give it time and either more exemptions will be introduced
or the CASL Hassle two-step will dance another tune.
For the brave souls who just continue on, business as usual, good luck, brave the storm and fight the fight.
Also make sure you have a good lawyer on your side and one that actually is an expert on CASL and how
to work with it.
Hope this report is of use to you. There’s more information and eGuides
available at The Travel Agent’s Store so don’t forget to visit there when you can.
If you choose to Opt-In (now I’m doing it!) and become a Store Member you will
receive a 20% discount on all store products and bundles.
COMING SOON TO THE TRAVEL AGENT’S STORE
13 | P a g e
Resources
Spam complaints can be sent here: fightspam.gc.ca – I suggest you send every single spam you receive to
your home and business email inbox to the fightspam team.
Many of your client’s are not acquainted with CASL or CAN SPAM – so you may or may not wish to give
them a heads up in your next email as you request their consent. Why not be the company that says,
“We’d love to keep you on our mailing list and here’s why…” and then offer a Click Here link to the
fightspam.gc.ca page.
You can also use your window space and website home page to place a banner that reads:
We are CASL compliant!Your email is safe with us.
WHEN SENDING MESSAGESThink About3 toThings
DID THEY GIVE CONSENT? DO YOU HAVE A RECORD OF THIS CONSENT?• Did they say ‘yes, please contact me’?
• Did they publish contact info online or did they give you a business card? (Look closely for any ‘don’t contact’ instructions).
• This means no automated address generation or collecting!
1 THINK ABOUT WHO YOU ARE SENDING MESSAGES TO
DO YOU HAVE AN EXISTING BUSINESS OR NON-BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP? • Customers, clients, associates, donors,
supporters, volunteers or members from the past two years.
2 THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
MESSAGES YOU’RE SENDING
3 THINK ABOUT WHAT
YOU MUST INCLUDE • Is it sent to an electronic address? - E.g., email, SMS, instant messaging or similar platforms.
• Is it commercial or promotional? - Commercial or promotional information including marketing, sales, offers, solicitations or similar activities.
• Ensure that no part of the message is false or misleading.
• Identify your name and business, the name of anyone else on whose behalf you are sending the message, and a current mailing address. Also include a phone number, email address, or web address. Ensure they are accurate and valid for a minimum of 60 days after sending the message.
• Include details on how to unsubscribe- In each message- Action every unsubscribe request within 10 days or less and at no cost to the recipient.
This resource, which is intended to provide a plain language explanation of some of the requirements under the Act, is not to be considered as legal advice, an interpretation of any legislation or regulations, or as a settlement or commitment on behalf of the Enforcement Agencies for Canada’s Anti-Spam Law.
For more information, go to fightspam.gc.ca
Logo
By the time you’ve sent out a
survey, analyzed the behavioural
profile of travellers in your area,trod softly, softly via social media, managed to build
relationships with people even in China and India and
Ubetchastan sent out 2,000 tweets and posted 20 videos… well,
they’ve already gone!
Yep. Fed up waiting for the call.
Remember this?
You know sometimes you have to say “ENOUGH! I’ve had it with all those smooth
talking, never sold travel in their lifetime, marketers.” And then once you’ve
voiced your inner thoughts on the topic – ya get busy sellin’!
Count me in. I love all the techno babble and
clever software that does this and that and
everyone can tell you which buttons to push
and slide, and grab and squeeze but none of
them know how it works!
So I’m back to my personal statement when
something new comes along – “Tell me what
it does, not how it works!” When I know
what it does – my own creative streak clicks
in and I’m down the road already with how I
can use this tool, gadget, software or device.
Now, the telephone has never left us has it?
It’s always been there for us and evolved,
and morphed into what it is today – the
telephone!
It’s what you use to reach out and chat with
someone if you still know how to dial a
number and then present yourself in a
professional manner.
Might be and probably will be the case that
your first few words will be to leave a
message for the person you are calling to
retrieve. Do you still have those classic skill
sets where you moved into your velvet voice
tone and left a very alluring message about
the best cruise deal going this century?
What? Say no way. Surely you still remember
how to do this thing? You’re are joshing me.
I know it. I’m sure the Telephone Doctor
would be tearing up her phone book if she
read this, heard this, saw this. Sheesh.
If you want to knuckle down and generate
more sales than that oh so social media
etiquette correct, never ask for the sale type
of travel agent, get that old phone down
from the travel agency attic and practice.
Once the neuro muscular reaction is
recalled, the lips synched up nicely with the
words forming in your head and you have
the handset right way up… NOW you can put
on the headset, speak to your smartphone,
talk to your PC’s VOIP connector and away
you go:
“Hi Mrs. Brown, how’s the boys? They are?
Fantastic! This is Steve from your favourite
travel agency on 3rd Street. Boy we haven’t
spoken like this since we sold you your first
cruise. How are you anyway? Oh good to
hear it. Well, listen – the reason for my call is
to break away from all that email and
website fluff and chat with you directly about
this wonderful deal that’s coming up next
month… do you have time now for me to tell
you about it or would you like me to come
over, bring some coffee and tell you in
person? Tomorrow at 2pm you say… perfect.
I’ll be there. What’s your preference for
coffee… let’s do it right, eh?”
Remember how you used to do it now? Of
course you do. And guess what. No spam
delivered at all. You win!
Are you seeking to upgrade? Maybe you are tired of handling the "what-have-ya- got-for-two-
hundred-bucks" market segment. You want to move up. Handle the elite. Deal with the
moneyed crowd. Clients who are easy to do business with. Guess what? They are out there.
Your perfect client is out there waiting for you. And that's what you really want and need.
Perfect clients. Let's see how you can go about attracting them.
Remember one thing. Whatever you do to
upgrade your clientele, it must be in
alignment with your business plan. This
means you should not go off on a tangent.
You should not be trying to sell wild and
wacky trips when the bread and butter
business is left to go stale.
Ask your host to review the "continuous
customer acquisition" section of their
business plan with you. Make sure you are
on the right track. Get support. Move ahead
from there.
When you start out you are required to build
a client base. Over time, years in fact, you
will develop a following. The key to
upgrading is to decide who the perfect client
is for you and then target people who fit that
profile.
Stay Where You Are
Sound advice from "the greatest car
salesman" Joe Girard. I paid a fee to attend
his workshop some years back. I counted
heads and he took in $40,000 for those few
hours he spoke to us. I left with one solid
piece of knowledge. If you want to build a
bigger and better client base, stay still. Stay
where you are. It is sound advice. Take it. It
means do not move from host to host,
agency to agency. Stay where you are. Be
best. Get known. Become the perfect travel
provider. Attract the perfect client.
When you stay where you are, referrals can
be made. Clients can send their friends to
you. You can be found.
This is the best way to increase your client
base. Don't move. Stay put.
Attracting Better Clientele
It is a two-way street. You have to be a better
travel agent to attract a better clientele.
Make sure you are "attractive" to the buying
public. Are you well groomed? Dressed in
business attire? Look sharp? Are sharp. Have
the knowledge. You cannot build a better
clientele looking and being anything less.
