SELLING TRAVEL

PLUS The O&M The EDGE The Frontline The BDM

HOW YOU CAN SELL MORE

60 QUESTIONS

SELLING THE AIRLINE SEAT

THE FIT COMBO SALES PLAN

SEPTEMBER 2011

In this issue SOMETHING TO LEARN ON EVERY PAGE

I’m back from my road trip with Thomas Cook. My workshop focused on FIT. Check inside for more.

So why would someone, anyone buy their travel from you? Ah… I know. You have great customer service. Thought so. That’s what most agents respond with when ask this question. There are 60 questions in the article for you to ponder. Keep asking yourself the WHY question as you read them.

In this issue we’ll take a look at your business card, discuss what to do about all the information that comes your way, and change that old cliché – think outside the box.

If you’re a supplier BDM – take note of the FIT analogy written just for you.

Don’t forget, if you need help with anything you see in Selling Travel I am as close as your email or Skype button.

Best regards, Steve Crowhurst, CTM Publisher www.smptraining.com steve@smptraining.com Skype: smptraining1 T: 250‐752‐0106

CHECK FOR WEBINARS HERE

THE O&M – Thinking INSIDE The Box THE FRONTLINE – Honk if you like Selling Cars THE EDGE – The Presidential Tour IS YOUR CARD SELLING YOU? – What does it say?

SELLING SILENCE ‐ by Steve Gillick, CTM WEBINAR ‐ DAZZLING SERVICE – September 21st CLOSING THE SALE 3 – The Best Time Close WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY FROM YOU? ‐ 60 Questions THE FIT COMBO SALES PLAN – Keywords: Add & Customize THE EXTREME BDM – Explaining FIT TOO MUCH INFORMATION – And How to handle it FROM THE BOOK – Fridge Magnets SELLING THE AIRLINE SEAT – And why you should.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES – SMP support resources.

BACKPAGE COMMENT – Something to think about.

Selling Travel is owned and published by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All Rights Reserved. Protected by International Copyright Law. Selling Travel can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in anyway monetized. Using any images or content from Selling Travel must be sourced as follows: “Copyright SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co. 568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada V9K 1G1

SOMETHING TO LEARN ON EVERY You may have noticed that each page in SELLING TRAVEL is different PAGE from the next. The heading font, style, size etc., is not constant as you find in most magazines. The reason for this is to show you graphically as many fonts, styles and colour combinations as possible.

A STUDY BY CRAYOLA Some of the layout ideas you’ll look away from and shudder (!), others you PROVED THAT will like, and others you will think “I can use that if I changed it here… and THIS COLOUR, DARK here…” and go on to create your own graphic, image or header, kick BLUE, IS THE COLOUR started from what you saw here in Selling Travel. That’s the idea anyway.

MOST PEOPLE SEEMED

TO LIKED BEST. I have started to record the TITLE font style and listed it under at the bottom of each page – this will shorten the time it takes for you to source Check to see if such a colour it in WordArt, Word or PowerPoint. The font used for all content or most survey has been conducted of it is Calibri. in your country.

We, that would be us The same thing applies to the graphics and images I use to support the humans, tend to let colour written information. Once again, hopefully you can learn from what you influence our purchases by see and apply it, change it, delete it, own it and use it your way. as much as 60%.

My graphics range from clipart, to comics, to line art, photos and also After reading the survey I there are graphics that I create myself using The Logo Creator, Photoshop, changed the colour of my Snagit and a few other software programs. email text to dark blue.

The creativity comes in knowing what to crop, to study the sight The chart below was created by Joe Hallock after an extensive research project with the lines in an image, to look at the goal of discovering cultural similarities (and perspective of an image or differences) based on color association, graphic and crop as the mood preference, and internet activities. The survey takes you. This comes a little is fascinating despite 79% of responses easier to me as I have been an coming from the USA and the balance worldwide. Make sure you read the colour by artist and photographer for male & female preferences, also by age. Click many years. If you have any on the chart to see the survey. artistic talents then of course Use any and all artistic talents in your travel marketing – hang your art in they will help you change your agency. Start a conversation. whatever you see in SELLING Talk about Art Tours of The World…

TRAVEL into something more create a new niche perhaps! suitable for your marketing activities.

As and when you do use any of the layout ideas you see here – be sure to let me know so I can pass them along to other readers of SELLING TRAVEL. Title Font: Blackoak Std

Thinking OUTSIDE the Box.

It’s so old and passé and it’s been done to death!

Let’s go inside THAT BOX!

I like and prefer the inside of the box as that is truly where the creativity happens. It’s where all the tools are. If you know where to look you can find them. Thinking OUTSIDE the box will always cost you more money!

Thinking INSIDE The Box is also getting old however it is more meaningful when applied to working in the travel trade.

Applied to franchisees and members of consortiums it means, if that’s you, that you joined those organizations or bought into them for a specific reason – to get the travel agency tools you needed.

Each franchise, consortium or host agency is the box I am talking about and inside that box you can find all the knowledge, the marketing programs, and Logo Font: Mandingo

the sales tips, the newsletters, the GDS contracts, website templates, the admin and tech support and of course the preferred suppliers ready‐made and even group programs just waiting for you to go sell. WOW! For an agency owner this has to be best‐of‐best.

Now you apply The UWYG Principal which stands for: Using What You’ve Got.

