THE E-MAGAZINE THAT FOCUSES ON THE REALITY OF SELLING TRAVEL
PLUS The O&M The EDGE The Frontline The BDM
OCTOBER 2011
In this issue Thought the Selling Travel logo needed a revamp so I went ahead and did just that. The idea was to make the logo easier to read, quick to notice and a little more business like. Let me know if you like it. It’s one of those amazing things that as an independent, no matter your industry, you can make changes to whatever you produce in a matter of minutes. The technology we all have access to is simply fantastic. Imagine what is yet to come. In this issue of Selling Travel I’ll explore Re‐ Branding as I have just done so myself. We’ll discuss another closing technique, how you can work with your local bookstore and how you can sell Accessible Travel. I’ll also chat about DAZZLING service and how you can generate it based on my recent webinar. Don’t forget, if you need help with anything you see in Selling Travel I am as close as your email or Skype button.
Best regards, Steve Crowhurst, CTM Publisher www.smptraining.com steve@smptraining.com Skype: smptraining1 T: 250‐752‐0106 CHECK FOR WEBINARS HERE
SOMETHING TO LEARN ON EVERY PAGE THE O&M – Co‐op Funding THE FRONTLINE – The Art of Asking THE EDGE – Use Travel Benefits THE EXTREME BDM – Pushing Leisure to Corporate CLOSING THE SALE 4 – The Concession Close I’M A MODERN TRAVEL AGENT – A Carlin Poem SKETCH IT – No Cost Graphics REBRANDING – Re‐inventing YOU SELLING ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL – “Quit yer fussin!” FROM THE BOOK – Newsletters SELLING AT THE BOOKSTORE – Book Travel Idea PRODUCTS & SERVICES – SMP Support Resources. BACKPAGE COMMENT – Something to think about
NEW WEBINAR: Managing Your Career Saturday, October 15th www.citc.ca/webinars
Selling Travel is owned and published by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All Rights Reserved. Protected by International Copyright Law. Selling Travel can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in anyway monetized. Using any images or content from Selling Travel 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
SOMETHING TO LEARN ON EVERY You may have noticed that each page in SELLING TRAVEL is different PAGE from the next. The heading font, style, size etc., is not constant as you find in most magazines. The reason for this is to show you graphically as many fonts, styles and colour combinations as possible. A STUDY BY CRAYOLA Some of the layout ideas you’ll look away from and shudder (!), others you PROVED THAT will like, and others you will think “I can use that if I changed it here… and THIS COLOUR, DARK here…” and go on to create your own graphic, image or header, kick BLUE, IS THE COLOUR started from what you saw here in Selling Travel. That’s the idea anyway. MOST PEOPLE SEEMED TO LIKED BEST. I have started to record the TITLE font style and listed it under at the bottom of each page – this will shorten the time it takes for you to source Check to see if such a colour it in WordArt, Word or PowerPoint. The font used for all content or most survey has been conducted of it is Calibri. in your country. We, that would be us The same thing applies to the graphics and images I use to support the humans, tend to let colour written information. Once again, hopefully you can learn from what you influence our purchases by see and apply it, change it, delete it, own it and use it your way. as much as 60%. My graphics range from clipart, to comics, to line art, photos and also After reading the survey I there are graphics that I create myself using The Logo Creator, Photoshop, changed the colour of my Snagit and a few other software programs. email text to dark blue. The creativity comes in knowing what to crop, to study the sight The chart below was created by Joe Hallock after an extensive research project with the lines in an image, to look at the goal of discovering cultural similarities (and perspective of an image or differences) based on color association, graphic and crop as the mood preference, and internet activities. The survey takes you. This comes a little is fascinating despite 79% of responses easier to me as I have been an coming from the USA and the balance worldwide. Make sure you read the colour by artist and photographer for male & female preferences, also by age. Click many years. If you have any on the chart to see the survey. artistic talents then of course Use any and all artistic talents in your travel marketing – hang your art in they will help you change your agency. Start a conversation. whatever you see in SELLING Talk about Art Tours of The World… TRAVEL into something more create a new niche perhaps! suitable for your marketing activities.
As and when you do use any of the layout ideas you see here – be sure to let me know so I can pass them along to other readers of SELLING TRAVEL. Title Font: Blackoak Std
PITCHING FOR SUPPLIER CO-OP FUNDING AND HOW TO GET IT YOU HAVE THE GREATEST IDEA AND YOU KNOW YOUR IDEA WILL BRING IN HUNDREDS OF BOOKINGS, SO WHY AREN’T YOUR PREFERRED SUPPLIERS INTERESTED IN ADVANCING YOU CO‐OP DOLLARS? As you may know, the amount of dollars in the co‐op fund has shrunk and each of those co‐op dollars must produce a return on whatever they’re being invested in.