Assuming you have everything else in place,
let's find out what a perfect client looks like.
What Is A Perfect Client?
Do you know? You should. You probably
handle them every day. What you want are
more clients like them. Take a few minutes.
Think of a client you truly enjoy selling and
servicing. This would be a client who makes
you feel good. Can you name someone?
Good. Now bring to mind what you like
about them. What is their manner like? How
do they speak to you? Do they haggle? Do
they pay on time? What are their positive
qualities?
The Perfect Client Profile
Check if you have any of the following on
your list. This client trusts you. They believe
you have their interest at heart. They pay
your fees. They pay on time. Before time. Up
front. They plan ahead. Give you time. They
arrive on time. They wait patiently. They
appreciate your advice. They send their
friends and relatives to you. They are
sincere. True. Honest. They challenge you to
excel. They value your time. They value their
time even more. They are, well... just easy to
do business with. They're perfect!
Perfect Pitch
This could be music to your ears.
Commissions to your pocket. When you are
selling perfectly, the perfect client will find
you. It's a rule of life. Same attracts same.
Humans tend to navigate towards people
they identify with. People they enjoy. Find it
easy to be with. Easy to buy from. So your
perfect pitch will attract the perfect client.
Finding More Perfect Clients
Think hard. How did your best clients find
you in the first place? Was it instant eye
contact? Did they respond to a direct mail
and you engaged them on the phone. Or, did
you respond to an e-mail they sent and your
words or style made a connection? Did they
comment on your social media posts? Try to
recall how it was that your best, perfect,
clients came to do business with you. Repeat
the activity that brought them to you.
Clan Gathering
List your perfect customers. Invite them to a
presentation. Yes, just them. Use the host
agency boardroom.
Use a supplier’s boardroom. Rent a small
room at the hotel close by. Chat with a
supplier. Cruises. Tours. Whatever product,
destination or vacation type you want to
promote. Make this a coffee session. Keep it
to two hours max. Take a look at your
audience. Take in all the perfect vibes.
Chances are everyone gets along. They will
make friends. Might even team up. They
could be a group. Watch as the personalities
entwine as if they had known each other for
years. Now you are building a better
clientele.
The Even More Perfect Client
How could your perfect client become even
more perfect? It's almost a done deal. You
have generated some additional friendships.
This base will grow and new friends will
come. They will be referrals to you.
Slowly you will develop perfect pitch and a
perfec client following. Which sounds like...
"kachin
t
g!"
Or not! Depends which way you shoot your
shot. People love sky. Sky is all things
dreams are made of. It’s also where you fly
when you decide to go travelling. Yes
indeed, sky is all powerful and should be on
your list to capture and use in your next
round of travel promotions.
Consider this one of of my Attraction
Marketing ideas that I’m developing to help
you work your way legally around the Anti-
Spam legislation every business is facing.
Photography is the lure. What you shoot is
the lure. How you use both the photo and
the image will help attract new clients to
make contact and inquire. You know the
rest. That’s when you strike and ask for their
opt-in.
Look Up!
Sounds crazy I know, someone telling you to
look up… cos’ that’s where the sky is. The
thing is, we, as in humans rushing about all
over town, driving here, train there, biking
there and there… walking with head down
checking email etc. Never looking up.
Looking up is good for you. Could be that
lone piano about to play a number on your
head from ten stories up, also, you will
indeed see the sky.
There and then you have all the imagery you
need to help you lure your new clients – the
ones who have not yet found you.
The best time to look up is early morning and
whenever the sunsets in your neck of the
woods.
You’ll find wonderful colours, cloud shapes,
vapor trails of jets heading somewhere,
doesn’t matter where. If the clouds are
reflected in glass buildings this can work,
also if they are reflected over water, ocean,
pond and river – they are all good. Just point
and shoot, capture and file away.
Build that Folder
The sky is just one component and one
image segment you need to start capturing.
Usually the colouring allows you to create a
text message over the image and that text
will stand out. So the caption combined with
amazing shapes and colours formed by the
clouds is your lure – your Attraction.
This shot was taken at sunset, but it was
within seconds that the clouds lit up like this.
Had I left the scene I would have missed it.
And that points to you actually setting up a
time to go out with your camera, plonk
yourself down and wait it out.
A couple of things going on here. I’m using
an iPhone to capture the sky and I’m using
the Tangled X App to manipulate the image
after I’ve clicked the shutter. The result and
you can click along for many more, is quite
amazing. Opens up a whole new world in
terms of imagery. Unless you are smokin’
green beans or Uncle Bill’s socks, chances of
visualizing the type of images that Tangled X
creates is not going to happen.
I’m thinking a Harry Potter tour here or
something noir ‘ish even.
If you are using Word 2013, when you click
on your image, the Picture Tools ribbon will
be highlighted and then you have these
borders available to you. I used one from this
same selection to frame the above image.
So get outside. Look up. Shoot. Save. Lure.
ASK Your ClientsThere’s a trend in chatter about big data and little data, data bits’n’bytes and deciphering this
and that about your customer’s travel and travel habits. You can save an awful lot of time and
effort by simply checking in with your clients on a regular basis be it annual or quarterly. Here’s
why and how you want to tap into your clients directly.
Naturally you need information on which to
base your marketing plans for the year. With
good intentions various parties within the
travel trade are echoing big and bigger
business and advising you to get involved
with big data.
If you are running a fifty million dollar travel
agency then that would be a good thing to
do and a member of your financial team
would take it on. Most travel agencies are
writing $2m to $5m and all that’s required
here is to ask your clients about their travel
plans this year.
You want to sell more, sell up, sell niche, sell
luxury and additional services & peripherals
then the best thing to do is ask the very
people who make up your client list.
The Annual Ask
Plan your Annual Ask around November and
ask your clients about their travels for the
coming year. Some will know exactly and
others will still be thinking about it to having
“no idea”. Each response offers you a chance
to sell more travel.
Plotting Response
As the responses return to you it’s an easy
thing to plot each one onto a low tech Excel
spreadsheet if you do not have a CRM
program that you can use. Set up your
spreadsheet with monthly columns as a
starting point.
Code the responses so that you can plot
quickly. Keep it simple and let’s go with a two
letter code per country and then a date
number. UK9 means this client wants to visit
the United Kingdom in September. You can
add more coding if you want to such as T for
touring and C for cruising, A for adventure.
Again, keeping it easy to use and interpret
when you graph the data.
Asking Part Deux
With your spreadsheet completed you will
be looking at your sales and marketing plan
for the coming year. You can now target your
clients based on the month of travel, their
destination and vacation type. You can
upsell, offer supplier discounts and even
suggest another date close to the one they
selected that offers something more.
You have a chance to offer a customized trip
and sell the benefits of an FIT arrangement.
Take the time to ask if their friends are
joining them, if they can refer their friends to
you and how about other family members?
Yes you are trying to build a group departure
within each client’s circle of friends and
family.
Timing is Everything
Give yourself the month of November to
complete your project and be ready to
market come January 2nd.
So You Think You Knowsomething about marketing?