Yes all of those tools are INSIDE the box. If you go outside the box you’ll be migrating away from what you bought into and this is the root of so much frustration in the trade that I see and sense and hear from travel agents who cannot make a go of it. So if you are focusing outside the box. Not good. If you are going to use what you’ve got in the box – here’s a few reminders:

 Join the email / e‐marketing plan and give up your client list to the those who run the program. No one is going to steal your client list.

 Study your preferred supplier brochures from cover to cover – literally. Truly develop product knowledge.

 Sell the insurance vendor of choice, each time, every time.

 Go to all meetings and speak up. It’s your money!

 Attend all training sessions. Study all the social marketing tools. Come back and train your agency team.

 Work diligently at creating the BEST website and don’t stop until you’ve accomplished this. Use the talent at Head Office.

They’re inside the box!

As an agency owner / manager your job should be to work on the business, not in the business. If you are a selling manager ‐ use the tools inside the box you’ve invested in and leave all that marketing to HQ except for your local store promotional activities.

Even if where you live there are buses and trains running every fifteen minutes, the car is still king of the road. If you own one that is. The freedom of getting behind that wheel and being on your own schedule is the key to the car.

Some travel agents do not bother with selling car rentals, or u‐drives as some refer to them or anything to do with rubber tire travel. The commissions can be low, the hassles high, the rules worse and then when your client picks up their vehicle, a sharp tongued Car Rental Service Provider talks them into buying extra everything. Then there are other travel agents who own this niche market. So let’s get on the highway to perhaps new commissions for you. Here we go.

First things first you ALWAYS ask your client what car they drive ‘here at home’. From their answer you can judge how to introduce your choice of car rental for their trip. Here’s the thing: clients with old clunkers could well enjoy driving something upscale and just for that day or that week feel like a millionaire.

Those driving luxury cars at home will not want to drop down to a one‐door smart bucket or anything resembling a sewing machine. You can sell up and then up and beyond to this customer.

For the average client with the average, current, family 4‐door to the city based SUV or 4WD Jeep looking auto you can quickly advise that’s exactly what they should rent for ‘this vacation’.

Frontline Font: PlazaPUit

The reason, as I am sure you know, is simply one of safety – and especially if this is a family vacation with the kids. The safety factor is that the driver will be behind the wheel of car well known to them. Close this sale and move on.

Here’s a few ways to generate income from rubber tire sales.

Cars come in all shapes, sizes, brands, colours, features etc., as you know. Right there is a niche staring you in the headlight!

Help your client buy and drive a new BMW in Europe. The purchase makes it pre‐owned.

They rent and drive their own car. It’s shipped back “home” after their vacation.

Put your clunker car clients into something grand for that week. That word grand will mean different things to different people. To some it’s a hot rod, others a stately car, a rag top, an antique model, a WW2 Jeep, a sporty thing, a wagon. Find their dream drive.

Then there’s the colour. You could, yes you could become the niche agent for renting Red Sports Cars Anywhere In The World. There’s your new niche and company name.

Some of these high end cars rent for thousands of dollars day. Whatever currency you sell in – it’s thousands for you too.

The Rally: Call it a rally if there is an adventurous route and market it to car clubs and memberships. Talk to a car dealer, manufacturer and get them involved too.

The Convoy: Suggest all car clients & their pals come together and rent overland vehicles and head off ‘somewhere’ – enjoy the drive and get together each evening.

Check the average drive time in your country.

Then check the most listened to radio station during drive time. If you can afford it – that’s where you have a captured car audience – get the radio station involved. HONK!

THE PRESIDENTIAL TOUR, HOW TO CREATE IT, LEAD IT AND PROFIT FROM IT. Many times when home based agents attend my workshops they are not sure whether to claim their position as an owner, manager, frontline counsellor or outside sales rep! If YOU are a home‐based travel agent then you are independent, run your own business and whether you can handle the mantle or not, you are the PREZ! That’s right the buck stops with you. This means – YOU can create and lead your very own Presidential Tour.

How does it feel to be struttin’ your stuff in that chair of power? Too late – gotta move on and get you out and on the road leading a profitable group somewhere.

Tour, cruise, safari, hike, trek… whatever your passion is, that’s what you do first and the reason for this is simply the passion and interest you’ll bring to the table. The Presidents Tour is usually based on this call to action:

“I’m going to… and you are welcome to join me!”

You get the picture – it’s all about YOU! How nice.

You get to travel to where you want to go, do what you enjoy and take 15 or 20 or more paying clients along with you. So what’s your pleasure? What’s your interest? Which country are “we” going to visit?

If you happen to be from another country other than where you are currently living, then, if you still speak, read and write the language you have a plus.

The Edge Font: Baby Kruffy

I’m looking for real‐time challenges that stop you from being the best you can be. Be sure to include your email and website links. Thanks!

Point in case: At a recent trade show where I presented a workshop, a young woman came up to me to chat about her sales and what she should do to increase them and she mentioned she was new to the trade as an HBA. In the conversation I found out she was from Vietnam. I posed the question, can you still understand the language. Yes. Do you really know Vietnam? Answer: only where she was from. So I had to advise her to focus on her country of birth and to truly study all regions, all ‘things to do” etc., and then she could lead her President’s Tour. Being from ‘there’ does not a group make. It takes true knowledge.

