ic travel agent september 2014
DESCRIPTION
The How-To Magazine for ICs, OSRs & Home-Based Travel AgentsTRANSCRIPT
TRAVEL AGENTTHE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS
THE ART OF SELLING TRAVEL FROM HOME
SEPTEMBER 2014
4 EDITORIAL
Selling travel from home does
not have to be a puzzle when you read IC! Find the host agency
that best suits your needs.
Share your money making ideas in IC and help your IC colleagues.
CONTACT
Steve Crowhurst [email protected]
250-738-0064 www.ic-travelagent.com
Publisher:
SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com
Contributors
Steve Crowhurst IC TRAVEL AGENT is owned and published by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All Rights Reserved. Protected by International Copyright Law. IC TRAVEL AGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in any way monetized. Using any images or content from IC TRAVEL AGENT 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 Note: Steve Crowhurst is not responsible for outcomes based on how you interpret or use the ideas in IC TRAVEL AGENT. T: 250-738-0064.
7 THE WAY OF COURTESY
8 GETTING YOUR SHARE
13 CONSUMER TRENDS LINK TO REPORT
14 YES YOU CAN, AND SHOULD… By Jill Wykes
15 CLIENT TRENDS
16 FACEBOOK POSTS
17 NEW TOOL
18 TANGLED FX APP
19 USING TANGLED FX - RADIO ANNOUNCER IMAGE
20 TANGLED FX MARKETING
22 HOST AGENCY CAN BE… By Jill Wykes
23 SELLING IDEAS FOR THE FALL
27 THE TRAVEL INSTITUTE BOOK STORE
28 HOME BASED TRAVEL AGENT TRAINER - RESOURCE
29 ARE YOU ON THE LIST?
30 THE TRAVEL AGENT’S STORE – NEW RELEASES
31 SELLING TRAVEL WITH STEVE LINK
32 CLASSIFIEDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC SEPTEMBER 2014
If it’s not yet 5pm where you live, you still have time to make one more
call, close one more sale or e-mail one more promotion!
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• 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
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MENTION THAT YOU SAW US IN IC AGENT MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE!
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Helping YOU get YOUR share…
This issue of IC Travel Agent is somewhat inspired by the Travel Weekly report on consumer
trends and the affect they are having on travel agents. The resulting information from the survey
clearly shows some opportunities being left on the table and not being factored into the agency
marketing plan. Reports like these open our eyes to both missed and potential opportunities.
To get your piece of the overall share it’s worth the effort to track down as many travel trade
reports as you can, right-click and save to a file marked Data or Reports. The information you’re
looking for is C2B – (Consumer to Business) meaning consumer travel trends and attitudes and
not so much information about travel agents. Similar reports are published by official tourist
offices, suppliers and trade associations also publish reports and companies such as Amadeus,
too. How you read, interpret and action the data you collect is the focus of the Getting Your Share
article. See you inside.
Don’t forget to check out the new titles at The Travel Agent’s Store.
Here’s to your continued success!
Best regards.
Steve Crowhurst, CTC
www.ic-travelagent.com
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher
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Thought I’d mention a recent phone call I received as it was so refreshing. It seems that a UK
based publishing company was about to change the title of its magazine from Selling Long Haul
to Selling Travel. BMI’s Managing Director Martin Steady called me to introduce himself and
advise me of their plans. He wanted to know if there was any challenge to BMI using the Selling
Travel name and how we could proceed. I always prefer collaboration to confrontation and so
we agreed to mention the fact in our respective magazines that ownership etc., is separate and
apart from the other. Job done.
I mention the word refreshing as most often than not in this type of same name situation one
party just steamrolls ahead, calls in all lawyers and simply does more damage than good.
Based on the courtesy that Martin Steady awarded me in reaching out tells you a lot about the
BMI culture, team and BMI Publishing Ltd., as a company – and to that end, I urge you to
subscribe to the digital version of Selling Travel UK and especially if you arrange travel out of
the UK to points forward. The information is first class and there’ll be plenty of UK based
supplier contacts for you to make, too. The cover of BMIs fist issue of Selling Travel is shown
below. Click the cover to access the link.
Getting YOUR Share
As you read through the current Consumer Trends survey by
Travel Weekly there’s obvious key points that every home-
based travel agent should acknowledge and think on rather
deeply.
