Smart travel advisors know which questions to ask, and who to ask them to. But even smarter ones, it seems, attend the kinds of events that teach you answers to questions you didn’t even know you should be asking.
That’s just the kind of conference that Nexion Travel Network hosted this month in New Orleans. It’s possible that the hurricane winds outside brought people closer together but, honestly, I think it’s just the Nexion ethos that had so many smart travel advisors offering so many great tips at CoNexion 2024.
Here are a few things I learned while I was there:
**Don’t be afraid to sell air, says Sandy Clark of Sandy Clark Travel. “If you don’t do air for your clients, you’re leaving business that someone else can grab. A lot of new agents are afraid of air, so I do a lot of air for other advisors; it’s almost like doing corporate for agents. I charge fees and I earn commission on some. And I have control over the reservation; if something happens I can change their flights.”
**Don’t ever get so focused on the business that you forget what travel is all about, says Principal Travel’s Brandi Vincent. Bringing joy to your clients is what being a travel advisor is all about – and the best way to build strong relationships that lead to repeat business and referrals. Think personalized experiences, welcome home notes, customized travel documents, small gifts. And build a community by hosting small in-person events and group journeys.
**Success in the hosted group business is about understanding your clients, cultivating relationships with them, and consistently delivering amazing experiences, says Michelle Gaudet of Inspired Travel Adventures in Ontario, Canada, who sells about $200,000 in group travel a year. “It’s about fostering trust and creating a sense of belonging, to create a community of like-minded travelers who would refer me to their friends,” she said in her NEXTalk. The first step is getting to know your travelers inside and out: their interests, their hobbies, how they spend their free time, and what they really want from their travel experience. One of her most successful ways to start a group is by organizing meet-ups at local coffee shops. “These gatherings have been crucial in building rapport with my clients,” she says. Also key is finding the right partners and personally visiting every destination and tour to vet them.
Once home, she emails clients regularly, celebrates their milestones, sends thank-you notes for their business and offers early-bird specials for those who book quickly. If you are trying to build your own hosted group business, start small, she suggests. Add unique touches to your itineraries. Include some cultural immersion element, like a tour of an artist workshop, a cooking class or a meal in a local home. Find the right suppliers who align with your vision and offer favorable group booking terms. And look for hints to what your customers like in a dedicated Facebook group.
**The many travel advisors who attended a great break-out session titled “Idea Exchange,” led by presidents Jackie Friedman of Nexion and Dondra Ritzenthaler of Azamara Cruises, came up with lots of great marketing ideas (note these were from the audience so I don’t have full names and agency affiliations):
When your customers get back from a seven-night trip, partner with a local business to have their laundry done. One travel advisor said she partners with someone in her community who brings them a laundry bag, picks up their laundry in the morning, and delivers it back in the afternoon.
Create videos that walk your clients step-by-step through an experience they might be stressing over, like boarding a cruise ship or landing in a foreign airport. “Every time I do a quote or proposal, I send a video that answers what I think they will ask, so I don’t get a lot of follow-up questions,” said one travel advisor. “I walk through everything, from the time the car will pick them up until they return home. People don’t read, so this reduces my time explaining things and lets them go through everything at 11 pm, if that’s what’s convenient for them. Plus you have proof of what you told them.”
Always ask your clients to share some photos. Then share them on your own site, and put one on a postcard and mail it back to them at Christmas time with the message, “Remember when? Isn’t it time to start planning your next memory?”
If you’re a newbie on a tight budget (like Ashley, who just joined her Dad at Anderson Vacations), just send a birthday card or a coffee-table book. The idea is to have them think of you and talk about you to their friends.
Clothes always help keep the memories alive. For her group cruise, Kia Bradford went on Fiber and had someone custom design shirts. Sara had jackets made for her safari group and reached out to suppliers to help pay for photo albums for everyone when they got home.
Jackie Friedman reminded everyone that the most important date to remember is not when clients travel, but when they book their travel. Reach out to them then.
When sending Happy Holiday emails, embed a video from a trip you took. “Personal tells a better story—and the open rate goes way way up,” says Dondra Ritzenthaler.