At the same workshop, another home based agent in the audience shared with us that she had sailed on 150 cruises! I’d say right there is enough cruise cred’ to initiate The Captain’s Cruise & Tour Event. This HBA could also add in a theme of some kind – something she personally loves to do or see when cruising.

Use title‐power to create interest. Sell the fact that YOU are going and leading the tour. Price it accordingly. Everyone knows going with the Prez’ ain’t cheap. No, it’s rather expensive, but of course worth it. If you’re stuck in the cheap groove – this won’t work. If you can handle being worth $15,000 per person then go for it. Just be sure the tour is worth every penny. Research on line what others have done and check the fine print. Chat with your host agency support team for more on How To Lead a Presidents Tour. Good luck!

Believe it. I see a lot of business cards from year to year and part of my self‐imposed ritual is to spec’ each card and look for differences. Things that would make this card stand out from hundreds of others. With a focus on travel I am looking for a combination of things ‐ however the main one is this: does this card sell YOU?

During my sales workshops we usually ask everyone to whip out a business card and place it in front of them. Then we ask the audience to strike out the following. In fact now would be a great time for you to join in! Do you have your business cards close by? Good. Take one out and look at it. Now with a pen, strike out the following:

    

Company name & logo Tag line Your name and title Your contact information The agency / your address

Is there any text remaining on your card? What does it say? What is printed on the back? After striking out the above – do you have a blank card? If so – then that’s a problem!

Let’s review the card shown here – it has a couple of inconsistencies! The name of the agency does not reflect the title of Corporate Travel Specialist.

The cruise ship image on the right does not support either the agency name nor the counsellors speciality. The information on this card is going to deliver nothing but confusion to a leisure client and the corporate client too.

Title Font: Ariel Black / Impact

SATIN SHEET TRAVEL Travel Without the Hustle ‘n’ Rustle

Stefani Gottagetrich Corporate Travel Specialist E: sgottaget@sst.com Direct: 927-123-4567

5998 Lower Commission Road, Next Town, Overthere, V22-ZYT

Your business card should be selling YOU. That means somewhere on your card you need to clearly state what you stand for, what you specialize in, your level of professionalism, core focus etc.

If you have two or more divisions, print two separate cards.

Choose your title carefully and never be all things to all people and never confuse your agency name with the wrong profile. Everything must come together to present YOU as the best travel agency to book with. That’s words, colours, graphics, statements etc. It’s ALL about YOU!

Your business card is the cheapest form of advertising and promotion from the traditional marketing days. Make sure you have hundreds at your disposal and start sending them out in your snail mail. Hand them out to everyone you meet.

Pass The Card Tips:  Leave with the restaurant bill when you pay it.  Leave one at each phone in the hotel lobby.  Insert one (or two) into the in‐flight magazine.

 Always carry a minimum of 25 cards.  Hand two out to each person you meet and ask them pass one along to a friend.

Guest Article by Steve Gillick, CTM President & COO, CITC steve@citc.ca

Shhhhhhhh! The secret is slowly emerging that travellers, whether on package tours, FITs or DIY adventures, crave the one thing that living in a busy population centre does not offer.

The sweet, sound of silence!

Flashback to my trip to Kenya in 1988.

There we were in our safari vans, closing in on a group of buffalo. We all squeezed through the sun roof clicking away at this scene of bovine bliss and for a minute or so, there was silence. Absolute quiet, save for the crunching and munching of the grass. But this was too much for the group to handle. First came the whispers, then the sarcastic comments, then the jokes and then, “why don’t we move on to find some lions”. The spell was broken, the majority had spoken, the drivers started their engines, and we were off! However 23 years later, I still remember that wonderful, noiseless interlude and wish that we had in fact spent much more time celebrating the silence with the buffalo.

Now jump back to 2011 and think about those clients in your database who are stressed, yearning to escape on a holiday and simply ‘chill out”. I know we are not talking about everyone as some travellers revel in the prospect of spending time discovering a bustling city, or languishing on the beach at a crowded resort. But when we think about it, even these clients may welcome some suggestions from their travel counsellor about ‘what else they can do…what else is available…where to find ‘silence”.

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Selling silence obviously begins by establishing a need and the only way to do that is by asking questions and getting a feel for what the client is really after on their vacation. If they start off with “peace and quiet”, then your job is easy. If you probe a bit more and they refer to ‘escape’, ‘listening to the waves or the wind’, enjoying the sounds of nature or “tuning out’, then you may have a candidate for ‘silence’.

And where do you find silence? On the list that you are about to create and make available to your clients, you can list ‘silent’ appreciation activities. This may involve waking up a few hours before the group departure, to spend time walking around the town, or sitting in the garden or by the lake.

Early morning is a great time to see a city as it wakes up: people sweeping their entranceways, merchants carrying freshly baked bread or selling steamed buns. Markets starting to open; fishermen returning from the sea. There are only a few cars on the street, the air smells cleaner and you can actually hear your own footsteps. This is a treasured time for photographers as the light is usually very good for photos and locals tend to be in a more relaxed mode.

Shhhh…

On a package tour at a resort? Just because your client is at an all‐ inclusive, does not mean they can’t go ‘out of the box’ to seek silence.