At first glance it would appear that your sales are eroding and
being siphoned off, more so by the consumer than any trade
supplier trying to lock you out. At a second glance it could well
be a trend that YOU are causing your own demise or lessening
opportunities coming your way.
There is also a trend suggesting that when YOU do attract a
customer and they continue to do business with you, they tend
travel more often than those consumers who book online. So
that’s a good thing to note which of course inspires you to set
about attracting more consumers to do business with you.
The introduction to this report mentions the fact
that consumers surveyed are still travelling and
have taken on average of 4 trips in the last 12
months. Your response to this data is to check
what’s happening with your sales. If your sales
are not showing this trend then there is an
obvious need for you to generate more interest
within your own client list.
Starting with your existing client base, survey if
you are getting ALL of their business. The plan is
to retain and grow the share you have.
The next and very important point made was
this: suppliers will continue to support the
agency community as long as consumers book
high yield products with travel agents.
The report pointed out that agent advised
consumers travelled more and spent more and
this is music to the supplier’s ear. On the other
hand there is an overall continual migration of
consumers booking with a travel agent to
booking online themselves or through OTAs.
I think it would be safe to say that until the last
Baby Boomer client no longer takes to the skies
travel agents will always have a source of
business.
It is also safe to say that Generations Y and Z,
having grown up on DIY technology, apps and all
things online, digital and mobile will cause the
greatest change as they take over from the then
ageing Generation X and Baby Boomers entering
their senior years. You can almost hear a distant
hush as to when the last Baby Boomer of this
generation leaves the planet.
The year is 2043 when the youngest Baby
Boomers reach the age of 80 which is a rough
forecast for when people stop travelling. So,
despite the statements about Generation Y and
Z booking direct, which would erode sales and
supplier support, you have until 2043 to make
your millions off the Baby Boomer travel dollar.
To continue getting your share of the Baby
Boomer dollar you’ll need to focus your
marketing AND ask your existing Baby Boomer
clients to refer their friends and also their Gen X
children and family members. At the same time
your marketing plan should include reaching out
to the children of Gen X who would be Gen Y.
Generation marketing and attraction will keep
you primarily focused on the Baby Boomer
generation, until they start to fade away. At the
same time building your share of the Gen X and
Gen Y travel dollar.
As your business starts to attract more Gen Y
travellers it will need to keep pace with all things
mobile and app related. Again, if you read the
data correctly, Gen Y & for sure Gen Z will be
using their hand held devices to explore online
and book online. That “line” could and should be
direct to you, your website, your booking engine
and the Ng of mobile technology.
Escorted Tour Bookings Decline There is clear indication in the Travel Weekly
report that travel agents are losing their share of
the escorted tour market. The report points out
that consumers are booking tours online and
away from TAs. To regain your share you’ll need
to promote the fact that you can arrange these
trips. The sell has to be on the service not the
tour itself. It’s the promotion of what you do that
takes precedence – here’s an easy-to-do idea.
How easy to post this statement online, in an ad,
in your emails on your blog and website and as a
poster in the agency window if you have one.
You might want an all-encompassing statement
and make the destination: “…to the world.”
Such a generic promotion can run for weeks
during the prime booking seasons. No need to be
destination or supplier specific as that dilutes
your reach and attraction. You want consumers
to call, click or come in and ask, “Do you book
escorted tours to…?”
The next step in the process is to arrange local
presentations and advise your consumers about
what you do in a “live” setting. Once again you’ll
expose the fact that you can book escorted tours
and custom travel arrangements, too.
The OTA and The TA-O Let’s play the acronym game. You know what an
OTA is, right? Sure you do. It’s an Online Travel
Agency. You know how they work. They have a
bank of people manning phones and PCs and
answer calls and emails and close the sale. As a
small home-based business, chances of you
opening an OTA would be remote. You can
however, be the TA-O, the Travel Agent - Online.
A TA-O would need a quality website with a
booking engine and it’s that combination that
you promote. “BOOK ONLINE WITH STEVE’S
TRAVEL.” Behind the scenes you do not have a
50 person call center – you have YOU. That’s all
you need for the number of clicks and calls you’ll
receive. Let the OTA’s handle the thousands of
calls – you handle the number you want and
need to attain your share of market and more so
within the niche you prefer to service.
