6 Tips for Travel Agents in Closing the Sale
Anyone in the business of selling a product or service knows the importance of closing the sale. If you don’t make the close, you don’t get the sale. All the time and effort you’ve spent researching, coordinating, communicating, and whatever else was involved in the process is wasted if you don’t successfully close the sale.
As travel agents, you may think you’re selling products like vacation packages and tours, but your customers can buy them without you. They can do the legwork themselves or go through another travel agent. What you’re really selling to your clients are your services. You only get paid if they actually book the travel with you. So, your success and income completely depend on your ability to close as many sales as possible.
How to Close More Sales
The travel business is lucrative but it’s also highly competitive. Like any salesperson, travel agents must become experts at selling themselves.
1. Build and Maintain Rapport with Clients
We recently published a blog on building relationships with your clients. When you have created a bond with your customers, they will trust you to have their best interests in mind. Get to know your clients, their likes and dislikes, and other important details. That way, you can offer them relevant suggestions on travel opportunities that will apply to their particular preferences.
When you know your clients and what they are looking for, you can devote your time to gathering travel information on destinations and activities that are narrowed down to their preferences. If your client prefers relaxing vacations near the water, it would be easier to sell them on a trip to the beach than a hiking trip in the mountains.
2. Use a CRM
You may think that a Customer Relationship Management system is more of a productivity tool than a tool that will help close sales. However, a good CRM can be invaluable in documenting details that are critical in your success as a travel agent.
A good CRM will contain all client information that you have gathered. With a few key strokes, you have access to contact information, travel preferences, communication frequency, and other critical data for making and closing the sale. If you work with a travel host agency, they may offer the benefit of using their own CRM; if not, you should definitely look into an automated system that will track all this information.
3. Become the Expert
Travelers engage travel agents primarily because of their expertise and knowledge. You should become a fountain of knowledge in the industry. Take advantage of webinars, seminars, articles, and other sources of travel information so that you come across as the expert.
If you are working with a reputable host agency, many of them offer different training solutions as a very convenient way to gain knowledge about the travel business. Dugan’s Travels is a host agency offering a Learning Management System whereby you can access a variety of training courses to improve your performance and knowledge base. They also hold regular events and workshops throughout the year for agents to learn more about their craft.
4. Communicate the Details
When you find a deal that you believe is perfect for your client, let them know about it immediately. Contact them via their preferred method (a detail you should have obtained up front and annotated in your CRM) and provide them with all the information they need to review the trip details.
Make sure you give them the terms and conditions on the proposal. Without being too pushy, let them know the deal has a deadline. You should also caution them if there is limited availability, if the price is only valid for a certain time, and other limitations. Knowing that they may miss out on a great opportunity will create a sense of urgency without you having to be too forceful.
5. Remove Obstacles
You may encounter hesitation or push-back from clients to your proposal. Two main concerns from customers are time and money. You should be ready to provide solutions to their issues in order to close the deal.
For example, if they don’t have enough paid time off to go on a two-week cruise, offer them one that is not so long. For costs, you should already have their budget and have used that restriction in planning the trip. However, there are times when clients will pay a little more to get what they are looking for.
You will need to work with them to determine their real priorities in these situations. What specifications do they want to modify to lower costs? Or do they have a buffer in their budget where they can afford to spend a bit more to get what they want?
6. Follow Up
Don’t just send the proposal to clients and wait for them to contact you. Depending on the terms and conditions of the deal, you need to stay on top of deadlines. Give them time to digest the information, but don’t let too much time pass before getting back in touch. Remind them of the deadlines and what they will lose if they don’t take advantage of the deal quickly.
If they seem hesitant about closing the deal, ask questions like:
Are there any details that weren't mentioned that you'd like to add?
Does the presented proposal make sense to you?
Does our budget fit your needs?
Their answers may necessitate going back to the drawing board, but it still keeps the deal alive.
There are several ways to stay in touch and follow up with clients who haven’t responded. You can choose one or several to stay top-of-mind with clients.
Join a Winning Hosting Agency
Instead of going solo as a travel agent, it’s frequently worth it to sign on with a host agency, like Dugan’s Travels. You’ll reap the benefits of experience, valuable training, and a team of other travel agents, all of which can be invaluable in achieving success.
Sign up today to start your journey to success. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned agent, we can be your partner and guide in building a profitable travel business from the comfort of your home.
