Understanding what your customers need from you makes you a super salesman!
Human Touch
Forget the chatbot on your website. Most customers are actually irritated when they realize they are talking to a machine. The human emotions of love, care, and empathy can never be replaced by the machines. The internet is awash with online travel agents but your customers are looking for more than this. They want accountability in case things go wrong. They also want to know there is a human who understands the sort of vacation they are looking for.
Peace of Mind
A traveler comes to you because he doesn’t want to be the one to worry about booking flights, forgetting passports at home, dealing with underpaid visa bureaucrats, worrying about layovers etc. It is your work to make your customer’s business or leisure travel as hassle-free as possible.
Personalized Service
Despite the availability of intuitive websites where travel customers can fill in their details and have their travel arrangements done automatically, they still want a human customizing their travel options. They want a restaurant, hotel, flight, and car rental that has been recommended by a human, not a faceless machine. You are required to carefully customize the travel package to suit their needs.
Insights and Expertise
Your industry knowledge is as important as the services you offer to the customer. If you, for example, specialize in the Caribbean, then your knowledge of politics, climate, special offers, and other relevant things about the Caribbean is what the customers will be paying you for.
Travel Documentation Assistance
Nothing is more annoying to travelers than being mishandled by government bureaucrats at the port of entry or the carelessness of flight attendants. They hire you to handle their travel arrangements such as restaurant reservations, cruise ship reservations, visa application etc.
Budget Maximization: Value Proposition
Every traveler, including the rich, want to stretch their dollar. They want value for money and to feel that they got their fair worth of services, entertainment, and relaxation. The further you can stretch your customers’ budget, the more popular you will be with them. In order to be able to increase the value proposition of your travel package, you will need to be in the know the moment special deals and offers are released by the travel suppliers.
Consumer Advocacy
The travel adviser is an important cog in the travel industry. He is the link between the traveler and the travel supplier. Since about 80% of the travel suppliers’ business still comes from the travel agents, they are in good position to drive the consumer advocacy agenda.
Better Travel Destination Choices
Obviously, a traveler who contacts you instead of using the online tools for his travel arrangements considers you an expert. You are therefore obligated to showcase your expertise in the choice of destinations you book for your customers.
Help in Avoiding Unpleasant Surprises
Imagine booking your trip online only to find that you forgot your travel documents and will therefore not be allowed on the cruise ship. It is situations such as this that necessitates a traveler to seek the services of a professional travel agent. You have to anticipate the unpleasant experiences and take care of them before they happen.
If you can start your 2018 strategy by first taking care of the above traveler needs, then you are off to creating a winning formula that will help you meet your 2018 goals.
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