Marketing is key to increasing your sales, reaching your customers, and customerretention….and yet it is an area where travel agents so often fall down. Have you everwondered why your marketing efforts are not successful?
It is probably because you are not a marketingexpert! If you are a travel agent your specialtyshould be, and likely is, sales! Selling is whereyou should be concentrating your efforts.
One of the most frustrating aspects of amarketing person’s job is that everyone thinksthey know marketing. Everyone has an opinion.Senior executives love to dabble in it. They willscrutinize ad copy, redesign brochure covers andchange tag lines. This drives the marketingheads crazy, trust me! But they have to playalong if they want to keep their jobs.
Good marketing instincts are not humannature….it is a specialty….partly learned atcollege or university, partly gut instinct in thosewho have it. The rest of us really should leave itup to them!
And so when you become a home based agent,the very last thing you should have to worryabout is marketing your services and specialproducts and promotions to your database.
One of the most important services you shouldlook for in a host agency is marketing. What dothey provide? What does it cost? How much isincluded in your base fee?
And we are not just talking ads in your localnewspaper here…..in fact, we are likely nottalking about that at all these days.
Target marketing is vitally important if you wantto keep your customers….and remember the oldadage, it costs ten times as much to acquire anew customer as it does to retain the onesyou’ve already got. Customer retention is
where you should focus a lot of your marketingefforts.
In my next three columns we will exploremarketing in the following ways: Social Media,Email and Print.
IT is vital in the 21st century to use differentchannels to reach all your customers….one sizedoes NOT fit all. Once you understand all thatyou should be doing, it will be important to finda host agency that provides the mostcomprehensive marketing services.
By Jill Wykes
Brought to you by: The Travel Agent Next Door
Tapping into YourThe comedian Jackie Mason has a routine in which he goes to a
psychiatrist. The doctor says his mission is “to find the real you”. Mason
turns this phrase around in every conceivable way to suggest that “If I’m
not the real me, then maybe the psychiatrist is the real me and that
perhaps the doctor should invoice himself and not me for the session, at
least until he finds the real me”.
Of course the humorous lesson in all this is that
we all have our external personalities that we
use to confront our daily situations but
sometimes, due to the restraints of society,
family, friends or through our own machinations,
we don’t always express what we’re really
thinking, hoping, dreaming and wishing. In the
study of travel psychographics (which answers
the question “why do you want to travel in the
first place”), travellers often refer to the
freedom of getting away from their regular
routine, and they mean this from both an activity
and a personality point of view. Certainly on a
holiday, the activities can dramatically change
and every possible (and some not so possible)
passive and active options are on the table.
From the personality point of view, travellers
often bring their travel persona out of storage,
out of the hidden depths of their personality and
relish the resulting freedom of expression. For
introverts (those whose level of comfort
generally lies in more sedate activities) they can
become a life-of-the-party extrovert. And for
extroverts (those whose level of comfort is
generally more gregarious) they may cherish the
opportunity to embrace introversion, peace,
meditation, waterfalls and silence.
Your travel clients are like jack-in-the-boxes (or
Jacqueline-in-the-boxes) waiting to pop up and
surprise you when you least expect it.
Sometimes you have to pry the information out
of them (“if you could wave a magic wand, what
would you really like to do when you’re in
Vienna”) and sometimes the information just
flows (“you know, I’ve always wanted to go tiger
spotting on an elephant, like they do in Nepal”).
And when the client reveals their inner-most
thoughts, their expectations from you include
‘understanding’, ‘empathy’, ‘positive shock’,
‘’proactive amusement’, ‘wow’ and
acknowledgement that their idea is ‘fantastic’
and most likely, absolutely do-able.
It is a truism that in order to sell a hiking trip, you
don’t necessarily have to be a hiker, any more
than you have to be a birder to sell a bird
watching package to Panama or Costa Rica. But,
quite frankly, it helps!
Travel Consultants who try, experiment, test the
waters, throw caution to the wind, think out of
the box, embrace the extraordinary and make an
effort to tap into their inner explorer, are better
positioned to engage with consumers, and in
today’s travel market place, it’s the engagement
that is key to establishing relationships, sales,
referrals, testimonials and revenue. For years
we heard about Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)—that is to say, how to
‘manage’ customers. In a sense, although the
management includes personal questions, listing
birthdays and anniversaries and travel
preferences, the concept of ‘managing’
customers is akin to commoditizing them. It
creates a 'me and you' division. I am the one
who’s managing. You are the one being
managed.
A new way of looking at consumers is through
Customer Relationship Engagement (CRE) where
the commoditizing barriers are brought down
and the relationship with the client constitutes
the difference between a one-time business
transaction and a client-for-life mentality. And
again, part of this ‘engagement’ is the
determination of the travel consultant to do,
experience, interact, go further, respond to the
‘what else’ that travel is all about.
Every travel consultant has taken a fam trip to a
beach resort. Most ask about the free time they
might enjoy to lie on the beach and sip cocktails,
so they can tell their clients all about it. And
there is nothing wrong with this. Except that in
a world where clients engage in travel multi-
tasking (TMT)—what appears to be a simple
beach holiday may include water activities,
wandering down the beach, grabbing a bite at a
local beach hut restaurant, buying wood
carvings, getting their hair braided, taking a
nature trail, visiting a local town or attraction,
finding a waterfall, climbing a mountain, learning
about local culture and traditions, visiting the
local school to donate pens or a soccer ball etc.
And this is all in addition to activities that build
future business, such as meeting the wedding
planner at the resort, talking with the birding
staff, wandering through the rice paddies,
finding a colourful boat with an equally colourful
captain for that lake or river excursion, and
more.
The key is to do it!
Tapping into the travel intangibles
Whether you are on a personal trip or a fam trip
or a business trip, you have to continually
challenge yourself to respond to your current
and future customer profiles. And by future we
are looking ahead to Generation Z—those who
are currently 18 years of age and younger, and
constitute the new travel cohort. Does the hotel
or resort have Wifi? Don’t know anything about
Wifi? Then you need to get up to speed! What
apps and devices do travellers use? Find out and
also discover any limitations to their use at the
destination. Your inner explorer goes beyond
exploring the physical. Gee, even UNESCO has
an intangible world heritage category (songs,
dances, tastes, costumes). As a travel consultant
you have to have some knowledge of the travel
intangibles (how do they want to communicate,
how can their feelings of comfort, safety,
escapism, adventure, individuality be satisfied,
etc.)
The ultimate goal of all your ‘tapping into’ and
‘discovering intangibles’ is the provision of value.
I’ve used this example many times where my
colleague David Lowy of Renshaw Travel in
Vancouver says “Price is only an issue in the
absence of value”. If you’re providing value by
matching your experiences and interests with
those of your clients—by engaging your clients—
then dickering over price differentials between
what you are offering and what the competition
is offering, rarely comes into play.
To use a FIFA analogy. I was in Seoul during the
end of the 2002 FIFA matches where the Reds
were set to play Germany for 3rd place. The
entire city (or so it seemed) came to the city
centre wearing T-shirts that said “Be the Reds”.
In other words, it wasn’t just good enough to
support, or cheer or wish that the South Korean
team would win. You had to become a member
of the team in heart, spirit and soul. You had to
feel the team; become part of them.
