1. Getting It Done: Ask yourself this question throughout the day: “Is what I’m doing now getting me closer to my goal?” Typically we stray from the must do action. It’s easier to build product knowledge than it is to prospect for new business, for instance. You have three core things to do each day – prospect, sell and service the sale. Anything else is play time.

2. Email + One Social Network: Reduce your social stress by focusing on just two social media elements – one is always e-mail and the other social tool should be the social network your clients use. Base your network choice on your client demographics: if you serve mostly Baby Boomers and late Gen Xers, then it’s Facebook. If you serve twenty-year olds then it’s Snapchat or Instagram. Ask your clients which network they prefer. Learn how to use your ONE social network well.

3. Perfect Customers: Tough action is required here, which is: stop being all things to all clients. Release clients who take your time and never travel or only bring you their low end bookings. Start building a base of perfect customers by analyzing which of your current clients are easy to get along with, pay your fees, challenge your knowledge, respect your time and appreciate what you do. Once you have a prefect customer profile, you can start to attract more of them.

4. Market Smarter: Stop selling product and price and start selling YOU. Become the Trusted Travel Advisor of Choice by extolling your skills and talents and your niche if you have one. Drill down to Three Compelling Reasons You Should Book Your Travel with Me and you will attract those perfect niche-based clients.

5. Ask for Referrals: How many times have you heard that statement?  Remember those three things you must do each day, one was prospecting: asking for referrals is a prospecting activity. Create a referral request (Please tell your family, friends and colleagues about us…) and add it to your email signature, website home page, social media postings, business cards, mobile apps and QR Codes.

For more working smarter profit boosting tips, tools and techniques, be sure to visit www.sellingtravel.net and www.facebook.com/sellingtravel.

Please rate this tip!

by Steve Crowhurst, CTC, NBG
Author, Speaker, Trainer to the Global Travel Industry
SELLING TRAVEL

1. Identify your target market. Easier said than done! But the more you can get focused on a specific type of customer, the more effective your branding efforts will be.

Your definition of a target customer can be based on age, income, family status, ethnicity, religion, preferred travel mode, zip code, or any combination of factors. When you write promotional copy for your web site, Facebook page, or advertising, you’ll talk about issues and benefits you know that target customer cares about. If you’re focused on ‘business travelers,’ you’ll say totally different things than what you would say to ‘families with young children.’

2. Decide what your brand stands for. The most successful brands put it into a few words. Maytag used be: ‘The Dependability People.’ They were one of the most powerful brands in America, represented by their spokesperson, The Loneliest Repair Man In Town. In recent years they’ve dropped that identity and their brand has been diluted. Decide who you are and what you stand for, then commit to sticking with it for the long term.

Start playing with words. Get out a note pad and start writing words that describe you and your business. Add words as you think of them over the next few weeks. If you have employees, brainstorm with them. ‘How would you describe this business to someone who has never heard of us?’

3. Create a consistent ‘look and feel’ for your business. Hire a graphic designer or brand consultant to help you. This is a long term investment, so don’t scrimp. Your web site, letterhead, business cards, brochures…everything you put in front of prospective buyers should have a common theme: the same layout, colors, type faces, language and promises. Hire a graphic designer to help you choose colors and elements that will appeal specifically to your target market and tell them what you stand for.

Commit to keeping your look and feel for years, not months. People have to see you numerous times to get to know you and get comfortable with you. If you change your look and feel, you start from scratch.

4. Select media carefully. How will you communicate your brand promise to your target customers? You want to select media where a high percentage of the recipients fit your target customer profile. If you serve Catholic families, advertise in their church and school bulletins. If you serve business travelers in a specific community, you should be in the local business journal.

In social media, be where your target customer hangs out. That Catholic family participates in different communities than the business traveler does. Don’t waste your time, money (time is money!) and energy talking to people who aren’t likely to buy from you.

Of course, if you promote your business by physical networking, you only want to spend time at functions where the majority of the crowd will be likely prospects.

5. Trust repetition and continuity. Remember, people have to see you many times to get familiar and comfortable with you. I have customers that I’ve mailed post cards to for years before they made their first purchase. My post cards have looked exactly the same for almost ten years now. Am I bored with them? You bet. But they’re the face of my business. If I change the design now, I’ll start at zero repetitions with people I’ve mailed to for years.

Brands simplify life for consumers. You probably buy the same ketchup every time. When you got to the supermarket, there are dozens of brands to choose from. But you know what the label on your bottle looks like and you reach for it without a second thought. You’ve probably had the experience of looking for a familiar brand and not seeing it because they changed the packaging. Some new VP of Marketing brought more creativity than common sense and sold management on diluting the brand they had spent years building and reinforcing… like what happened at Maytag.

