The many hours of work involved in creating complex programs for tourists periodically fail to bring the desired results to agencies: in pursuit of additional savings, tourists are not at all shy about using the work of professionals for free, ending up booking Those willing to offer the maximum discount. It's no surprise that the issue of paid consultations by retail representatives is coming up more and more frequently. Against this backdrop, TRN's editorial team reached out to Diana Ferdman, head of the travel agency "Belmare," host of a popular tourism video blog, founder of one of the most popular professional travel groups on Facebook, and teacher and coach, to set the record straight.
"Paid searches are the cornerstone of many travel agent discussions. Some believe that asking for a deposit will scare off the lion's share of potential clients, while others fear that a modest advance will have to be worked off many times more actively and deeply. That tourists will feel entitled to demand the maximum and beyond, after all, it's already been paid for.
Let's get this out of the way: to offer paid consultations, your expertise must be beyond doubt. Communicate with tourists online and offline, on your social media pages, in local groups, and hold presentations. There are plenty of communication channels. The main thing is for tourists to know they're dealing with a true professional and to be eager to book a tour with you.
Then you can explain your terms. For example, three resorts, five hotels each. You should explain to the tourist that there won't be a hundred offers, but ten or twenty. But each one will be carefully curated and will fully meet the individual's wishes.
For those just starting to implement paid consultations and still afraid of making a mistake, you can offer one referral for free, and the rest require a deposit. Either way, you'll benefit. You'll either save time by making one match, or you'll take a deposit for the next ones, and in either case, you won't waste your time. After all, matches in which the agent invests time and effort, but which at best end in nothing, and at worst, a sale elsewhere, are the most disappointing for the agent. Take care of yourself, avoid burnout, and value your time.
Anyone who has attended my trainings knows that a deposit or paid search can be very effective. This type of search is a kind of litmus test. During peak season, when time is tight, it helps weed out the so-called dreamers and focus your efforts and attention on those leads that are most likely to result in a satisfying sale.
Another category of client I highly recommend using paid search for is those who've already booked tours with your agency and then disappeared. Yes, sometimes people's plans change, and the trip doesn't work out. But it's not uncommon for a tourist with your carefully curated selection to walk into a neighboring agency, where they're happily offered a discount. Indeed, why not offer a discount? After all, no time or effort was wasted? Tourists quickly figure out this approach and begin to enjoy two pleasures in one: your professional consultation and a discount at the agency around the corner. I just have one question: does anyone enjoy working for the competition?
The third category of potential recipients of paid searches are tourists planning trips along unconventional routes. Not all agents know and can calculate the best tours, for example, to Costa Rica. But if you are the one who knows how to organize everything, your knowledge is worth the money.
One of my colleagues does something very clever: once every month or two, she posts a customized itinerary on social media, as if it were a gift to all her readers. But she also states that creating a customized tour costs from… The price is determined by the complexity and destination.
Paid searches are the future. They'll save time, increase revenue, and, importantly, improve the overall health of the tourism industry. After all, a deposit binds tourists to a specific agency and they'll never spend their money again with an agency they don't like. On the one hand, this will eliminate amateurs from the market, but on the other, it will discourage people from visiting agencies with ready-made searches. You can't pay everyone a deposit, after all.
Source: trn-news.ru