Managing your account

In this section, we look at the operational side of managing your distribution partners including account set up, creating a product book and ongoing management.

Top Tip

Gather key documents and business information

check Business licence check Bank accounts check Proof of insurance check Tax information

There are five key areas to consider for successful account management with resellers and partners: 1 How to setup an account with a reseller including your product book. 2 How to send your product information to a reseller. 3 How to manage your company information and brand with a reseller. 4 How to upsell to reseller customers. 5 What to expect on an ongoing basis.

HOW TO SETUP AN ACCOUNT

Before setting up your account with a reseller, review the reseller's agreement and terms and conditions. Preparation and patience are essential when starting to work with resellers.

Gather the information outlined on the right to prepare for onboarding your company and products with resellers. The information may differ by reseller.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT:

Start with your profile and essential documents. Create a business profile that includes:  General company details (address, public company name, legal company name, website, phone, and email of primary contact).  A short description (brief introduction of your company, including history and your area of expertise).

CREATE A PRODUCT BOOK

The product book is the reseller's main source of information about your products and services. Here we look at what to include.

Your product book should include the tours, tickets, and activities you want to resell. Use an Excel spreadsheet or a content management software (CMS) system like Magpie to help you streamline the process for easier setup with each reseller.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PRODUCT BOOK

 Title Aim for between five and ten words. Be creative – you want the customer to consider your experience. Highlight key features, such as unique benefits or special points of interest. Review the listings of popular products to give you direction on successful titles for online tour and experience listings.

Example Cliffs of Moher Tour including Wild Atlantic Way and Galway City from Dublin.  Overview 50–100 word descriptions that highlight the experience. Review for typos and ensure correct grammar. If

you start working with multiple resellers, adjust the overview for each reseller. Get inspiration by reviewing comparable listings on top reseller websites and look at those with the most online reviews.  What's included List of items included in the price (food, equipment, taxes, entrance fees, etc.).  What's excluded List of items not included in the price (pickup, gratuities, food, etc.).  Times Specific times you are open; when the experience or tour starts; when to arrive; length of the experience or tour.  Location Exact locations of meeting points, entrance, and ticket booth.  Voucher redemption

Instructions on what the customer needs to show to gain entrance or take the tour (identification, voucher type).  Important information

Some suggestions include: accessibility, dress code, tipping policy, age requirements, health risks when applicable, parking or transportation

information, weather statements, cancellation, or rescheduling policy.  Imagery/video Imagery is crucial in making your listings attractive to customers. Authentic photography that captures your experience or tour goes a long way to sell your offerings through reseller channels. Use photos that adhere to the resellers' specifications and GDPR rules.

Many resellers will not accept images that identify your brand or business name.  Pricing Share gross pricing (including taxes and fees) and net pricing.

APPROVAL PROCESS

The reseller's approval and onboarding process varies and can take from a couple of hours to several weeks. Gathering information in advance is the quickest way to move this along. Most listing delays are due to issues with information submissions, missing business documentation, incomplete product information, and imagery that does not meet reseller specifications.

SENDING YOUR PRODUCT INFORMATION

Successfully sending your product information to the reseller is key to success. Here we look at general ways to share information and manage your company information and brand.

How you submit your product information is determined by the reseller's platform, but your ticketing platform and whether you work with a content management software (CMS) are additional factors in how you can share information. There are three general ways to share information:

1 A reseller admin portal To enter your product details and photo, video assets and submit them for review. 2 CMS The information you loaded into your CMS system is transferred through an API (See

Working with APIs on Page 06) that the CMS provider has set up with the reseller. 3 Email or fileshare Send all the product details the reseller requires. An Excel file or Google

Sheet are the most common forms used. Photos are shared via a file hosting service such as DropBox or WeTransfer.

MANAGING YOUR COMPANY INFORMATION AND BRAND

Resellers may not show your business name or logo, due to the billboard effect, (when a customer finds your business on a site and then leaves that site to book directly with you), but there are lots of ways to have your brand or company show through your listing.