Continuity is more important than creativity. Once you choose a target customer, a brand promise, an image and promotional media mix, stick with them. It will take time, but I promise you it will pay off.

Rate this tip!

By Larry Merserau, CTC, PromoPower LLC

Smart business owners, marketers and sales professionals (people just like you!) turn to Larry Mersereau, CTC, for the ideas and insights they need to bring in more business and take home more money. More at http://PromoPower.com.

River cruising, be it in Europe, Asia, Africa, The United States or in Vietnam, provides the avid cruiser with yet another experience that will last a lifetime. It is the logical “next” step after the Caribbean, Alaska, The Panama Canal and The Med. What’s left? The River.

If there is validity to the marketing strategy of “entering the conversation prospects are already having with themselves,” then river cruising is the ideal conversation starter, enhancer and embellisher.

In order for the travel professional to “enter-the-conversation,” he or she must place themselves in position to do just that…. enter. How To Sell River Cruising is a strategy that just might supply you with the answers to this quandary. Made possible by AMAWaterways, this strategy is absolutely free to all travel professionals, and more importantly, it works.

Here are the five steps necessary to position you and your agency as the go-to river-cruising source:

1. Download this free selling tool at www.mikemarchev.com/rivercruising. It’s complimentary and is all about helping you become more successful.
   

2. Google your zip code along with the words, organization, club, association, corporations etc. Any type of populated group will do. Use your imagination. Capture the contact information from your Google Search. This will take minutes. 10-15 leads will suffice to get you started. All successful marketing efforts begin by defining your target audience.
   

3. Read, review and edit the sales letter found in your kit. You will be sending this letter to your targeted groups. You will be offering a 20-minute Lunch & Learn Session designed to help members understand how wonderful river cruising can be. Send the sales letter to everybody in your targeted audience.
   

4. Wait five days and then call the person you addressed your letter to. This is called “follow-up” and this step alone will distance you from your competition by light-years… believe me. Ask if they are interested in having you talk to their group on this new and exciting topic. You need not hesitate to make this call since you are offering to do them a service… a favor.
   

5. Present the program as outlined in the ”Box.” Remember you already downloaded this in Step One so you should know exactly what I am talking about.

If not done so already, what are you waiting for? Ask for your copy of the kit and download it right away. The “box” is free as a community service to all travel professionals, thanks to AMAWaterways. 

Once you download your copy at www.mikemarchev.com/rivercruising this strategy will make perfect sense to you.

There are two truths I would like to leave you with:  First, to succeed in this business you will have to do something.  Second, as long as you have to do something you might as well do something that is both popular and of genuine interest to your prospect and customer list.

The solution here is spelled River Cruising.

Do yourself and your community a favor: Download a copy of How To Sell River Cruising In a Box right now. It is easy. Just go to www.mikemarchev.com/rivercruising.

Please rate this tip and let us know how we’re doing!

Mike Marchev, CTC, is a motivating sales trainer, author and coach. Please email Mike at Mike@MikeMarchev.com if you have any questions.

One recent post came from a long time friend, successful ProTravel agent and active Travel Institute participant Roxana Lewis, CTC. I may not be a runner (or even a decent walker), but she posted this comment one day last month and it really did inspire me:

Please rate this tip!

Mary Pat Sullivan, CTC
President, Sullivan Marketing Advisors

EI has been described as “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.” 1

The following five recommendations are rooted in Emotional Intelligence and come in handy for sales professionals committed to delivering superior customer experiences. They come in especially handy for those times when things don’t necessarily go as planned (yes, it even happens in the travel business):

1. Objectively assess. Ask yourself the following question: How important will this issue/ situation/problem be in 4 hours? 2 days? 2 weeks?

Your answers might include the following criteria: Urgent; Critically Important; Not Urgent; Really Important but not Critical; Important.

2. Things are never as good or as bad as we think they are – things simply are what they are. Human Nature (with a hand from the modern day media) tends to give situations, circumstances and crises lives of their own and sometimes lives they don’t deserve. Focus on the facts and forget the rhetoric.

3. The Golden Rule is dead. Always remember that people want to be treated the way they want to be treated not necessarily the way you want to be treated. Qualifying clients through surveys, customer profiles, etc., and conversational skills, are especially critical for vacation travel sellers. Sometimes you need to dig below the surface to find the best solutions and establishing trust expedites the process.

4. Always use the following equation: I/E intellect “over” emotion. Business or personal crisis management tends to bring out emotions in those affected that aren’t always pleasant or easy to deal with. Combine your intellect with empathy (see above) whenever confronted with emotionally charged clients or situations.