The Niche Route to Ruin Every travel agent knows that specialization is
the key to sales. The Travel Weekly report points
out the benefits of selling into a niche as long as
you know what it is you are selling. And there’s
the Niche Route to Ruin.
Fact is so many travel agents jump on a band
wagon that’s playing a tune they feel they can
dance to and as it works out, they can’t. In other
words you must truly be expert in the niche you
select before you attempt to sell it. Expertise is
the word. The Travel Weekly report states that
74% of travellers felt their TA was NOT an expert
/ specialist in the niche being promoted and
there is another opportunity to gain more of
your share.
Expertise in the travel trade comes with age, it
comes with having ‘been there, travelled that’
and it goes without saying, ongoing self-
education. Now it may be you are from, born and
or raised in the country you are specializing in
and that gives you an edge. It does not however
make you the expert. To be an expert in your
own country you would have travelled it from
coast to coast, border to border. You’ll need to
know every town, village, event, historical facts
and more. If not… you are not an expert just yet.
You could be an expert in your country’s cuisine
and that’s a different story. You focus is purely
regional foods and recipes not country wide.
Grab a niche, own it, read about it, study it, travel
‘there’ many, many times, learn the language,
culture, history and then when you truly feel you
can answer any question a customer will ask –
claim your expertise and out market the rest.
TAs are the Best Hand-Held Device So much chatter about technology and how the
consumer is using ‘hand-held devices’ to book
travel. Well of course they are just like you and I.
Why wouldn’t they? What’s the big deal? The
main thing you need to know and do is keep
marketing in the online space where your clients
end up via their hand-held devices.
“We book
escorted tours
to Europe.”
That space is still Facebook, email, your website
and more. It doesn’t really matter which device
the consumer uses, as long as they can access
YOU and your marketing. My statement on this
issue is that TAs must get between the consumer
and their news. That’s it. You have to reach them
where they shop and appeal to how they shop.
In this case, for travel.
Knowing how tricky it is to book a complex trip
on a small mobile phone screen you could use
that as a marketing platform and just as the
trade pitched itself as “the best search engine”
here you can turn that around to be ‘the best
hand-held device’ presented this way:
Travel Agents are the
hand-held device
for booking travel.
You could had a comment such as:
“That’s because we hold your hand
every step of the way.”
The Travel Weekly report states that for 2014,
38% of those surveyed stated they had booked
and purchased travel on a mobile device and
62% had not. So two things are happening for
you: you have 62% who may have tried and were
frustrated with the small screen, and missed taps
and you have that 38% who made it happen but
might have let you do the work and save the
stress. Try the ad slogan above and see what
happens.
Trip of a Lifetime TAs According to the Travel Weekly report on how
consumers book their luxury trips, the TA comes
out a winner. Now don’t be fooled by that data
as wealthy people have travelled before and
know what they need – and in many cases they
can book direct with the supplier.
As I say, they are well travelled and well-heeled
and comfortable dealing direct with the luxury
cruise line, tour company, resort etc. As for the
average wage earner who has a trip of a lifetime
to book and do not have a spare 100K to fall back
on, they’ll want to do it right and make sure their
$15,000 is invested by an expert travel agent.
If you are in the business of handling Trips of a
Lifetime you will enjoy my new book coming out
later this year called Dream Merchants™
This is where you can stand tall. State your
expertise as a travel agent who handles those
trips of a lifetime. Sell the sizzle and that sizzle is
YOU.
Consumer Using Review Websites This is music to your ears. The fact that a
consumer checks out a destination or vacation
online is exactly what you want them to do. It
saves you time and time is money.
The challenge is this: if you do not market
yourself as the go-to travel expert then your
clients will review online and book online. So
don’t fight online review sites, embrace them.
Make sure you use them too and then you can
market the fact that you can verify your client’s
choices – for a fee of course.
Note: Make sure your client understands that
the review fee is a standalone fee as you may
need to charge additional fees based on what
they eventually book with you.
Travel Reviews Validated Travelling soon? Looked on line and
found what you want? Let us advise you
and validate your choice using our
real time experience & expertise.
Our review fee is $250, however if we
end up arranging your travel then the
review fee is included in the
overall cost of your trip.
Boost Your Share of Social It goes without saying that social media is here
to stay and that most people who use social
networks have an account with Facebook. No
need to repeat that again and again as it is now
worldwide common knowledge.