So it is with travel in the 21st century. You need
to Be the experience, Be the niche, Be the
traveller, Be the global community and Be the
travel consultant. Tapping into your inner
explorer comes with some pretty hefty career
commitments. The result is a positive stream of
consumers and revenue. Are you up for it?
Do your
suppliers
know
How to Sell
their own
products?
There’s always that
assumption that someone
representing a brand
knows everything there is
about selling it too. This is
called the halo effect.
The halo effect is a cognitive
bias in which an observer's
overall impression of a
person influences the
observer's feelings and
thoughts about that person's
character.
Because a BDM looks sharp
and walks with confidence
does not mean they know
how to sell their brand. The
only way to find out then, is
to ask them and I don’t mean
ask “Do you know how to sell
your own products?” I mean
ask your BDM to show you,
keyword: show, demonstrate
how.
The reason for pinning them
down is that they work with
anywhere from 50 to 200
agency accounts and they
know what’s working in your
community and what’s not.
They cannot tell you who is
doing what, but they can give
you a basic idea of what’s
working. Naturally anything
that’s been told to them in
confidence they cannot
relate to you. But a simple
comment such as “You should
try selling out of… it seems to
be very attractive right now.”
is something they can pass
on.
“YOU SHOULD GO
FOR MORE GROUPS!”
You’ve heard that one before I know.
Whenever a BDM says this to you in the
monthly meeting I want you to eyeball your
BDM and ask them to demonstrate how.
Once again keywords – demonstrate how.
You want your BMD to literally take you
through their sales and marketing process
that they know about and have personally
done AND made money. Now don’t settle for
the WHAT. Anyone can present the WHAT.
You are chasing the HOW.
Send a flyer is a WHAT.
Call up your clients is a WHAT.
Post something to Facebook, is a WHAT.
Hold a consumer night is a WHAT.
You see there are plenty of WHATs and very
few HOWs.
Selling travel for a living is all about the How-
To and that’s why the push to find out.
For that flyer you want to know what the
heading should be, the text in terms of the
kind of writing that lures the consumer in to
read more. What about the call-to-action,
how should that read? Which ones actually
work?
Call up your clients and say what? How
should you start the conversation? What are
the words you should use? Then role play
with your BDM – you be the client and test
your BDMs mettle on the hot seat. You want
to see them in action and learn from them. If
they shy away from this you know your BDM
does not know how to sell their brand.
With the current focus on all things spam
you’ll need your BDM to start delivering the
best of their knowledge on how to attract
new clients and or existing clients to inquire
about their next trip. What you want to
know then, is HOW your BDM would go
about luring new customers to at least view
your offers and their products. What’s the
hook and HOW is it used?
Ask your BDMs to keep you apprised of any
new ideas that’s circulating the local travel
trade and even what some travel agents
overseas are doing to sell their products. You
can learn a great deal by having this
information shared with you.
NEXT: Invite yourself to your BDMs head
office and request a customized training
program with their marketing department.
Find out HOW the HQ team go about
promoting their own brand and products
and then you’ll return reborn and ready to
go sell like the pros.
The title of a classic book. A small book actually. Printed in
1974 I bought it in 1987. I keep it close and often refer to it
as it keeps me on track and has such wonderful insight to
share with others. Here’s a few lines from the introduction
by the author David Campbell:
Unless you know what you want from life you are not likely
to stumble across it. How do you know what you want? I
have learned that what most people want out of life, more
than anything else is the opportunity to make choices. The
worst possible life is a life without choices, a life barren of
hope of new things, a life of blind alleys. In contrast, the most
pleasant life is the life with the most opportunities. There is
a German saying as quoted here: You have to take life as it
happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you
want to take it.
Now we can apply this title and the
introduction and the proverb to your travel
career.
The travel industry, if you haven’t yet found
out, has more than its share of blind alleys.
Unless you know, you don’t know and that
means a loss of time, energy and money as
you fumble around in the darkness looking
for direction.
If you want to truly tap into the business of
selling travel then, you must sit down and
sketch out a plan, a selling travel career plan
that is factual and doable, by you. This “you”
will have certain skills we wouldn’t know
about, this “you” would also lack certain
skills we don’t know about. Same with your
personality. You'll need to truly discover
what it is you want from selling travel and
make sure you have the personality and skills
to make is all happen. Or, as the title says,
you will be ending up somewhere or some
place else.
Within the travel industry you have many
options and huge potential.
Every form of travel and every destination is
a niche market waiting to happen.
The world itself is in a stage of upheaval.
Wars, weather and 50 million people
migrating as refugees does not make for a
planet worth selling at times – however, I
can tell you that leisure travel has never
stopped other than during both world wars.
The key to your journey and knowing where
you are going to end up is to plan your
direction based on personality, skill sets,
your knowledge of specific places and travel
styles and how much money you have in
your marketing fund.
If sales are not happening, then you need to
revamp your formula and current direction.
If sales are off then you are “somewhere
else” and not where you should be. Take on
the German saying above and instill it into
your plan. Create the choices you desire by
design, not accident.
Read the book – you’ll enjoy it, too.
(Radio Freq
It’s this little fella that’s causin
problems. That’s the RFID symbol and
the end of your credit card you wav
the hand held terminal and bingo
there goes your cash.
If you are not careful, at the same tim
goes all your personal information sto
the chip in your card. The reason for
some nasty person is patrolling abou
you with a scanner in hand to, and
distance, retrieve your data.
Warm yourself to your clients by a
them on this issue and potential for ID
Not what they want when travelling.
Someone can gr
uency IDentification)
g the
that’s
e over
bango
e there
red on
that is
t near
from a
dvising
theft.
What your clients need is an RFID wallet,
handbag and or luggage. If your clients only
have one credit card with that symbol on it
then they should purchase a set of single
holders and slide the “offending” card in and
place back in their wallet / purse.
The protective sleeve has an aluminium
lining (same in the RFID wallets) and this is
what prevents the scanning.
The cost of those sleeves is very low. About $2
each and so here’s a great way to attract your
clients or new prospects, by offering them as an
opt-in reward. Not a bad return for opting in.
ab your data right off your card!
IT’S IN PRODUCTION!
The hard-hitting, no nonsense, no fluff content will cause you to re-think how you sell travel today
and in the coming years. The world of selling travel has changed in so many ways, offering a
whole new set of marketing tools, new travelling generations, communication tools, trends,
places to visit and things to do. The required skills and competencies for success have changed
too. The backdrop to your success has also changed – it is not the peaceful planet everyone
expected. Dream Merchants will help you keep the selling travel dream alive despite civil wars,
extreme weather and terrorism. Veteran of the trade or newcomer, supplier or NGO, you owe it
to yourself to read this insightful book. Published in eBook format to support Green Knowledge.
Watch for the publication announcement.
Be first to hear – opt-in to The Travel Agent’s Store today.