5. Use your emotions to remember your best of times; save your intellect for the rest. Take time to savor, celebrate and memorialize all that’s good and just deal with what’s not. Don’t take the challenges personally or dramatically (remember…things just “are what they are”). Rather, deal with these situations efficiently and matter-of-factly (much like a dreaded household chore when you were a kid).

Please rate this tip!

by Jim Smith, CTIE

A 42 year Travel Industry veteran, Jim Smith, CTIE is a Certified Administrator and Coach using the BarOn EQ-i Emotional Intelligence model. He is a published Author and frequent speaker at TravelIndustry Conferences. He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012 as part of what he refers to as “my other life.”

www.jimsmithctie.com
Jim@jimsmithctie.com

1 http://psychology.about.com/b/2011/07/22/emotional-intelligence-psychology-definition-of-the-week.htm
(accessed 4/16/13)

1. They Need to See the Love - Your customers want to be delighted. They are craving the feeling of infatuation and giddiness in the world of business. Just like when you begin dating, they want to feel special, they want you to go above and beyond, they want to feel like there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for them. As James C. Penney once said – “The most appreciated service is that which is unobliged.”  Do something extra simply because you know they’ll love you for it.
   .
2. They Want to Feel a Sense of Urgency on Your Part – Your customer needs something. They call you to help them. The absolute best way to show your customer how much you value their business is to do whatever you can to demonstrate that the issue is just as important to you as it is to them. This usually translates into “Urgency.” When customers feel that you consider the issue as important as they do and you work to quickly handle it, you’ve just become their hero. When they know that you are working as if the problem were your own, they’ll trust you more and let you handle it with less interference or follow up.
   .
3. They Want Consistency - Customers want to know that no matter how they contact you – be it online, on the phone, or through chat – that they will receive the same answer and level of service.  Each. And. Every. Time. Confusion breeds disloyalty. People do business with those they know, like and trust. Based on each interaction with your business, customers form an expectation of service. When the expectations are not met consistently, they will actively seek a provider that designs service and consistency into their processes.
   .
4. They Want to “Reach Out and Touch Someone” – Consumers today are very willing and able to do most of the legwork on their own online. However, the moment there is a snafu or a question, they want to feel confident that they can get the help they need immediately without having to talk to a machine, leave a message, or be transferred around from department to department. Be sure that you have your contact number clearly listed on every web page and every page of printed material. If you provide an option to “chat,” be sure everyone who is helping knows how to use the function well and is well versed in your products.
   .
5. “K.I.S.S. Them” – Otherwise known as “Keep It Simple, Silly” this is the one area most well intentioned businesses fall short. In an effort to cover all bases, they’ve unknowingly thrown in more curve balls and obstacles for their customers. Take a look or tour through your business from the perspective of your customer and determine which areas can be simplified to get them on their way and delighted that they are doing business with you.
   .

Please rate this tip!

For even more strategies to keep your customers loyal, go directly to www.KristinaEvey.com/op/keep-your-customers.

Kristina Evey, Professional Speaker and Trainer, Transforming the Customer Experience

Clients want to feel important. Don’t we all? By being prompt in all of your dealings with clients, by always entertaining them in your presence with a warm and welcome manner, you make them feel special and you stake your claim to their attention. Far too often, though, we allow our perspective to wander off course and clients become intrusions on our day. If you catch yourself thinking of clients as annoyances rather than the primary reason you are in business, it’s time for an attitude adjustment.

Here are a few tips that will let your clients know they are important to you and you are giving them their full share of your time:

• Return calls promptly: Make this a habit. Even if you call to just say “I’m on the case and will be back to you on Tuesday.”
• Follow up: Call back on Tuesday with results or to say “I’m almost finished but I need one more day.”
• Give them your full attention: In meetings, do not be disturbed. Turn off your cell phone, absolutely take no other calls.
• Know your clients and demonstrate that knowledge: Brief yourself before meetings using your client notes. Speak to them about their world, their family, their hobbies.
• Demonstrate an interest in a long-term relationship: Always set the next opportunity to speak with them. Stay in touch with your clients on a regular basis. Too much time elapsing between contacts can result in the loss of a client to anything from a random impulse to a smart competitor. Giving wholeheartedly of your time helps to ensure your clients will give you the attention you deserve as well.

Please rate this tip!