Of course there are other social networks that
your clients can join – in fact there are hundreds
of them and if you fancy your chances, you could
use SocialGo.com to create your own social
channel JUST for your clients.
Make sure your Facebook account is a business
page and keep in mind you are in business to
sell travel not actually to share pictures of your
kids. Remember too that not all Facebook LIKES
are real. Remember that behind all social
networks there are liars, cheats, identity
thieves and some who will learn when you are
away on a FAM and go visit your house. Yes
that’s right – they use Google Earth Street View
to check out your front door, Satellite View to
check out your back garden and laneways and
then call the local heavy to do the job. THIS is
why you keep your Facebook page strictly
business.
If you embrace Facebook as a marketing channel
versus a chit-chat channel then you will be
following in the footsteps of your suppliers who
know how to bizualize! That’s right they can
tantalize and then bizualize and you must do the
same. Make sure however that your clients
understand your use of Facebook and other
social networks is for marketing purposes.
Add this to your website: “Facebook is our
chosen social media communications channel,
be sure to LIKE us and receive updates on the
best travel deals going.”
Now your clients can expect what you post. No
one can get upset that you have gone beyond
that overdone word engagement. Your clients
know why you are contacting them and no need
to send a picture of a fluffy dog in advance.
Unless you sell tours for pet owners.
You will read in the Travel Weekly report that
most people have more than one social network
account and that’s because they have done the
rounds, signed up but have done little else with
that account. Not every client is Tweeting about
the coffee they had this morning, and not so
many are posting images of themselves in a uni-
thong on Pinterest.
Take it all in stride as the constant amongst all
social media channels remains email. If you can
email – you can do social.
Back to Facebook for a moment – keep this in
mind too: If you POST it, BOOST it. You can reach
thousands more people on Facebook for very
little money. If you spend time working on your
post and it’s a wonderful trip you are promoting
then give it credence and spend $50 with
Facebook to BOOST it and increase your social
share!
Yes You Can, and Should
- still email your clients, just know the rules. In this space I have been writing about the importance of using different channels to reach all your customers….this column will address email…yes , don’t panic…you can still email your customers provided you’ve got their permission.
The introduction of the new Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation, or CASL, threw terror into the travel industry this spring as the industry became aware of the impact it would have. To make matters worse, the legislation is subject to considerable interpretation and even lawyers who specialize in the field are still trying to get to the bottom of it. It reminds me of when GST was introduced…even the federal departments responsible for explaining it didn’t have a clue as to how it applied to many, many scenarios. And so it is with CASL. I am no expert in this legislation and that is not the purpose of this column….you should get the right advice from an expert. But I am here to tell you that email remains an important channel to reach some of your customers, and is one that you should not abandon. There are a few simple rules about email that I’ve always felt are critical to getting them read instead of deleted and effective as a sales tool.
Create a subject line that’s clear, concise and enticing. Would you open this up?
Don’t use attachments…embed your message right in the email.
Keep your message short, simple and with a call to action.
Don’t send “heavy” files that may get rejected.
Check to see how your host agency can help you…do they have an email marketing system…do they handle it for you? Is there a limit to the number of names you can provide on
your customer list? Does your host agency provide regular promotions that can be emailed to customers? And very important, does your host agency target market your customers according to their interests and activities? This will also ensure your emails are read and not discarded. Email marketing can be very cost effective, so long as you can find ways to ensure you don’t end up in Junk Mail or Spam….your host agency should have solutions for this. And always remember, when it comes to marketing…..if you are out of sight, you are out of mind.
By Jill Wykes
Brought to you by: The Travel Agent Next Door
Client Trends After reading through Travel Weekly’s Consumer Trends 2014 report you should have enough
information to turn around and check directly with your own clients as to which and what
trends are percolating amongst them. It’s very important that you gather your own trending
data directly from your clients and then you can check your information against certain reports
to see just how well you are doing. Where it makes sense, you adjust your business plan.
Okay, how would you conduct your survey? By
phone, email or online survey? My choice would
be online survey. I have used the Survey Monkey
program very successfully. They offer everything
you need to create your survey and the basic
account is free. The program is easy to
understand and use so go there, start an account
and watch the returns.
You’ll want the results to tell you how many
clients, by percentage, are planning to take a
trip, where to etc., so that you can clearly
identify the trends within your client list.