How they spend their time is up to them. Instead of signing up for the group /bus tours that the resort offers, find out where the nearest waterfall is, or if its safe to rent a bicycle and wander down the road to the nearest village. How does this benefit you as the travel agent? Well, the experience you gathered on that last Fam trip to the resort comes back to you in dividends! You can “FIT” this part of the all‐inclusive and offer ‘an extraordinary day of silence” by putting together—and then arranging for your client to get out on the ocean or hang out by the waterfall or wander through the village etc. You have heard the expression “out of body experience”. Well this is an ‘out of resort” experience and there is no one else to thank but you, the travel counsellor, for conceiving the idea and making a list of suggestions.

In a large city? Again the morning time is a great time to surrender to silence. I think back to Rome in 1989 when I went to the St. Petro in Vincoli in the early morning before the tourist buses arrived. There was actually no custodian on duty so I entered the church and it was just me and Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. It was a pretty awesome experience (I would like to think, for both of us!) but I stayed there for at least 15 minutes in silent dialogue with history and art. Silence may be golden but it also comes in white marble.

And most cities have a central park of some sort and this too can be a great place to wander in the fresh morning air to escape the hustle and bustle of the day. You as the travel professional can arrange for the tour guide to accompany your clients in the morning or to recommend other silent encounters during the day. And of course this may take in more traditional, but equally rewarding experiences such as yoga, meditation, temple stays and other types of ‘retreats’.

And don’t forget that your expertise and initiative is absolutely worth any fees for service that you wish to charge your clients.

Many of us live in a busy cities with busy daily routines. Noise pollution form cars and buses and ambulances and yelling and techno beeps and clicks from our computers and iPhones plague our daily existence. It’s time to understand and recognize the need for silence for your busy, stressed‐out‐clients and cater to this need. Sell the sounds of silence.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st 2011

For ALL travel agents with a focus on agency owners / managers who feel they need to up their service game, dust it off, add a little polish and internal brilliance in order to deliver DAZZLING customer service. Click here for the flyer. Hope to see you on the 21st!

THE BEST TIME CLOSE We carry on with our series of closing techniques and this month we’ll explore the BEST TIME close and add the Adjournment Technique if NOW is not the BEST TIME to buy from the customer’s point of view. This close will remind you that not everyone is ready to buy right now.

So you establish a rapport that saves the sale for closure down the road. Just be reading the right signs and know when to re‐engage.

THE BEST TIME CLOSE is based on that very fact. The deal, the special pricing, seats are selling fast… all things point towards the documented fact that now IS the best time to buy ‘this’ vacation.

It might also be a case of YOU not being available next week and perhaps it’s YOU that holds the key to all the information about this specific offer. That’s one more reason why NOW is the BEST TIME to buy.

The Technique Behind the Best Time Close: You must be careful not to alienate your client by being too pushy. The fact is however that if this client wants to fly for that price then you are telling the truth that NOW is the time. If they want to cruise for that rate and enjoy that category of cabin then NOW is the time to buy.

You would do well to have the cut off dates or the promo dates printed or on your computer screen as quite often, as you well know, even a loyal customer will show signs of not quite believing what you are saying.

With your support material in hand you can move ahead to advise that you are telling them the truth – that there really is a deadline. Like NOW!

The Principal Behind The Technique When your customer is procrastinating over their decision to buy, they might need a ‘nudge’ to make that decision or, they might need more time (Adjournment Close). If flights are involved and in short supply then of course the Best Time Close forces the customer to think immediately about the consequences of not booking / securing their flights and dates whilst they are available.

There may be other factors you can uncover, such as personal reasons why it is a good time to buy now ‐ their partner's birthday for instance. When the sale is tied to discounts, bundled products, specialty arrangements, and time stamped itineraries then NOW is always the “best time” to buy and this is what you focus on.

You might say it like this: “The best time to buy is now, whilst those flights are available, the rooms are there, that car is available…”

How it works The Best Time Close works by emphasizing how NOW is the BEST time to buy and how delaying is NOT the best thing to do.

Now you practice until you can use this technique and apply it in all situations.

The BEST TIME close, although challenging to use, actually serves your client well. You have witnessed it yourself many times and it has happened to you too.

You were out shopping. You wanted that leather coat or that music CD and you were about to buy it but thought you’d pick it up later. You go back to the store. “Sorry… sold out. No more on order. Last of the batch….” So you see, that WAS the best time to buy.

And you can even use this ‘it happened to me’ story in your customer interaction:

1. “Well Mr. Later, let me advise you this way – you are looking for two seats and believe it or not so are thousands of other people. There are actually 20 seats left and there are travel agencies all over the world booking them for their clients, like you and I at this very moment. If you truly want that vacation, on that date, at this rate… now is the best time to buy.”

2. “I can sense your dilemma Mr. Later, so let me tell you from my personal experience just this week, I should have bought a coat when I saw it on the rack. I went back the next day and it was gone. No more in stock. I’m sure that’s happened to you in the past – and that’s the situation we have here…”

You see how you must word your statement carefully but with confidence and conviction. Again we are dealing with the truth. This is not The White Lie close.

So you can stand firm if your intention is to service your customer to the best of your talents and make sure they get to enjoy that vacation they were set on.

This might be a dream trip, a gift, a special celebration – and if so, then you cannot let this situation drift away. Time flies as you know!

But what if they cannot buy now?

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? USING THE ADJOURNMENT CLOSE

The ADJOURNMENT CLOSE when used with the BEST TIME close means using the principle of giving your customer time to think.