First and foremost, those dollars are being invested in YOU by your BDM and secondly in your idea. If you and or your idea do not produce then you are one level down for future advancements of co‐op dollars. Your idea must be sound, well laid out, well thought through with a follow‐up plan that clearly shows how you will close the sales you say you can generate. Many suppliers are now dealing with the head office of your consortium and they hold the co‐op purse strings. On a local level where you do business, it is your BDM that handles the purse strings and the limited amount of funds at their disposal. One of the biggest obstacles is lack of planning and lack of a presentable and well documented plan. A one pager would suffice and go a long way to showing your supplier that you are committed to making your idea work.
Logo Font: Mandingo
SMART REQUEST FOR CO‐OP FUNDING Why not use the SMART Goal layout as your initial one page request? It contains the right headings and now you fill in the details. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timing.
S
Think W5: Who: Who is involved? What: What do I want to accomplish (bookings/revenue)? When: Establish a time frame. Where: Identify destination, products. Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal. How: Step by step action plan, requirements and constraints.
M
Your measurements would be bookings, pax, berths, staterooms, seats, revenue. State how you will measure your goals listed above.
A
Is your goal attainable? Have you sold this before? Can you prove that you can make this happen? What training do you / team need? If you need training by the supplier you state it here.
R
Realistic refers to your credentials that support your ability to make this idea work. You have sold 100 cruises, your team are all MCCs. You have explored Australia from top to bottom, your team are all Aussie Specialists. Prove the target is possible.
T
Timing is important. Here’s where your detailed plan is stated from the moment you place the ad, or hold the consumer night through to follow‐up and closing the sale.
How you intend to make your idea work can be an added here. You must be prepared to answer any number of questions by your BDM or DSM. They will want results. Prove you can do what you say and you’ll be top of the list for funding when you need it. One idea for you: try working with non‐travel suppliers who sell travel related products such as camera and luggage. Invite them into your promotion for a fee. They will need access to those clients who respond to your promotion so they can follow up.
HOT OFF THE PRESS! A 70‐PAGE E‐BOOK THAT WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF PLANNING AND DELIVERING CUSTOMER SERVICE BRILLIANCE CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
SAMPLE PAGES FROM THE E‐BOOK.
BE FIRST TO DAZZLE!
Some counsellors tell me they find it very difficult to ask their clients for information during the selling process and especially when everything has been said and it’s now time to ask for the sale. That there is the tricky bit. Here we explore how you can work your magic instead of rolling the dice. Asking questions is not a skill the travel trade teaches. Much of the how‐to is learned on the job, watching and listening to others in action – many times doing it all wrong. Call centers however do work on the Q&A techniques of their CSRs – reason being there are no visual clues. The client’s information must come from the CSR asking good quality questions. Frontline counsellors can learn this skill too. It’s a skill that will help you boost your confidence on the telephone and in face‐to‐face sales situations. Step one is realizing that questions and questioning are an integral component of the selling process. Without information you could be sending a client off to the wrong island or was that Ireland. Not sure? Step two is practice. Sounds simple, however few travel agents practice anything to do with selling. Call it what you will, role playing, simulations, scenarios… practice makes perfect. So simple. Repeat and repeat until whatever it is you want to ask, flows from your lips, so natural and confident in pitch, tone and supporting body language. The Question of Age and Medication Insurance coverage as something you must talk about and recommend no matter what. Not to do so is pure negligence. It’s not so easy however to ask the age of someone more senior – or so it seems. Here’s how you do it: “To complete the insurance documents Mrs. Evans may I have your date of birth please…” After that it’s a quick calculation to determine the age of Mrs’ Evans. Hand the form to Mrs. Evans and ask her to check it. Frontline Font: PlazaPUit
When it comes to medication… “I’m going to recommend this insurance coverage for you Mrs. Evans, and to complete the form we will need to disclose any and all medications that you are currently taking – if any. (Client notes she and her husband do take medication) Are you able to tell me now or would you like to check with your doctor?”
Questions to engage the customer during the sales process:
q Would this feature make your vacation the best ever? q You sound puzzled – is something not clear? q Are you comfortable not having ocean view? If not we can change it…
q I told you this cruise was special, what do you think? q Which is your top choice? q Of the three vacations I’ve presented, which one is your favourite at this moment?
q It sounds to me this is the tour for you – are you okay with the dates?
q Let me book this for you now, while you imagine standing right there on that beach looking at that view… how does that feel?
q So you want to take a cruise… excellent, to determine the best cruise options for you I need to ask you a series of questions – after that we can work together to choose the right cruise for you. Over time you will develop your own questions and questioning techniques with your own personality wrapped around them. Practice and it will happen for you.