Gather Subscriptions
Hopefully you have the full email address for
each client you serve. If not, better start
requesting them. If you live in Canada you will
know that you MUST have your client’s
permission to send them emails. If you live in the
USA then your emails can be sent to
anyone as long as you have an
unsubscribe function that
works.
I use the MailChimp
program and for
home-based agents
like YOU, it works so
well. The basic
account is free and
allows for up to 2,000
email addresses and
you can send, for free,
up to six emails per
month to each of those
2,000 emails.
But I Only Have 200 Clients
And that’s okay. Two-hundred people who will
tell you what’s on their mind, where they want
to go next, what they think of your service and
expertise… it’s all good. Would be nice to have
one thousand people on that list, but then that
would be a different story wouldn’t it – you’d
need a staff of two or more!
Your Own Data Trends
Between yourself and your accountant you can
certainly run a few graphs that focus on this
year’s activities versus last years. If you can plot
your data over five years even better. What you
are looking for is a pattern. Are the same sales
patterns, month x month still there? Has
anything moved up a month or down a month.
Have cruise sales increased or declined? Have
you lost any long term clients? Know why?
Your piece of the pie might be
secure and the trends in the
past are repeating &
growing. All good. But
don’t rest there. Keep
surveying your clients
and check the
responses against the
trade reports such as
the Travel Weekly
survey. See what
might be trending
outside your agency
and make amends as
you sense there is an
opportunity for you to
grow.
Facebook Posts I read recently that when you post something to your Facebook page it shouldn’t come across
as ‘from the Marketing Department’ or be too pushy. Well, let’s get out of this old and done to
death type of commentary and use Facebook for what it is. It’s a marketing tool and so
whatever you post should look like and sound like it is coming from the Marketing Department.
But first, you need to make sure your clients and anyone who clicks to your Facebook page
understands the role Facebook plays in your travel marketing.
Okay. Whilst many of your travel agency
colleagues are treading softly, softly and
trying not to come across as selling
something… others are on that Facebook
marketing bandwagon with no apologies.
Make It Clear
The difference is that some travel agencies
have made it known that Facebook is their
preferred social media marketing choice and
that anyone who Likes the agency’s
Facebook page will receive notifications of
travel specials, events and more.
They Join Knowing
When a client “joins” your Facebook page
then, they know as they click that they are
joining in order to receive your posts,
updates, notifications, flyers, images and
videos that are promoting something they
love and that would be travel.
Use the Timeline Image
As you know you have that huge image area
that heads up your Facebook page and right
there is where you can add your comment
about using Facebook for promotional
purposes.
You can and you should weave in a few
personal travel posts and images as your
audience likes to see images from a recent
trip you took. That’s important.
Beware the images of your home, your
partner, your children etc. Not everyone that
Likes you, likes you! Keep it business.
Try these notices:
Steve’s Travel has selected Facebook as its
social media outlet to announce travel
specials, events and more. If you are
interested in receiving the latest travel
news about cruising, tours and customized
trips then please click here.
If you like travel, LIKE our Facebook page
and we’ll keep you up to date with all our
travel specials on cruising, tours and
customized departures PLUS images and
videos of the places we visit on your behalf.
You get the idea. Tell your clients HOW you
use your Facebook account and let them
click to join or not. Once you build a solid
audience who actually want to read what
you post, ask them to spread the word to
like-minded individuals who also understand
that Facebook is your social marketing
outlet.
From now on, when someone tells you to
tread softly and NOT to promote on
Facebook – tell them the dinosaurs left town
a long time ago.
This well-engineered, strong, sturdy and simple looking gadget is all it’s meant to be. It will hold
your expensive smartphone rock solid in its grip atop your tripod, or extension arm. That ‘rock
steady’ comment refers to your video and also your Selfie shots. There are two versions – of
RetiCam, standard and XL. If you encase your phone, go for the XL.
American agents can purchase from Amazon.com here.
Canadian agents can purchase direct here.
Believe it or not I’ve been searching for such a clamp like the RetiCam for some time. I had purchased the
spring loaded clamp sold by Photojojo, but my smartphone is encased in the Griffin Survivor case which
adds some bulk to the phone. As I spend a lot of time outdoors and use my iPhone more for photography
and video than I do as a phone (!) - I needed a clamp that would hold my smartphone tight as it dangled
over cliffs on the end of an extension arm. I came across the RetiCam by chance as it was a small ad on an
unrelated website that a friend sent to me. The clamp stands flat by itself so you can video from your desk
or any other flat surface.