DREAM MERCHANTS™
As the other page shouts, it’s in production! Finally. Books take time to write and especially
the type of book that delivers the how-to behind the what-to-do that everyone else tells you
to do. The focus of Dream Merchants™ is to help both newcomers to selling travel start their
career the right way and at the same time offer travel trade veterans and travel schools a new
approach to selling travel in the coming years. Additionally the content will also support the
efforts of travel trade suppliers who work closely with travel agents.
Unlike other books on the topic of selling travel
this one is hard core and pulls no punches in
what it takes to be considered a travel trade
professional, a Dream Merchant.™
The opening chapters explore the current world
wide situation and state of affairs which, in a
nutshell are reducing places to visit. Existing
upheaval in many countries and the potential for
civil war is huge. Weather patterns have changed
dramatically. The seasons we know and sell have
moved. The planet is in turmoil in more ways
than one, yet, travel is still high on the list of
those that can afford it.
Additionally, the travel trade faces even more
challenges and this time from within as each
country creates its own anti-spam legislation
with Canada’s CASL being touted as the toughest
in the world. Guaranteed to kill off many small
travel businesses as genuine spammers, who
don’t play fair, simply carry on spamming as
usual.
How does a newcomer to selling travel even
build a clientele if they can no longer (in Canada)
reach out and e-touch? How do you keep the
dream alive for yourself and your clients? How
do you keep the passion for travel moving
onwards and upwards and how do you remain
the DREAM MERCHANT™ in your community?
Read Dream Merchants™ and you’ll be taken
through a rigorous course of study and self-
analysis. You may or may not like what you find
out – however follow the advice and you’ll
survive.
Young people entering the industry will be,
during their career, selling to four generations
ranging from BBs, Gen X, Y and Z. Social media
use will change from generation to generation. A
knowledge of travel apps and how they work is
now crucial. Being able to communicate using
Emoji is a new marketing must know skill when
targeting Gen Z. Using a tablet app instead of a
white flag when guiding a tour, is now a must do.
Video will be the best format for marketing
travel across all 5 screens. Knowing how to
create and produce a 3 minute powerful travel
feature is also a must know. Being camera
presentable is one more skill to learn.
I also explore the true meaning of over used
words such as professional, passion and
engagement to present the reality of selling
travel going forward during the next five years.
There you have it. A brief overview of Dream
Merchants™ - a must read for the travel agent
wishing to grow their business in a way that will
work with and around the global challenges
happening now and the challenges to happen in
the coming years.
Send an email request and be first to secure a
copy when Dream Merchants™ is published.
Why do “they” make these apps that are so wonderful to play with… that we play with them?
And then play some more. It can become addictive that’s for sure and so at some point it’s
down to quit snapping those sky shots, open RAYS, apply the app, edit your image and save.
Then as before use your creation to win some eyeballs.
As you can see above I’ve shot a sunset scene and then using the RAYS app, caused some rays
to shoot out of the sunset area across the scene. So easy to do. Now you can tie your creation
into the promotion of let’s go for Faith Based Travel. You might even superimpose a crucifix
in the middle of the shot, or to the left. You can add the title of your faith based tour across
the top. This image would also support someone’s Personal Journey and we all have them.
Some travel agents have created a niche for the Personal Journeys of others.
The message is: Know your Apps. Learn to use your own photography whether you are using
a DSLR or smartphone. Apply the apps and then focus on how you can use your very own
creations to attract the hearts and minds and of course wallets of new customers for you.
The Photo Page
PHOTO APP: RAYSTaken with an iPhone 5
Steve CS
image o
Let us put a ray of sunshine
in your travels this year…
teve Crowhurst
rowhurst©Steve CrowhurstPhoto taken from my deck using an iPhone 5. Then opening RAYS, browsing the Camera Roll to find
and select an image – then you play with the editing features. A little fuzzy but offers interesting
pportunities and more if you also add a slogan tied into the ray of sunshine.
Photographe
10th annivers
of Bali in
r James Morgan decided to create something a bit special to mark the Queen Mary 2’s
ary. Captain Kevin Oprey stands on the bulbous bow of the Queen Mary 2 off the coast
photographs taken to mark the ocean liner's tenth anniversary in May. Read more.
Be sure to use the sharing tools when you locate the video.
Creating Something a Bit Special…
Travel, travelling, every country, city and place in the world offers all things special if you know
how to spot them, write about them, photograph and video them. These are the elements of
producing such wonderful content as photographer James Morgan produced for Cunard. In the
present day world of marketing travel the photograph and the video are taking precedence. It
is the use of these two elements that you must strive to develop in terms of “seeing” the final
production supported by your call-to-action statements and excellent writing.
I subscribe to the websites The Travel
Writer’s Life and The Photographers Life and
they offer excellent information, tips and
tools and many more techniques. Not only
that they also offer training sessions,
workshops and many of those on location.
What I learn is how things have changed
related to what image attracted “then” and
the type of imagery that’s appealing today.
Of course what you produce will be decided
by your target audience and how they live
their lives and how they like to travel.
Your travel images today might include
someone holding an iPad as they stand atop
that mountain peak. I know it sounds crazy
to a mountaineering professional who
climbs because it’s there – but the younger
generation of weekend climbers want to
share their peak experience and zip zap a
Selfie out to their pals. Hence the iPad.
Also of interest is the new flat image.
Literally images that look flat. Nothing in
shadow, no bevels. The flat image / icon is
the new way to go. See below left.
Another website I subscribe to is Graphics
Fuel and once you subscribe there you will
receive a series of emails with free graphics
to download. Not all will appeal to you,
however most are worth saving as they will
in time become useful. You will need a
program such as Photoshop Elements 12 to
make changes to the images that can be
customized.
Creating something special will require you
to consider your audience, your best-selling
trips and destinations. It’s worth an
afternoon visit to your local magazine
vendor and a few hours sifting through those
hard copy mag’s to check out the type of
graphics being used and what’s “playing” in
terms of imagery.
Next, go online to magazine websites like
Issuu and explore the digital magazine and
check whether or not the layout, wording,
images are different to the print copy.
Right. Over to you. Start looking for those
classic shots. Research for the top 10 travel
images. Read ALL travel magazines. Make
notes. Create a story that tells and sells.
The QR Code is not dead as announced in more than a few digital marketing posts. In fact the
QR Code fits nicely into a travel agency’s marketing plan and the best thing is, it can be FREE.
That’s right. There are websites that will create a QR code for you at no cost. Once you have
your QR created then the question is what do you do with it to generate new bookings? To
work that out, you’ll need to think about what your QR Code is meant to do for your agency.
For your purposes, a QR Code should cause
someone walking towards you, behind you,
looking at your agency window or at a
brochure you’ve left on a park bench to be
curious. Using their smartphone to scan the
code the scannee will be transported to view
glorious imagery of a destination you are
promoting.
Here’s how the back of your t-shirt printed
with your large QR code might look to
someone walking behind you. Make it easy
for them to scan it and you do that by giving
them permission to scan. Just add these
words above the QR image:
SCAN ME!