MANAGING YOUR CAREER If you have reached the wall in your travel trade career or just starting out, this webinar will help you make the decisions you need to make and show you the route to your success. Great information for Students, Travel Counsellors, Agency Managers, Owners and Home Based. Register at www.citc.ca/webinars
TRAVEL WRITING FOR TRAVEL AGENTS AND TRAVEL WRITING, CHAPTER TWO…
ENTER THE WORLD OF TRAVEL WRITING, A NEW WAY TO SELL MORE TRAVEL AND YOUR BOOKS TOO!
MAKING THE BEST USE OF YOUR TRAVEL BENEFITS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER… Many times I meet an embattled home‐based agent and for whatever reasons they are just not making a go of it. It being making sales and earning revenue. Again, when I ask the audience one‐by‐one “How much do you want to make this year?” the majority are happy with five to ten thousand dollars. Others, but very few in number are aiming for an income of sixty to one‐hundred thousand dollars. If you are a home‐based agent caught up in the lack of sales and revenue scenario – here’s the challenge: your competitors have been in the industry a long time, they have an established clientele, they work hard to earn as much as they can and they are usually very well travelled. Put that up against your own experience and desires and there is your challenge and probably one of the reasons why your headway is slow going. Here’s what you can do: Lack of Travel Knowledge: As an independent and now a bone fide member of the travel industry you can make better use of your travel benefits – over and above the free trips. Invest in yourself. Take off for a few months and “do the world”. That’s right put your money and time where your mouth is and go get an education, first hand. When you come back – you are worth something to yourself and to your clients. You also have something to take to market – “JUST BACK FROM EUROPE! TALK TO ME NOW!” You get the idea. DIY Fam Trips: As you know there are some suppliers who have moved to the fam trip DIY model. You can book and go when you want. The Edge Font: Baby Kruffy
I’m looking for real‐time challenges that stop you from being the best you can be. Be sure to include your email and website links. Thanks! Simply decide where you are lacking in destination knowledge and make your plans to travel. Building contacts along the way with tour guides, hotel owners and managers, checking out neat cafes and places of interest. All of which is money in the bank when you return home. This is the way of the professional home‐based agent. Earning a few hundred bucks a year does get you anywhere close to professional status and personally I love to see all home‐based agents earn fifty‐grand and up. I know some do and they are the pros to emulate. Your Website Once Again: One more thing to take a hard look at his your website. You still need a professional looking website until they disappear in favour of website‐Ng. So many home‐based websites are unprofessional. No other word for it. This is another reason why perhaps your clients are clicking away from you. The professional home‐based agents have a slick, good looking, functional and easy to navigate website. For the moment, travellers are judging the book by the cover – so make sure you are looking good wherever you are online. Where Are You Going Next? So, you now know your mission and if you choose to accept it, you’ll be planning a 3 month sojourn to see the world you want to sell. When you get home you are going to market your travels, your experiences and work with your suppliers to sell, sell, sell. I bet you get bookings too!
On this page we enhance the sales relationship between supplier BDMs and the travel agent. Outcome: faster, quicker, larger, higher revenue sales!
ARE YOU PUSHING YOUR ACCOUNTS TO SELL YOUR PRODUCTS TO THEIR CORPORATE ACCOUNTS? If you represent a hotel chain or an airline, conference centre or cruise line you probably do promote the corporate sale to your agency accounts – many of whom would be corporate agencies. There is an opportunity on both sides of the trade, agent and supplier to push leisure agencies to sell more of your products to corporations in their area. Most leisure based agencies still have one or two or more small to mid‐sized corporate accounts. They service the air and hotel but few chase the incentive, conference, convention or small meetings segments. Here’s your chance to complete in‐agency or online training with the owners and managers of your accounts and to show them how to move what might be called leisure product into a corporate product. All Inclusive products will make a great incentive program. The best suite in the hotel will do too. A cruise ship works perfectly for a conference or convention or simply for a small meeting and or a place to go when the ideas need to flow. As an airline BDM can you teach an agency owner how to train their travel counsellors how to close a business class seat – at least one way if nothing else? Sure there are FFPs out there but hey, there are still travellers who have not yet tasted the comfy seat or the service up front in the pointed end. Every honeymoon couple should fly up front. Every honeymoon couple should buy the best room in the house. Show your accounts how this is done. Help them boost their sales. The Small Meetings business is big business as you may know. Worth billions in fact. With downtown hotels coming in at $200 / night for a reasonable room, plus the cost of meeting space then add on the F&B… might as well zip up or down the coast or over to an island boasting sun, sand and a place to chat. Now you’ve armed your accounts with two possible sectors for your product. Leisure and corporate and if you’re lucky – corporate groups. You will accept groups, won’t you? Thought so. BDM Font: Baily
Are you developing the home‐based agents as a reseller of your leisure products to corporate travellers? It’s a terrific opportunity. Many home‐based agents have had outstanding business careers. They are still connected – and although many focus‐sell leisure, with a slight nudge and a lesson or two they will easily move into selling your products to their former colleagues. So take or make the time to ponder your products and start to think how your products can be turned into a corporate sale.