If your customer does not buy now, there might be other reasons as to why they decided not to follow through and their reasoning might be better for you in the long run. Never assume that the sale is lost. It could be building into something much better. If you sense, or the customer states outright they are not buying now you can say this:

“That’s perfectly fine, I can tell you need more time to think this over and it might be that this was not the right vacation for you (Take Away Close) ‐ when you’re ready we can take a look at other vacation ideas and we’ll work hard to get you what you want, when your want it. Is there anything else I should know that will help me do my best for you…”

What just happened is this: you calmed the situation, you engaged the client, you gave them time to breath and you showed empathy for their situation. What often happens is this. The customer will tell you that “this vacation is very important”, that “it’s on my shoulders and I have to make the right decision” and they could even advise, “…frankly, I wanted a better more exclusive package…” – so you see, if you pull back and Adjourn the selling process you can uncover more information that could lead to a better sale for both you and the customer.

You have your two options – push for the BEST TIME TO BUY close and if the client does not move forward, step back and employ the ADJOURNMENT option.

Your reputation will also soar in the customer’s mind as a salesperson who really does care about them, their money and their vacation. _________

Would Anyone Buy Travel From YOU? Wherever you are in the world, there are people waiting to do business with you. If you are not yet selling them travel then they haven’t found you yet. Or perhaps you haven’t reached out to them at this moment in time. When you do reach out and those people hear the call, come running with their travel request and credit card – what will they get, receive, read, hear ‐ that will answer this question:

“Out of all the options open to me WHY should I buy my travel from you?

If you answered “Great Service!” I can tell you that’s what every agent says in response. You’ll need to go deeper, wider, bigger, better, best. Most customers just want what was promised and that’s a whole new topic. What’s coming up now is 60 questions that you’ll need to think about, answer and if necessary make the changes you think you need. This is personal. You must do it for yourself. You can never really borrow a service format and make it work – you must adapt it and add your style. So enough waffle.

Here’s the 60 questions that should bring you closer to a plan that will have anyone you meet wanting to do business with you.

The following questions are designed to make you think about where you are on the ‘Why YOU’ grid. You’ll be asked about your knowledge, what you know about new technology and so on. Each question should have you checking your entire business model, your methodology, the level of your knowledge and the same for your team. You may want to measure your responses on a scale of 1 Low to 5 High.

1. How informed are you about the global travel marketplace and current and emerging technologies?

2. What are you doing to increase your product knowledge, your information about the changing travel marketplace and about emerging technologies?

3. What are you changing in your travel business as a result of newfound information to stay on the cutting edge of change in the travel industry?

4. How are you positioning your travel business to take advantage of technical advances and emerging technologies? Are you taking tomorrow into account in your positioning decisions?

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5. What new, within the last year, advantages are you providing your customers that you did not previously provide? What new advantages are you planning next year?

6. What specific travel trends significantly affect your customers? What are you and your travel team doing for your customers that is in sync with these trends?

7. What do you provide your agency staff, members, home‐based or franchisees to learn about the emerging marketplace, about change? How do you enable them to act on this information?

8. How do you communicate your goals about change to your team? What are you doing to ensure they understand, inculcate and effectively incorporate these goals into their sales, service and overall work environment?

9. How are you using today’s travel trends to attract new customers?

10. How are you encouraging existing customers to buy more, more often or use your travel services more often?

11. How many different solutions to a problem are you able to provide your customers?

12. What are your top five excuses for not changing?

13. What can you do to eliminate these five excuses?

14. What are your top priorities? How are they in sync with today’s travel trade marketplace? With today’s travel customers? Do these priorities have a window of opportunity into tomorrow?

15. From how many different perspectives do you view the changing travel marketplace?

16. How fast can you react ‐ respond to change in the industry / travel marketplace? What can you do to speed up your reaction time?

17. What are you doing to simplify your customer’s buying experience with you, with your travel business, your members, home‐based, franchisees?

18. What do you do in your role as the travel business energizer to keep your travel business moving forward?

19. When was the last time you asked your customers why they purchased their travel with you? With your competition? What did you discover?

20. When was the last time you asked your former customers why they stopped doing business with you?

What was their response?

21. What makes you – your travel business truly different from the your competition?

22. Would you buy from you? Why? Why not? Would you do business with you? Why? Why not?

23. What is your competitive advantage? How do you know? How can you increase your competitive edge?

24. What “extras” have you incorporated into your marketing plan to increase your differentiation?

25. What can you change today in your marketing plan to create a better approach?

26. On how many sensory levels do you communicate with your customers? How can you increase it?

27. What was your first impression (smell, décor, sounds, images, grooming of staff) of your travel business when you walked through your own front door? What can you do to create an even more positive impression?

28. What have you included in your marketing plan to ensure your clients are comfortable, satisfied, interested in participating? What have you included in your marketing plan to attract new customers?

29. Where do your customers make their buying decision? At home? In store? On the your web site? What are you doing to ensure that this decision is a positive one?

30. Do your visual merchandizing efforts (agency window) contribute to your bottom line? How would you rate this area of your marketing activities on a 1‐low to 10 –high scale? What can you do to make it a 10?

31. What products and services do customers really buy from you? How do you communicate the true benefits of dealing with your agency?