Written by Richard Earls, Publisher, Travel Research Online
Stay connected with Travel Research Online on Facebook

1. Facebook can be fun, and motivate a purchase!
Admit it; you often see something on Facebook that really catches your attention. So you  probably do shop on occasion based on a FB post. Maybe it’s those cowboy boots your friend liked or that great coupon for a spa day that someone shared? Or maybe it’s that incredible image of the 200 bridges along the Thames River? Something got your attention and that will get the attention of your FB fans too. So don’t be afraid to subtly sell sometimes on FB and share a really great deal.

2. A website is now essentially the phone book listing for most businesses.
When you are looking for a business, don’t you go online and type the name in. Don’t you assume you will find a website, contact information, everything you used to look for in the phone book? Why should your business be any different? You need to have a digital business card online. You need a website where people can find you, find out about you and do a little window shopping at least.

3. People still like to shop.
Yes it is true that much more shopping gets done online, but that includes a lot of browsing. Just because there is a much more mobile, online economy in play doesn’t mean shopping therapy is any less mportant. People love to browse and window shop! Be sure you offer your customers a place to go and look around. You know they are shopping at Expedia, Travelocity, or supplier direct sites. Why not offer them travel shopping options on your own site. They will still want some customer service and interaction, and that’s where the demand for service in today’s economy positions a good travel professional as the best travel purchasing option. So don’t be afraid to let them shop first.

4. Cell phones are used for lots more than phone calls!
Whenever a question comes up, forget the encyclopedia, everyone picks up their phone and does a Google search or asks Siri or finds another resource on that little hand held device. We all shop on our phones for nformation, for resources and even for purchases. So be sure your website is mobile friendly. Shop your own site on your phone and see what the experience is like.

5. A deal is important at every level of spending.
Before the internet became such a big part of my shopping life, I never used coupons. Today, however, I won’t order pizza from my local pizzeria without printing out my weekly coupon. I  won’t go to Macy’s without a coupon in hand. I may spend more, but I want to know I got a deal. We all do. So offer your customers an incentive. Even the best clients still want to know they got a deal.

Please rate this tip!

Mary Pat Sullivan, CTC
President, Sullivan Marketing Advisors

From credit card inserts to Facebook news feeds, “deals” are everywhere! With all those seductive ads and website videos screaming for attention, the value of a travel agent can get lost in the mix.

What can you do about it? Stop making it worse!

Take a hard look at the marketing you do now. What percentage of the content is focused on things like cruise ships, destination images, itineraries and prices? Now, what percentage of the content is about you?

Other than your logo and contact information does your marketing provide a compelling reason to use YOU? If not, you’re just doing a great job of promoting your supplier partners. But, what about YOU?

Travel agents are not used to marketing themselves! Most are so accustomed to promoting suppliers’ products, that they don’t know how to promote TRAVEL AGENTS! That’s what matters the most, yet it gets the least marketing real estate. It’s time to change that.

You have to start somewhere. So why not begin with something you use every day, Email.

The most popular segment of our Facebook Page is our “sharable quotes” photo album. A savvy travel consultant let us know that she uses the quotes as her email signature. Great idea!

Here are the top five (based on number of “likes”). Use them any way you like!

1. “Planning your own travel is like wearing sunglasses. You look really cool until you smack into something you didn’t expect.”

2. “Ugly shirts and bad vacations have a lot in common. But you can exchange the shirt.”

3. “If nobody needed a travel consultant, all those do-it-yourself websites would be filled with nothing but 5-star reviews.”

4. “A click of a mouse can book a perfect looking resort. A mouse in the room can ruin it. Prevent ‘vacation contamination,’ use a travel consultant.”

5. “Planning your own travel is just like a fairytale! You might find a prince, but you’ll kiss a lot of frogs along the way.”

Check out our Facebook Page to see the images that go along with these. Feel free to use them.

Now – take this same idea and incorporate it into ALL of the marketing you do. Take a close look and ask yourself: “does this promo or ad provide any reason to do business with me or does it just promote another company’s products instead?”

You need to do both. But, if you had to choose, which way would you go?

Please rate this tip!

by Nolan Burris, Chief Visioneer, Future Proof Travel Solutions

Follow Nolan:
Facebook
Twitter

Kristina Evey
Professional Speaker and Trainer

Kristina Evey helps companies make more money by creating an amazing customer service experience. She teaches companies how to improve the way they connect with their customers. They become more profitable by strengthening their relationships with their existing clients to achieve the ultimate goal of customer loyalty. She helps organizations understand that more money is made with existing customers and guides business leaders to view their businesses through the eyes of their customers.

Kristina is a professional speaker, trainer, and educator in all areas of the Customer Experience. Her presentations actively engage all participants to afford them the experience to carry through in their own customer interactions. She has had numerous articles published and products produced on customer retention, satisfaction, and loyalty and is a regular contributor for radio and web interviews.