Resellers love when customers leave reviews and photos. This shows your brand on your listings and helps your ranking with the reseller. The more positive reviews and photos of your products, the higher you rank.

TRAVELLER PHOTOS

Does your tour, activity, or attraction display your brand or company name? Here are some tips:

1 Have your guides or staff wear logo attire that will show up in photos. 2 Offer “Instagrammable” photo opportunities with your brand in the background. 3 When you start your tour, introduce your company and use signage with your logo instead of the resellers'.

Reviews

Train your team to promote reviews – if they know a customer enjoyed their experience, have them ask for reviews mentioning your company name and even a tour guide name, if applicable.

UPSELLING TO RESELLER CUSTOMERS

There may be opportunities to upsell to the customers the resellers send you, within the terms of your agreement.

Most reseller agreements understandably prohibit you from contacting the consumer before the booked event for marketing or sales purposes.

However, once the customer arrives, you can offer additional services if they are not contingent on them participating in the event they already booked, unless outlined in the exclusions and agreed to by the reseller.

UPSELL OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU CAN OFFER ONCE THEY ARRIVE

 Upgraded tour packages from standard to deluxe.  Merchandise sales.  Additional tours or experiences you offer.  Food and dining packages.

CAPTURING CUSTOMER INFORMATION

If permitted by your reseller agreement, you should look at ways to capture customer information so that you can enrich your customer database. You can ask guests to complete a form on arrival and check-in. However, you must enter this information into your own CRM (customer relationship management software). Some experiences, such as adventure activities, may require guests to sign a waiver. There are innovative systems, such as Wherewolf, that provide an online waiver system which can capture important customer data.

Collecting this data provides you with the opportunity to request guest feedback through surveys, encourage guests to post reviews, and potentially market to them in the future. It is vital to ensure this is permissible within your reseller agreements.

If permitted by your reseller agreement, you should look at ways to capture customer information so that you can enrich your customer database.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A RESELLER PARTNERSHIP

So, what should you expect from a reseller partnership? Like other commercial relationships, it requires investment on both sides and ongoing maintenance

and measurement.

INVEST IN A RELATIONSHIP

Once your product is live through the reseller, the real work begins. Many experience providers think once the contract is signed and the products listed, bookings will magically appear. Your partnership with the reseller needs nurturing like any meaningful business relationship. If you were not assigned an account manager, network to find at least one contact in the company to collaborate with. Make sure to train your team on any new standard operating procedures tied to your reseller clients.

MEASURE EACH RESELLER’S PERFORMANCE

Set time aside to monitor and track the performance of each reseller.

ON A WEEKLY BASIS

 Sales Compare week over week and when available, year over year.  Bookings Are the tours performing as expected?  Ranking Are you going up, down, or staying the same where you are listed (this is primarily for online travel agencies).  Reviews Respond to both positive and negative whenever appropriate.  Cancellations Are they affecting your business?

Are there market conditions driving cancellations that you need to address, and how do they compare with your direct bookings?  Operational issues after setting up standard operating procedures.

For each of these items, set targets and track how each metric performs against your goals. If they are not tracking, identify issues holding back performance and adjust to see what might impact sales.

ON A MONTHLY BASIS

 Network: Connect with other companies and experiences in your location or area of expertise and share best practices, market trends, and sales.  Review payments and make sure the account is appropriately reconciled.

ON A QUARTERLY BASIS

 Connect with your reseller contact to review sales, ranking, and other promotional opportunities.

Discuss the results, especially if you are not getting the booking volumes you would like to see. Ask for feedback on how you can make improvements to drive more bookings.  Review your listings and make updates to content, such as descriptions and photos.

MAKE CHANGES BASED ON DATA

As you monitor the performance of your products across various resellers, note where you can make improvements to increase revenues. Reach out to your contacts at the reseller to find out what may be causing issues or ways to improve your listings. Reviews and ratings can help you identify how to make your visitors happier. Consider incremental improvements in service delivery and wholesale changes to your products when necessary.

Key Insight

The most successful operators spend at least one to five hours a week managing their reseller distribution channels.