Brad gets most of his business from social media – and he attributes that to posting “really good photos that make them jealous, make them want that. I take a million photos a month and post, post, post. I drive my families nuts. But I get a lot of business.”
Craig Devine from Madison has shifted his focus from public Facebook to a private Facebook group he created. That allows him to “really engage with folks, offer travel tips and tricks, and add some buzz and some personal information to create trusting relationships.” Then the clients follow his lead and share their own pictures and information, creating “a community of engagement.” Ask for everyone’s email address when they join so you have a backup list. And don’t worry about talking to a smaller group than you had when your page was public. “My business really took off when I started selling less, looking at what I loved selling and cutting back my focus. You can make more money with less effort.”
Katie from Florida takes notes on everything clients and suppliers say. When talking to a supplier, always get a name, she says. And for clients, note what they like and what they don’t like. If they love Buc-ee’s and you’re in the neighborhood, stop and get them something. Years later, look back and comment on something you know they – or their kids – will like because it’s similar. “Take what’s important to them and make it important to you.”
Terri Phelps from Denver sends anniversary cards on the date clients started working with her.
Pam Dion from Colorado uses Loom to create proposals and also sends a travel insurance quote, walking through the suggestions to highlight the policy she thinks is best. For big-ticket items, “splurging for a family photo shoot is an amazing gift.”
Christie from Texas no longer asks clients to fill out a questionnaire—have a conversation, she says, so you really understand how they like to travel. And don’t be afraid to suggest something different. She has tripled her Regent Seven Seas business by suggesting a luxury cruise to clients who never considered the option until she threw it out.
If money is tight, utilize your suppliers, says Kathy Gill from FL. She had 28 of them show up for her recent Cruise Night, which had 250 attendees and led to her first cruise group of 122 people. But sometimes it pays to open your wallet. She rented five cabanas for that group so everyone could hang out during a beach excursion – and now she has eight groups from the customers on that one cruise.
“No one likes a salesperson,” she says. “We are memory makers. Sell the story. Never assume, never prejudge, always ask for it. If you can’t shoot for the stars, why are you in the business?” At her monthly talks in 55+ communities, she doesn’t sell. But she does put out a sheet asking for the 10 things on their bucket lists.
Try a Google business page, but make sure to post five-star reviews so your profile moves to the top.
Play a fun game with your group. On an Azamara trip last year, Vivian from Plano created a bingo card of silly things to look for in each city.
Carol from Wisconsin bought a laminating machine and made luggage tags with the QR code of her travel profile, so if the luggage gets lost it comes to her.
Having a hard time with that conversation about fees? Create a quick video on Loom saying, “I charge a fee because I put my time and effort into developing a custom itinerary just for you. And here’s what else I do.”
Watch their Facebook pages and send a baby or a wedding gift. (“The Places You Will Go” is a great baby gift.)
Jackie Friedman suggests that as your business grows, divide it into three buckets: the business you seek (put your efforts and training here); the business you will take (like a world cruise); and the business you just aren’t interested in. “It can be very refreshing to say ‘I’m not the best person to sell this trip, I’m going to refer you to my friend.’”
And be realistic about how long it will take to make a living selling travel, she says. Don’t be afraid to start part-time. But have a number in mind, have a realistic path to get there, and promise yourself that when you hit it you will dive in full-time. People who are more selective in terms of what they sell are more likely to ramp up than those who try to be all things to all people.
A successful business must do four things, said Travel Leaders Network president Roger Block:
- Acquire customers.
- Retain customers.
- Sell them more and more products and services.
- Sell things at higher and higher margins.
So remember to do all four. When you book a Med cruise, don’t forget to ask about air (pre and post) transfers, insurance – all the little things that can add up to more commission than the cruise itself.
And what’s a conference without a good joke? Here are two, courtesy of United Airlines:
What happens to a bad airplane joke? It never lands.
Or even better,
What happens to a bad airplane joke? It goes over your head.
Hope to see you at your host agency conference one day soon!
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.