Then below the QR image you could print a
marketing term, a slogan, another call to
action or lure to push the viewer to scan…
Sizing and plac
colouring. Make
possible to enco
your website at
most, after the s
to Win offer, o
offer. Use those
Don’t forget you
someone using
they will be view
their smartphon
your website sh
If not, your web
that smartphon
Right, over to y
very interesting
They range from
face, or photo, l
it still works. Try
SCAN ME!
ement are important, also
your design as interesting as
urage that scan and “trip” to
the very least. At the very
can, there could be an Enter
r a BOOK NOW and SAVE
supplier discounts to sell.
r QR code will be scanned by
a mobile phone. This means
ing your website or offer on
e and that in turn means
ould have a mobile version.
site will not look so good on
e screen.
ou. Check online for some
and quirky QR code designs.
artistic to using your own
ogo. Tap into the QR code –
it.
AND WIN!
Social Media Is Your Friend!In this column we will explore social media as a channel for home based travel agentsto reach and keep in touch with their customers.
The first thing it is important to stress, is that social media will NOT reach all yourcustomers…we all know the diehard “I will never be on Facebook” people and many more whowouldn’t have a clue how to tweet. Never mind Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram and many, manymore that many people have never heard of.
And yet the younger generation relies heavily onsocial media…and so do some of their parents.You can’t afford to ignore this channel…andwhat’s more, it’s essentially free.
Now if this is sending you into a mild panic, relax!Many host agencies have addressed social mediaas part of their marketing programs. You willhear the word tossed about a lot. But some offerfar more comprehensive social media marketingtools and technology than others, so when youare looking for a host agency, be sure to really
explore how they will help you reach your clientsand potential clients using social media.
And, most important, ask what the cost is for thetemplates and technology to do so.
First you will need your own website, and thenask your host agency if they can provide you theability to post messages to a lot of social mediasites simultaneously. Do they provide templatesfor the social media sites? How easy is it tocreate your message or flyer? Are there socialmedia-appropriate messages for you to adapt asyour own?
Social media messages need to be short, to thepoint, funny, clever or poignant, and need toattract attention. Does your host agency helpyou with this?
Social media is not the place for hard sell, so youwill need to tailor your messages to fit themedium. Instead of “Punta Cana hotel & flight$599” you will want something more along thelines of
“Office getting you down?We can have you on the beach next week
for $599 #bestagentever”[email protected]”
You get the idea…..the key is to ask all the rightquestions of your host agency so you can tap intothis amazing marketing tool.
Brought to you byThe Travel Agent Next Door
By Jill Wykes
When I am in buying mode or have interaction with sales and service people I tend to step
outside the transaction and look back on it from all angles. It is a learning curve for me and I
bring what I observe into the training workshops I deliver. I will even suffer terrible service so
that I can learn from the situation and train around it. So, how does a travel seller deliver
customer service excellence? The answer to this is to study the Perfect Norm.
From Great to NormalOne topic that keeps coming up is the level of
service that is considered excellent when
actually, excellence is simply the operating level
of the Perfect Norm. First of all you have to
understand that there is no 110 per cent. There
is no “extra mile” to go to. There is only service.
Delivered, handled, presented and offered in a
manner that is refined, elegant and thoughtful,
engaging, articulate, proffered by a well-
groomed, pleasant individual who is high on
common sense, interested in what they are
doing, happy in the career they have chosen and
who maintains product knowledge excellence.
There is no extra mile!If you’re not delivering 100% then you are
not delivering service excellence.
The Scale of ServiceThe role of the travel seller is to solve the
problem(s) – not add to them. Many of these
problems are actually wonderful, interactive
experiences – the client wants a world cruise and
the travel agent of record has to find one that
matches. Nice problem to have and to solve. If
Normal equates to what others call “Excellence”
then where on the scale would you place the
words, “Yeah?” or the handing over of five
brochures followed by “... take these away and
read them...”? Do these actions even make the
scale? No, they don’t.
The Enjoyable ExperienceThe service level we are addressing, the Perfect
Norm, delivers an enjoyable shopping
experience for both the client and the travel
seller. It would consist of upbeat banter, fun,
humour, knowledge, discussion, what-ifs, can
dos and can’t dos, best and worst, too much and
not enough.
Finally both parties have reached the level of the
personalized sale. The customer feels they were
the only client being serviced, they feel great
having done business with “you” and they leave
feeling like a million bucks.
Look, Tone, WordsThe shopping experience starts when the client
first eyeballs you from across the room, office,
hotel lobby or wherever you sell from. As you
know, visual acceptance represents 55 per cent
of a customer’s intention to buy. If you are
having a bad hair day, look like the night before
or just couldn’t be bothered... you have helped
the customer check out and go to another travel
agent. Your tone of voice is the next factor as to
whether or not a customer will proceed or come
back to buy. Finally the words you use or don’t
use will keep the customer at your side or scare
them off. A customer asks, “What kind of cruises
do you have?” A typical response might be: “The
brochures are over there on the rack... help
yourself.” Your Perfect Norm reply would be,
“Well right now there are three very popular
cruises... let me tell you about them and then we
can discuss which one appeals to you..., let’s sit
over here... coffee?”
The thing is, every travel agent preaches “We’ve
got service!” Service happens not as a by-
product of turning up, but as a focused effort to
serve.
As many veteran travel agents eventually learn,
they actually serve two customers – the external
customer representing clients, and the internal
customer representing agency staff, suppliers,
colleagues & fellow members. How you work
with these individuals has a dynamic effect on
the level of service the end customer receives
from you.
Creating a Service Path is not reserved for the
‘big guys’ – you too can benefit from this plan. It
will help you establish how best to service both
your internal and external customer. Let’s start
you on the path to service excellence and the
Perfect Norm.
The Relay Race Metaphor
In a relay race, the athletes are positioned in the
race based on their individual talents and skills
so that overall the team stands a better than
average chance of winning. It is the same with
your service plan. The agency team must come
together to support the frontrunner – that would
be you - so that the entire team wins. The
exchange of the baton in a relay race is crucial to
the team’s success. It is the same in the business
world. If you do not set up that exchange as
practiced hundreds of times (keyword: practice),
the win, the sale, will not happen.
Designing The Service PathAssuming you’ve got the right team supporting
you, you sit down with pad and pen and start to
discuss the interaction of each person/each job
function and then you look at where each person
interacts with you and decide on the level of
response and helpfulness you need. Each
interaction between agency staff and you is
called an MOT – Moment of Truth. At this point
of interaction you would demand 100-per cent
respect for each other’s time, level of work, the
person themselves; you would each commit 100
per cent in response to helping solve the other’s
problem; and you would each be 100-per cent
helpful in making sure the job is done.
Now review each and every facet of your agency
- from marketing, to reporting, website
updating, ordering and stocking brochures and
sharing of knowledge through scheduled
internal training and weekly staff, sales and
service meetings.
The Perfect NormHere are a few things to work on that will bring
your service levels up to normal:
Accommodate customers with disabilities.
Always be well groomed.
Always follow up in a timely manner.
Always ask the client to opt-in.
Be accountable and efficient.
Be gracious and grateful.
Develop and use common sense.
Encourage conversation via W5
Hold eye contact, shake hands firmly.
Know what is and what isn’t.
Learn social & business etiquette.
Learn to articulate well.