32. Where have you searched in the past month for marketing inspiration, innovation and marketing ideas?

33. What new solutions can you incorporate into your marketing strategy today? What new solutions can you begin to develop for the future?

34. How are you tangible‐izing your intangibles?

35. What have you achieved in the last year, last month, last week to stay ahead of the copycats? Is your marketing strategy putting you on the offensive or defensive?

36. How are you using emerging technology to update your marketing strategy and its benefits?

37. What is your best‐selling product / destination? How often is it sold? What is your most requested service? Is it difficult for your customers to get it?

38. How many new products, destinations, services have you added to your sales plan this year? How much will they contribute to your business?

39. Is there still opening night excitement in your business? If not, what are you doing to revive that feeling?

FROM THE CUSTOMERS POINT OF VIEW

40. What is the definition of customer service in your travel business? Who knows about this definition?

Do customers agree it satisfies their needs?

41. What particular service needs do your customers have? What particular service needs do you foresee your customers having in the next year or two? What solution are you providing for those needs?

42. Who does a customer service “walk through” in your travel business? How often? Who gets the feedback from the “walk through”? How is it used?

43. Where are the MOT’s ‐ moments of truth ‐ in your travel business? What are you doing to make them moments of excellence?

44. How effective is your customer communication? When was the last time you checked if your customer service was in sync with your customer’s expectations? What did you find out?

45. What are you doing to customer‐ize your service?

46. What special benefits in your service strategy encourages customers to do and continue to do business with you?

47. Do you know what your customers consider to be good value? What is their definition of good value when buying travel from you?

48. What do you do to deliver good value? Is there anything else you can do?

49. What new opportunities can you create for your travel business based on your customers’ definition of good value?

50. Have you set clear customer service standards within your agency? What are they? Who knows about them? Can everyone meet these standards? Is anyone meeting them?

51. If it exists, what steps can you take to remove the staff indifference that drives customers away?

52. How are customer complaints handled? Is the information recorded? Discussed? Where is your customer complaint department located / accessed? Who checks customer comments on your website or social networks?

53. What service techniques do you use, do your staff use, to stay in touch with your customers – after the sale, during their trip and after they return? What can you do to stay in touch that you are not currently doing?

54. What new technologies are you using to better enable you to service your customers? What new technologies are you using to optimize the service they receive? Have you factored in any social networking technologies yet?

55. How do you rate the execution of your service strategy on a scale of 1 low – 10 high? What can you do to make this a 10?

56. Do your customer service policies and standards accurately reflect who you are? Do they accurately reflect who you want to be?

57. What is your competitors’ customer service like? Have you checked? How recently? What did you learn?

58. Does your mission statement include a service component? Does everyone in your business know and understand your mission statement?

59. Do you have a Customer Service statement or a Service Intention statement? Does everyone in your business know, understand and participate in fulfilling this statement?

60. Do you give recognition to your sales and customer service heroes? How? How often?

FIT – used to stand for Foreign Independent Travel and now stands for Flexible Independent Travel and sometimes Tours.

Whichever one you use – it’s important to know what you can FIT. The answer to that is this: you can FIT anything and everything.

This is a true statement. You can create, build, and add any number of components to fashion an FIT for your client. You can also develop an FIT on spec and sell it as your latest tour. If you like to sell packages known as ITCs then you can also add an FIT component to the ITC.

FIT‐ITC: Typically an ITC includes the air, hotel and transfers. The client is booked in for 7,10,14 days to enjoy the resort. In your qualifying questions you find your client is very interested in bird watching, archaeology, museums… whatever it is… you can ask: “Why don’t we add in some additional sightseeing so that you can follow your interest. Your hotel is paid for in the package… all we need is the sightseeing…”

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You can combo any arrangement into an FIT. Cruises can combo with other cruises, tours, car rental, resorts and more. Tours can be added pre or post to any stay put or VFR arrangement. The list is endless as to where an FIT component fits in.

When selling FIT keep these questions top of mind:

“What can I ADD to this booking to generate additional revenue?”

“How can I CUSTOMIZE this booking... to generate additional revenue?”

Now you have the ingredients to combo any booking with an FIT arrangement. Pre, post and during any trip, think about ADDING and CUSTOMIZING. Think, transfers, rail, cars, sightseeing, air, tours, cruises, hotels & resorts, sports… and above all, try to find out what your customer likes to do on vacation and then think about how you can ADD that to the booking using the FIT Combo idea. Don’t forget – your FIT skills are worth money to you. You charge fees for FIT planning. Yes you do!

On this page we enhance the sales relationship between supplier BDMs and the travel agent.

Outcome: faster, quicker, larger, higher revenue sales!

EXPLAINING FIT SALES TO YOUR AGENCY ACCOUNTS, NEWCOMERS AND GENERATING NEW BUSINESS FOR YOU.

My analogy for explaining an FIT to a newcomer is based on how a fashion designer dresses a client.

Colouring Age Suit

Shirt

Tie

Watch

Belt

Shoes

Socks

Now here’s the plan: Carry a Barbie Doll or a Ken Doll and dress either of them as you explain how an FIT actually fits together! Okay, just kidding! But you get the idea and concept. You need something that the newcomer selling FIT can grasp.