For Canadian travel agents note that Amazon.com does not ship this item to Canada at the moment. I
contacted RetiCam directly and the owner Hart was kind enough to sell direct and ship north. Great
service. Shipping cost was $20 UPS. Job done.
RetiCAM® Smartphone Tripod Mount
The Tangled FX App for your iPhone and or iPad is an absolute winner for recreating your
travel images and selfies to suit any number of marketing ideas, themes and specific tours,
too. The Moonsnail Shell on the previous page could be used to promote beach vacations, or
perhaps if you serve a niche of shell collectors who travel the world, then it’s an obvious
choice. The image on this page of me with my YETI, studio level microphone was shot and
FX’ed to resemble a mix of the nostalgic radio announcer and present day Podcast + PodBlog.
The concept of Tangled FX is very simple. You shoot a shot with your iPhone/iPad camera and
then tap any of the many FX moods. There is a fine tune table of sliders where you can add
more effects to lighten, darken, sharpen etc. The ‘current image’ would be low res in Preview
and by tapping Preview the app renders to Full Size, tap to save it to your Camera Roll and
then (for me) download it into Photoshop Elements for final touch up.
So how could YOU use Tangled FX to boost your marketing activities,
sales, presence and social media engagement?
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Tangled FX Marketing It might show just a tad that I have fallen in love with the Tangled FX app. If this app ever
becomes a desktop software, I’ll take one! There are many filters you can apply to your image
however the one that I’m hooked on is Cartoon. The image changes in style, not so much
cartoonish, more enhanced details. More artistic, almost watercolour’ish. Here’s an example:
The image above has been
FX’d – here’s the original:
The outcome is just so
unique that you if start
shooting now, using
Tangled FX to convert your
original images, you’ll be
way ahead of the local
competition as they try to
determine what it is you
are using. Here’s a few of
the filter choices with my
#1 choice highlighted:
Original Fibers Swirls Brush Strokes
Pencil Strokes
B&W Etching
Cartoon High Contrast
Bloom Small Details
Blurred The Light Side
Webbed
After shooting the shot, and rendering it with your preferred Tangled FX filter, you can add your
slogan or text to it – example shown on the next page.
You can make excellent use of your locally shot scenes that ‘look the part’ to promote overseas
destinations or activities. The image above was shot locally where I live, however when enhanced
using the Tangled FX app, the image takes on a different ‘look’ and can then be used to support
tours of Europe for instance and as shown here, the push is to the artistic community, hoping to
attract photographers and artists.
Photographers are a safe bet as so many clients, probably 99% carry a camera when they travel
and perhaps 20% are serious photographers. Amateur artists are also in abundance with the
majority in the Baby Boomer generation who belong to local art clubs. So hook one client and
chances are they might bring members of the art club with them. This applies to your
photography loving clients too. In either case you are using the unique imagery of Tangled FX to
attract your niche clients to travel with you.
So now over to you. It may be Tangled FX or one of the many other FX apps that you can use on
your smartphone. You also have various filters in your photo editing software such as Elements
or Aperture (for Mac users) that will add a certain look to the image you would like to use. You
might even find a special look or style that becomes your signature image and then use that to
the point where the travelling consumer in your area knows just by looking at it, that it represents
your travel agency.
Host Agency Can Be A SOLUTION FOR SMALL AGENCIES TOO
Although we have focused this column on what to look for in a host agency for home based
agents, there is a new model now available where small agencies can also enjoy all the benefits
of having a host agency to rely on.
If you own an agency and you’ve maybe
thought about an exit strategy….or you are
just tired of all the behind the scenes work
associated with owning a business and
would like to concentrate on selling travel,
then you will want to learn more about this
option.
Most agents enjoy selling travel, dealing with
customers, helping make their dreams come
true and providing good service. You don’t
often hear agency owners or managers say
how much they enjoy invoicing, or
marketing, or accounting or payroll.
Well, all the benefits that the right host
agency can offer home based agents are
now available to agencies too.
This solution is perfect for agency owners
who would like to slow down a bit, be
relieved of some of the grind of operating
their own business, but who really don’t
want to retire and who enjoy the travel
business. Let’s face it, we all enjoy the
business, that’s why once it gets in our
blood, few of us ever leave.