Learn to ask the right questions
Learn to communicate all generations.
Learn to write well.
Mail out seasonal brochures immediately.
Make the shopping experience enjoyable.
Notice things.
Read.
Study products and services.
Study your industry
The Perfect Norm in customer service is 100% - nothing less, nothing more. To
go 110% means you were operating at 90% to begin with. To go the extra mile
means you fluffed up somewhere along the line and fogged the mirror. ✈
NBG is a term I came up with some years ago as the very thing that I do for a living. Once I had
a handle on what it is I actually do, then I could teach others how to tap into it and using their
own creativity, sell more travel. The art of NBG – New Business Generation, is to be 100%
focused on opportunity and that in turn means each one of your senses are highly tuned to see
and sense when there is something ‘there’ that you can use to promote travel. Let me explain:
We all have the same sensory tools. Some
people tune into one or two, others less and
some are firing on all cylinders. Those that
know tell us we only use 10% of our brain.
Imagine if we could tap into that other 90%!
Sight and Seeing
We receive most of our information through
our eyes. The skill then is to determine what
it is you are looking at and deciding there
and then if there is an opportunity “here” to
sell travel.
What your eyes receive will be translated by
that part of your brain that deals with visual
and audio for instance. Then, based on the
information already stored in your brain,
together with the experiences already filed
away – by tapping into these vaults of
knowledge you can and will assess the
current situation / information and then
create the opportunity.
Seeing Things Others Do Not
The art of seeing things or sensing
opportunities that your competition misses
is usually based on your past experiences
and or having an acute sense of survival. You
might be the one that, when disaster strikes,
instinctively heads to the safe area when
others around you might stand still a
moment too long.
It’s the same in business and in selling travel.
You must tap into those survival skills and
most certainly use your eyes to capture and
feed the information to your brain and then
let it compute your next move once it has
checked into the experience already stored.
Reading about successful sales and
marketing methods will help. Looking at
layouts will help. Reviewing various posts
about marketing outcomes will help. All of
this information will be stored away and
combined with your own experience to
produce an answer. It’s at that moment you
decide whether or not to follow through.
The Eyes Have It
Marketing to the sense most used by us
humans, your clients and prospects makes,
well, it makes sense! This means your
marketing should be sight-worthy. By colour
and layout etc., it should capture the
viewer’s attention and cause them to go to
the next step and make the call.
Keeping It Visual
Focused on the printed word and the
imagery behind it you will need to develop a
good sense of colour and layout that is
trending for all three generations currently
in the client mix: Baby Boomers, Generation
X and Generation Y.
Out of the three generations as mentioned
in previous articles, the Baby Boomer is still
the generation with the time and money to
travel. Both Generation X & Y are embarking
on their early life adventures which includes
all the things Baby Boomers have finished
with such as marriage, kids, house, job,
career etc. This does not mean you remove
Gen X&Y from your marketing list – just
don’t overlook the BBs as some industries
are doing.
Step One: Website
Do you have a wall of text awaiting the next
visitor to your website? If your home page
full of text or like so many template host
agency websites littered with many small
buttons promoting so many things that none
stand out? Look for a total revamp if the
above reminds you of your website. What
you want and need is EYE CANDY. You’ve
heard this term before and it is what your
website needs. Use your fabulous photos or
request them from your suppliers and
tourist boards. Place those images where
they can sell for you. Add captions and call to
actions such: “You could have taken this
photograph! Call today to learn how.”
Step Two: Blog Posts
Blogging has moved on from text only. Now
is the time to once again make good use of
those photographs and even better, if you
have the footage, go video. If you don’t have
the footage, your suppliers do. Make the call
and offer your readers something new.
Inbound Marketing is Spam Compliant
No matter where you live and sell travel the
laws for preventing spam are causing havoc
in some industries and more so with SMEs
like most travel agencies. So what to do?
With Steps one and two completed, thus
giving your website visitors and blog readers
something new to attract their call you can
embark on an inbound marketing plan.
Inbound marketing can be defined as
attracting and earning attention organically
versus in your spam style in your face
marketing. Any one of the following actions
fits the concept of inbound marketing and
each is directed to where your prospect will
go for their travel information. This is very
important especially completing the best
Search Engine Optimization for your website
which means your website will show in the
early results when someone searches for
their special interest that you happen to
specialize in. The result should cause
someone to track you down, view your
website, read what you wrote. Inbound
marketing activities would include:
1. Blogging
2. E-books (you’ve authored)
3. Opt-In Email Lists
4. Pay Per Click
5. Press / Media Releases
6. Print Media
7. Public Relations
8. Public Speaking
9. Publicly Announced Consumer Events
10. SEO - Search Engine Optimization
11. Video
12. Viral Messages
13. Word of Mouth
How many are you doing?
Outbound Marketing – Corporate Clients
In opposition to Inbound Marketing is
Outbound Marketing and in my searching
around for how the travel industry or other
industries are using outbound marketing I
came across this infographic from the
company Placester.com – focused on real
estate marketing.
I’ve included their infographic and it is linked
to their site. It speaks to travel agencies who
target business clients. B2B versus B2C. In
their research Placester.com has found the
trends in B2B marketing for 2014 is all about
outbound - so make the click and visit their
site to view the information.
The definition of outbound marketing as
they see it is: the traditional form of
marketing where a company initiates the
conversation and sends a message out to an
audience and we can add whether want it or
not. Cold calls and non-permission emails
are in the mix, also flyers, brochures, print
ads and more. Once again this is targeting
B2B, not B2C.
Think about the client base you currently
serve and the one you would like to attract.
Everything you do should now comply with
your country’s anti-spam legislation and
especially if they all start to emulate the new
Canadian spam laws under CASL.
At the moment US Can Spam laws are based
on the client opting out versus opting in.
Over to you. Tap into your NBG by deciding
which marketing style best suites the ROI
you have planned for.
Are you stuck for something to say sometimes? How about something to write or use as a
headline, or something to kick start your creative juices? Well here are three books for you to
find online or on a bookshelf. Between the three of them you have a huge resource. The phrase
& fable book is about 3 inches thick, the flip dictionary and the best things book about 2 inches
each. So as you read you can work out at the same time!
Reading this book, Daughters of Britannia, at the moment and its
fascinating. I have an interest in adventure travel and those intrepid
explorers who set off in small, very small ships without any idea of
where they might end up after their maps showed a void. Back in
the day most explorers where men but there were some women
too who lived the explorers life. Any woman working in the travel
trade should know her roots and study the women who travelled in
Victorian times to those who fought alongside men centuries ago.
In every era adventurous women made it happen as they do today.
Back to my current read: the book is full of characters, it is funny,
whimsical and tells a good story. You might think high society
women couldn’t take it as they followed their ambassador
husbands to their next post. They did and they did it in style. Books
like this one that can give your confidence a boost and also light up
your creativity. As an adventurous female travel agent, build
yourself a decent library that you can draw on. The knowledge will
in fact help boost your sales too.