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This idea came to me when I was trying to explain FIT to a new HBA. I usually ask people new to the trade about their past business life and career. The gentleman I was chatting with told me he had been a tailor. So this was a slam dunk as the idea of dressing someone and creating a vacation for them was one of the same.

When I asked this man to tell me the process for dressing one of his previous clients, he knew every step in the process. From looking his customer over, gauging the persons colouring and deciding on the best fabric tones to compliment their colouring, shape, size, needs, desires and budget.

Then after the initial suit, or dress, came the accessories. There was a process just as there is in designing the best FIT vacation for a client.

So do you think you can use this analogy? Sure you can. Or you can find something similar.

Try building a home. First find a building site, then buy the plans, next the foundation and so on.

In your explanation using the image / graphic opposite, you might suggest the suit is the main trip, the shirt is the hotel, the tie – the car rental, the belt – transfers, the socks – attractions and so on. As you dress the client you are teaching the new agent how to build an FIT / Dynamic Package using the products and services your brand/s offer.

Let me know what other analogies you come up with. I’ll share them on this page.

Remember the BDM Mantra: “If I can’t sell it to them… they won’t sell it for me!”

THERE COMES A TIME WHEN A TRAVEL AGENT NEEDS TO FOCUS PURELY ON THE DAY‐TO‐DAY SELLING THAT’S GOING ON IN THEIR AGENCY AND NOT READ ANOTHER WORD OF HOW‐TO!

It’s true. Every single day, just like yours, my inbox fills with travel trade news, e‐magazines and one‐offs that find me. If I were back owning an agency I know what I would do. I’d sift and sort through what I want and need to know and using the tools in my email program, filter those other emails into my “will read on catch‐up day” folder.

There is so much information flooding your agency with calls for you to do this, do that and then do this again. An agency owner could go batty and also round the bend if they didn’t have a fam trip to pack for!

The reality of it all, the no fluff and no theory approach that I like to put out there is this: find what you do best and stick with it. So what is it you do BEST? Can you stick to it? Can you make money at it?

If your core talent has not yet risen to the surface you may want to investigate having your core skills identified. If you are an agency owner you should probably have your entire agency team profiled too.

Then you will know what you should focus on and the information you should tap into versus everything coming down the pipe on a daily basis.

With your specific niche knowledge and or your personal skill identified you can now blend the two and then if you like what you see and sense – you can take the NEW YOU to market.

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DO THIS! DO THAT!

What will it be then? Are you sticking with cruising, or will you go guiding your own coach tours of Europe?

Will you be arranging your keynote speaking tour where you will talk about travel and point your audience in the direction of your agency?

DO THAT! DO THIS!

Back to square one. Focus on your core talents, find your passion and develop it further. Use all the resources the travel industry puts at your feet to explore your talents and then work your plan to succeed at what drives your passion.

Every travel agent, literally, is in a state of information overload. It is the agent who decides to focus who will win the day. When you are focused there is less stress on you, your family, your colleagues and your boss. To know is to go. To be BEST at what you do best.

The next step it to decide the tools you need to make sure you are or do become BEST. Upgrade to the best computer, software, gadgets and even the best clothes, shoes, briefcase, cell phone and car if you can. Look the part and look like you are the BEST at what you know and do.

Last but not least, what’s your plan to handle that information flow? Who will you read, listen to and chat with? Make sure they are all leaders and can mentor you to the level you wish to reach. Find your bliss as Joseph Campbell would say – he also said this:

“The Privilege Of A Lifetime Is Being Who You Are.”

You may now have a sense of what your role in the travel industry is. You might be lucky enough to find out why you were plonked on mother earth and what your universal role and reason for being, actually is. Now there’s a bonus if you can tap into that information.

By the way, this path to all‐knowing yourself is not easy and it’s not short. I have to say it took me 46 years in the trade to realize my path was always New Business Generation and creating the ideas for others to achieve their sales goals. Who knew? Finally, I did. So you go for it. Start now. Listen to yourself and trust YOU.

IDEA # 121: FRIDGE MAGNETS

Someone once said that “everyone reads your fridge” and when I thought about it, it was true. People as in friends and relatives when they come visit do indeed read your fridge door.

If this is true where you live, why not send out fridge magnets in the hope of capturing someone’s attention – like the friends and relatives of your clients. Even better, tie your fridge magnet promotional giveaway to a specialty tour of some kind such as the Tea Tour you see on the right.

You would have to have your agency name and logo attached to the magnet of course. It’s important that the fridge door reader sees your logo and name and contact information immediately.

Start thinking about what will make someone think of you and your agency. You can find magnets that have travel images here – so click and enjoy the search: http://www.fridgedoor.com.

Other ideas that come to mind are the ready‐to‐print magnetic sheets.

Your local stationery store should be able to supply them. Fridge magnets make great promotional items for when you are marketing a tour. You may want to promote tours of the UK and Europe for instance – look for a ready made magnet featuring that tea cup image or a coffee cup, a French pastry… or a Belgian chocolate.

There’s a fridge magnet to support any promotion you have in mind. So decide on your tour or destination or supplier and then start looking for that head turning magnet. Chances are your supplier might even have the very thing you need. Then again, how about a plain old “You Need a Vacation!” fridge magnet? That’s straight to the point.