So imagine owning a travel agency …but
without most of the paperwork! And giving
you support for your supplier, marketing and
administrative needs.
There are many other benefits to this
arrangement. Your costs will decrease. You
will have the opportunity to maximize your
earnings by being part of a group, and you
will have access to great marketing and
other tools to help you attract and retain
customers.
As well, you will be part of a larger
community for networking and sharing
ideas. Before you sell your agency, or close
it, be sure to look at this option. The Travel
Agent Next Door has a program that could be
just what you’ve been looking for.
By Jill Wykes
Brought to you by: The Travel Agent Next Door
Selling Ideas for the Fall
It’s my time of year. I love the fall for the colours and the typical climate and from the selling
travel point of view this time of year offers so many opportunities in both destination and type
of travel. Let’s explore, some more…
Coming soon to an open-air theatre near you
is a wonderful, state-of-the-park explosion
of autumn colour - a ready-made attraction
that, if you market it the right way, will have
your clients falling over themselves to book
their travel with you.
Fall foliage is a worldwide attraction and
takes little to sell, provided you have a list of
fall foliage destinations and suppliers which
service those areas. No matter which
destination you promote, there will be
common themes to establish in your
marketing and promotional activity.
Focus on such activities as hiking, art, music,
weddings, dining, touring and the other 200
or more activities that people like to engage
in when they go on vacation.
Let's explore how you can use a multi-
disciplined marketing activity that includes
direct mail, e-mail, voice marketing and
video mail and F-mail. Yes, the marketing
world has renamed an old activity and has
also moved up one letter of the alphabet
from E to F. Face-Mail is simply the art of
getting face-to-face with your clients to tell
and sell them on your Fall Tours.
Does anyone remember how to get face-to-
face with a customer to promote, sell and
close? Our first step in the plan is product
knowledge and research, but you knew that.
Top Ten Fall Destinations
It’s always a good idea to research and take
note of ‘the top ten’ and you can apply this
idea to any destination or activity you intend
to market. You do not always need ten, you
could go for the top three or top five. It’s the
wording that attracts the consumer.
Choosing a top ten for fall destinations is
tough as every country in the world has its
own ideas about rating a top ten and almost
every country has their own version of fall
foliage.
We can stick to the usual destinations and
you can expand into specific areas as you get
to know about them. One of the key
ingredients of course is – colour. In some
areas there is a mix of reds, greens, oranges
and in other areas just one colour with
various shades.
Generally each country offers its own form
of celebration that is tied into the fall – this
offers you a chance to tie in cultural aspects
to the viewing of the leaves.
In the past I have written about these areas:
Southern Ontario, New England, Quebec,
The Canadian Rockies and Atlantic Canada.
Branson, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Myrtle
Beach, New York City, Orlando, Niagara Falls,
Williamsburg, Cape Cod and Philadelphia.
If you want to look farther afield, you have
Japan with its Kyoto hillsides and temples
and, in the other direction, southern England
with its beautiful old forests in the counties
of Surrey and Sussex – and of course Europe
boasts the same type of countryside.
Read Direct Mail
When the letter "E" entered our marketing
lives a few years ago, many travel industry
marketers gave up their traditional off-line
direct marketing activity.
Not a good thing to do, especially as
consumers are reporting more and more "e
rage" over constant spamming and "t-rage"
thanks to telemarketers making their calls
during the best part of the movie.
Direct mail is rising back to the top as a
marketing format to initiate encounters of a
first kind.
The U.S. has its CAN SPAM law with fines for
spamming and telemarketing overkill. In
Canada, the CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam
Legislation) program as of July 1, 2014 has
pretty much ended all marketing to a
consumer without their permission. So until
you have that person’s permission to make
e-mail contact, “old” marketing ideas can be
used to great effect.
Start with direct mail when you are targeting
customers who have not yet given you their
permission to make contact.
Direct mail gives you the chance to deliver
colourful postcards into the homes of clients
you know and those you don’t know, yet.
You would generate two mailings – one to
your client’s addresses and the other mailing
would be unaddressed mail to a selected
area / postal code.
As you know, a direct mail envelope that
contains something the recipient can touch
and feel is more often than not opened out
of curiosity. Lead the reader to undo the
envelope by directing them to do so on the
envelope. Simply request "Check what's
inside!"