Here’s the best news. You already
have EVERYTHING you need to sell
more travel! How about that eh? It’s
true. All you need to make more
money is right there, and all around
you. It’s in the travel box. The host
box. The agency box. The Supplier
box. THE BOX! No need to spend
time and energy and money thinking
OUTSIDE the box. That formula is
old, done, and expensive and
besides that you’ll miss and look
past the tools you do have at your
disposal.
It’s human nature to want more.
Want what someone else has got
or do what they are doing and
invariably missing what’s close to
them. In this case it would be missing all the
sales tools readily available to you – IF you knew they were there and IF you
knew how to use them.
Take a few minutes and work by yourself or a colleague and actually type out a list of all the sales
tools you do have available to you. If in doubt check in with HQ and your BDMs and ask. There
may well be some things you’ve missed or never heard of. Perhaps HQ thought you knew and
didn’t follow up. All sorts of reasons as to why you may not have the full list.
Now study that list and on a scale of 1 low -5 high, make a note as to your level of knowledge in
using each sales tool.
Once you’ve completed your checklist and review you are looking at your training plan for the
week. Bring yourself up to speed on each and every sales tool and then factor them into your
short, mid and long term sales and marketing plan.
Every travel agent has one. If you don’t you can borrow the one that’s coming up. A good, and
well planned sales process that keeps you on track. It’s something you can check against to
make sure your activities are in sequence.
Start Here
There it is. Very easy to remember and if you
follow this formula you will be well on track
for both sales and referrals. Let’s review:
1. Information: make sure your content is
current and accurate
2. Education: deliver webinars, host client
events to educate your clients
3. Inspiration: send compelling imagery /
videos, post to your blog
4. Reservation: ask for the booking
5. Anticipation: build departure momentum
with follow up emails / images etc.
6. The Vacation: let your client enjoy their trip
7. Shareination: ask your clients to share their
experience with you and their friends – build
referrals.
SHAREINATION
THE VACATION
ANTICIPATION
RESERVATION
INSPIRATION
EDUCATION
INFORMATION
Enroll in The Travel Institute's Well-Being Travel Specialist course and receive acomplimentary, one-year membership in Well-Being Travel.
The online course is designed to show you how to boost sales byselling health, wellness and medical travel.
By enrolling in the course, you'll:
Gain an understanding of the health and wellness travel market.
Discover the different types of spas and wellness products.
Learn key health and wellness terminology.
Understand related insurance issues.
Discover what procedures are most common with patient travelers.
Learn how to find and market to health and wellness and medical travel clients.
The course includes interactive exercises, images, audio and graphics.A final test is available allowing you to earn the Well-Being Travel Specialist designation.
CTAs, CTCs and CTIEs who complete this course will also earn10 CEUs from The Travel Institute.
Thanks to the course sponsors:Well-Being Travel, Companion Global Healthcare, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Healing
Hotels of the World, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, the Las Vegas Conventionand Visitors Authority, and Greater Fort Lauderdale.
Register today for $99 and receive your complimentary, one-yearmembership in Well-Being Travel. Price includes online course and test.
www.thetravelinstitute.com
C L A S S I F I E D SWanted: readers to clickon this link and makemoney selling more travel.
Animoto is the BEST andeasiest DIY video creator.
Try it today.
When you need to writesomething and can’t – hirein a ghost writer like SteveGillick. Steve producesscripts for your keynotes,webinars and brochures.
Contact Steve here.
Are you CASL compliant?Do you want to exploreusing an email service? Ifso then scan this QR code.
Publishing soon. Get whatyou need to start usingmore video in your travelmarketing & promotions.
WANTED!DREAM MERCHANTSto complete a survey.
Tell us about your passionfor being a travel agent.
Click here for information.
Had enough of working forsomeone else? Would youlike to explore how youcan sell travel from home?If so then click on this linkand explore.
Your education stationis right here.
DIY Websites. This IS theBest of the Best.
Where travel tradeprofessionals shop for
knowledge.
THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS
Home Based?Need sales andmarketing ideas
that relate toworking from
home? If so thenclick here and read
IC Travel Agent.
A HOME FOR THE HOME BASED AGENTS
Big Bark has all your print-marketing needs covered!
201 – 3011 Underhill Ave.
Burnaby, BC
V5A 3C2
BonVo
yage
BonVoyage
THE HUNTINGTON GROUPHUNTINGTONThe agents choice since 1973
Thank you for choosing to travel with MyEscapades.com. We take pride in providing one-of-a-kind travel experiences in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The majority of our clients require a trip customized to their likes, interests and budget. Whether you wish to travel in the lap of luxury or choose to indulge in an authentic adventure (we call it ‘roughing-it’) we will create a trip to suit your preferred tastes. In other words, we will give you a travel experience that goes beyond your expectations. Rest assured, MyEscapades.com is your perfect traveling companion.
Before You Travel:• Ensurethatyouarecarryingyourup-to-date passports and have obtained any required/necessary tourist visas for entering the country(s) you are visiting. • Youtripinvolvescancellationpenalties in the unforeseen event that you cancel/postpone your travel arrangements. Ensure that you are aware of these penalties.• CarryyourOut-of-CountryHospital/Medical/Travel Insurance Policy with you.• Beawareofluggagerestrictionssuchas weight, size and type of suitcases allowed on the international and domestic flights on your itinerary. Excess baggage charges are steep and can cause great inconvenience• Ensureyouhaveobtainedrecommended or required inoculations.Certaininoculationsare mandatory for travel to endemic areas.Yourtravelagentwillhaveprovided full details.
• CheckouttheavailabilityoflocalATMs in your destination and/or purchase some local currency or travellers cheques.• Givefamily/friendsthecontactinformation at hotels/lodges you will be staying during your travel. Information on your accommodations is provided within your documents.• Werecommendthatyouputyournewspaper subscription on hold for the duration of your trip and have your mail collected by a neighbour or held at your local post office.• Itisalwaysrecommendedthatyousecure your home with a security alarm before you leave.
3100RidgewayDr.,Suite17,Mississauga,ONCanadaL5L5M51.888.887.9710 | [email protected] | www. myescapades.ca
BonvoYage
THE HUNTINGTON GROUPHUNTINGTONThe agents choice since 1973
201 – 3011 Underhill AvenueBurnaby,BCV5A3C2Local:604-669-6607TollFree:1-877-523-7823Fax:604.669.5336
BIGBARKGRAPHICS.com T: 905.857.6333 | TF: 1.866.607.1556 | [email protected]
THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRINTER FOR OVER 30 YEARS
TOP 6 WAYS WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE HBA:
1. Easy to use, do-it-yourself, 24/7 online print-ordering store.
2. No design/setup fees – choose from our selection of pre-designed templates or Design Your Own.
3. Full use of our image gallery at no extra charge.
4. Travel related marketing products such as calendars and magnets plus all your standard business products – business cards, envelopes, letterhead, flyers, and more.
5. Wide selection of ticket packaging options for groups, weddings, and niches.
6. All products available in small quantities (some as low as 25).
with y
The How-To Magazine for Travel Trade Professionals
BE S
swww.sellingtravel.net
Please share Selling Travel
our colleagues. Many thanks.
URE TO VISIT THE STORE!