YOU DESERVE A VACATION! Title Fonts: Arial Black / BaddaBoom BB

STEVE’S TRAVEL

LOGO/TAG LINE HERE TEL # / EMAIL

The above graphic would be close to 1” x 2” inches or whatever size you need. This flat magnet could be sent in the mail as part of a direct mail campaign to boost response to a trip to the UK or India or wherever a cup of tea can be a focus for your tour.

Print your name and agency name and contact details on the back.

412 PAGES 273 IDEAS 100s of VARIATIONS 700 LINKS TO MORE RESOURCES When you need a source of ideas to either implement as is, or to help jog your own creative juices, this is the book to buy.

It took me over 25 years to get it ‘here’ and that story is on page 5. It was some journey. When I started writing it, the IBM Selectric was the word processor of choice! What a laugh.

Some suppliers have purchased a copy for each of their Business Development Managers, host agencies have made bulk purchases for their members and individual agents have written in to say this book is their idea bible.

WHEN YOU BUY THIS BOOK YOU WILL RECEIVE 2 HOURS OF IDEA TIME WITH THE AUTHOR AND 10% OFF YOUR FIRST STATIONERY ORDER WHEN PURCHASED THROUGH BIG BARK GRAPHICS EASY TO USE E-STORE!

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“It’s OK! It’s less cramped here and the view is terrific!”

Wherever you’re located around the globe chances are you might just be having some commission issues with your airline suppliers. It’s a touchy subject no matter what. Some airlines are paying, some not. Some have reinstated commissions and others offer a promotional commission as and when times are tough and seats need to be sold. Some airlines pay on domestic routes and others pay only on the hardest to fill international routes.

Despite what might be a love/hate relationship with your airline suppliers – that airline seat is still an integral component in the travel sale. Without it… not too many people are getting off the island! So, here’s how you sell that airline seat and keep the customer focused on your agency versus the airline website.

The airline seat has changed. It’s changed pitch, length, size, colour, angle and comes with everything you need and want.

The kitchen sink is close by and who knows you might even be able to get an in‐flight ‘aircut, massage and who knows what, very soon. It’s all about that seat and the goodies that come with it.

The airline seat is very important to you. Shy away or sell away from selling airline seats and you’ll lose a ton of business that attaches itself to that seat – like tours.

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The orange‐guy knows where to sit doesn’t he! If you’ve flown economy you’ll know how tight those seats are, not to mention flying in the ‘crash position’ can leave you with a few permanent creases around your body! You can weave some of this information into the sales process and hopefully you will upgrade the seat so that your client flies more comfortably PLUS you may make additional commission.

1. Keep promoting “We sell airline tickets!” This way the customer will bring their tour, cruise etc., to you as they book that first flight out.

2. Promote the fact you sell air tickets on your agency window and on your website and mention it every time you can. You do this to win back those DIY customers who have migrated to the Internet.

3. Study websites such as seatguru.com and make a careful study of the worst seats to sit in. Also make note of the best seats to sit in.

4. Look at the cabin configuration and the size of the seats in each cabin / fare level and be well informed so that you can say to a customer, “You know at that price you are going to be very uncomfortable for 10 hours! Let’s move you up one fare level to this cabin… you’ll have a few more inches either side, more leg room and then I’m sure you will enjoy the flight.”

Don’t forget to charge your service fees to top up on the low airline commission you may be getting.

Good luck! Sell more seats to attract other revenue generating tour products.

CONFERENCE KEYNOTES Fast paced, humourous, excellent imagery and delivered with a street‐savvy, no‐fluff and little theory format. Click 4 More.

WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS Webinar’s are an SMP specialty. Running 75 to 90 minutes, they include a workbook plus 30 minutes of post webinar time with me AND a 5‐day review of the webinar recording for additional note taking. Click here for details.

BUSINESS CONSULTING Have you heard of or experienced NBG? If not – it’s about time! NBG can be applied to any aspect of your travel or tourism business including divisions, departments or individuals. Put the power of my creativity and longevity in the business to work for you. q q q q q

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SELF‐STUDY GUIDES AVAILABLE FROM CITC

It seems that fewer agency owners and managers are stepping out these days to participate in travel trade shows. The majority of those that turn up for these events are wearing the label of home based, virtual and mobile agents. If you are an agency owner / manager of a bricks and mortar agency, or a manager of a chain agency location you should venture out once in a while to take in the vibes of the trade shows. I know you may be an agency account to the large suppliers and a BDM calls on you – however, there’s more than just walking the show to be done.

The training is getting better, the workshops are delivering more useful content and there’s still plenty of handshakes and deals to be done on the trade show floor. Many times the latest news is released during the trade show and that means if you’re not there, you’ll be receiving it second hand.

Next time you see a trade show coming your way – do what you used to do. Get dressed up, stride out the door and mingle with some new and dynamic souls. You might just find your next best frontline counsellor there, sitting at your table or in the seat next to you at the workshop. You might meet a savvy student who could manage your social networks for you!

“SUCCCESS IS THE SUM OF SMALL EFFORTS REPEATED DAY IN AND DAY OUT.” Robert Collier

TELL A TRAVEL AGENT COLLEAGUE, HEAD OFFICE, YOUR SALES MANAGER OR YOUR HOST AGENCY ABOUT SELLING TRAVEL MAGAZINE AND LETS WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD THE SELLING TRAVEL COMMUNITY.

SELLING TRAVEL is published monthly by

www.smptraining.com steve@smptraining.com T: 250-752-0106