What Will They Find Inside?
What can you place in that envelope? A leaf
perhaps. A dark red or yellow-to-orange leaf
would do the trick and you purchase those
online. Click the image below and you’ll end
up on Amazon where Inspired by Nature has
packaged the leaves for you.
If you have too much time on your hands you
could cut the shapes from art paper!
You could use one of your own photographs
of a fall landscape or an individual leaf. Or, to
go a little off your tree, you might try
inserting a twig with no leaves. Your flyer
would read — "Have You Twigged Yet? Yes,
we want you to join our Fall Foliage Tour."
Twig is a Gaelic word meaning to "observe,
understand" and, as such, could fit well into
this plan.
Your flyer directs and entices the reader to
contact you directly and/or to explore your
Web site. When they land on your home
page, there should a red-leafed, fall foliage
button to click on.
Remember, when a customer visits your
Web site, they have complete control over
the transaction— they can stay or go. Make
sure you capture some data from your
clients that you can respond to. Once the
customer has arrived on your Web site, you
must direct them to do one of the following
call you, send an e-mail, register online,
request information, enter to win, sign up
for the Fall Foliage newsletter or claim their
Fall Foliage discount coupon by printing it off
and redeeming it by visiting your agency.
One of these ideas will deliver the
information you need to continue the Fall
Foliage promotion. The goal is to acquire the
customer's name, contact information and
the level of their desire to take your tour and
most importantly, their permission for you
to stay connected.
Follow Up & Close
The key next step to any form of marketing
activity is, as you know, the follow-up
activity. Once you have mailed your direct
mail envelopes, wait the required delivery
time of two to four days then make the
phone call.
“Hi, this is Steve of Steve’s Travel, just
wanted to follow up with you and to check if
you received our Fall Travel postcard? You
did, wonderful. So please keep us in mind
should you be touring this fall, we’d love to
arrange your trip for you…”
Keep it soft-sell at this time. If the client
responds in a positive way, then naturally
you’ll be asking for their email, when they
might want to travel - you know how to do
this.
Fall Honeymoons
Not everyone gets married in July. Target
those planning to wed in the fall. This gives
you not only a list of wonderful places to
promote, but also words, phrases and
images you can tap into for your marketing
activities. “Falling in Love” is simple and
combines both the season and the
sentiment. Now all you have to do, if you
wish to focus-sell a destination, is choose
one and add the place name: “Falling in Love
in...”
Lead Generation
This requires networking and referrals and
that means all your clients receive a “who’s
getting married” direct mail, e-mail or
general flyer. So if you have one thousand
clients listed and one per cent respond,
you’ll have 10 wedding / honeymoon leads
to follow up on. Not bad.
Falling in Love With Colour
Who would fall in love with colour? Try
photographers and artists. This is a
wonderful time for promoting photography
and art tours by group or individual
departures. Contact local art clubs, societies
and city art galleries and invite them to
participate. Try a scenic shot on your Web
site or embedded in your e-mails.
Envelope Lift Note Fall Out
Direct mail is a very clever marketing tool
when it’s packaged correctly. Usually, once
you undo the envelope a small piece of
paper, the Lift Note, flutters to the floor,
causing you to bend over and pick it up.
Naturally you read it. If that small piece of
paper was cut in the shape of a tree leaf,
fluttering to the ground, well you get the
impression and the idea. The Lift Note is so
called, as it lifts the response. It reads: “Don’t
Miss The Fall Colours This Year!”
Show Your Social Colours
If you do have a fine selection of fall
photographs and they all belong to you, then
you can start posting them online and
especially on social sites like Pinterest, Flickr
and Facebook too. What you are trying to
cause is a viral promotion as people share
your image. If you add a subtle sales
message on your image, this too will go viral.
Gold Leaf
You’ve now got a few more ideas on how to
market the fall for some of that “Autumn
Gold”. May the colour of money be yours,
may it be gold and may it fall into your lap!
Come with us to Kyoto, Japan this fall…
Wtimpr
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Yes you can move from travel counselor to agency owner. You can quit and start your own business. You
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C L A S S I F I E D SWanted: readers to clickon this link and makemoney selling more travel.
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DIY Websites. This IS theBest of the Best.
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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
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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.
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