SO WHAT’S THE PLAN? q Review your leisure products for corporate opportunities
q Create a webinar or onsite workshop q Establish a call plan to present your ideas to your agency accounts
q Tweet out any successes you hear about and why they worked
Remember the BDM Mantra: “If I can’t sell it to them… they won’t sell it for me!”
THE CONCESSION CLOSE
Just for YOU!
We carry on with our series of closing techniques and this month we’ll explore the CONCESSION close and add the BONUS CLOSE Technique as both put some skin in the game hoping that the customer will too. This close makes excellent use of all those supplier discounts and ‘get this’ giveaways from money to iPads, upgrades and more. Your role in making this close work for you, is to know your suppliers current and future options.
Many times I hear the gripe about “giving it all away” to the customer. In other words, discounting down and down again until the customer can afford the trip. This can work for a while and naturally it’s a terrific close for the client. But who is closing who? Enter the CONCESSION CLOSE. Win your ground back and make some money.
You are faced with a customer who is sitting on the fence as to booking or not. You need something to nudge them forward into making a positive decision. Here’s where it pays you to be on top of any and all offers that your suppliers are promoting to the trade. The key to this close is to introduce the offer as something special that you can do for your client. If you say, “Ah, ABC Tours has a special on…” then you’ve lost the ball. If you say, “I think I can arrange something for you…” then you own the special. The client understands that you know how to get them a better deal – if it’s a deal that will close the sale. It might not be a “deal” but an upgrade, or a book early saving. Step one then is knowing every offer your preferred suppliers have on the table.
The Principal Behind The Technique Giving a concession in exchange for the close is what you are actually doing here. This close is very similar to the Bonus Close ‐ offering a concession of something that has meaning to the customer will encourage them to complete the transaction. At times you may have to be explicit about the offer “closing” now if they want the concession – this could be related to a buy one get one free promotion, or a free shore excursion if the cruise is purchased today.
You might say it like this: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
“If I can find a way to reduce the price by 10%, will you book today?” “Well, I think you deserve a free tote bag with this…” “Listen, I'm going to throw in a special upgrade…” “If you are ready to book now, I'll make sure you get an ocean view…” “I can save you 10% on this price if that’s of interest to you, however there is a time limit…”
How it works The Concession Close works by offering the your client “something” and either requesting or implicitly expecting something in return ‐ usually the sale. The Concession Close is also called the Trade‐off Close.
Now you practice until you can use this technique and apply it in all situations.
Step two is learning how to ‘package” it as yours and then Step three is how to deliver your message so that your customer believes their good fortune is all thanks to you. Which it actually is as without your knowledge of the supplier giveaways they would not be receiving the offer. It’s true of course that a customer may have done their research and know about the offers open to them. That’s fine and it works in your favour. You have the upper hand however as you are tapped into ALL offers on the table. The key once again is not to give up ownership of the offer. Make sure you put yourself out there first as the provider of the offer. Perhaps an offer has run it’s course – however based on your contacts at the supplier’s reservation department you might just be able to have them extend the offer – IF you client were to book right now. “I’ve just called my contact at head office and if you can book now, I can arrange for this promotion to be extended… but you must confirm and leave a non‐ refundable deposit now.” You see how you keep the power. You did not say that the supplier said this or that – you said that YOU can arrange it. This is always the focus of the Concession Close. Some suppliers are now introducing Standing Offers and Discounts for repeat clients, also book early savings, three‐to‐a‐room, senior discounts and group rates. You just have to make sure you qualify your client well, then you can match the concession to them. “Have you travelled with ABC Tours before? You have, excellent, in that case I believe I can arrange a better rate for you…” Once again, it is YOU that’s bringing the concession to the table and now the onus is on the customer to make the booking if they want to take advantage of the offer YOU just found for them. YOU COULD PERHAPS MARKET YOURSELF AS THE AGENT WHO KNOWS WHERE THE DEALS ARE.
FIND OUT WHAT THIS CUSTOMER IS REALLY WANTING AND THEN DETERMINE THE BONUS YOU CAN PUT ON THE TABLE BONUS CLOSE Offering Something Extra To Close The Sale.
Technique: When your customer is waffling but close to a decision, offer them something unexpected and un‐ asked for that delights them into moving ahead with the booking. All it needs to do is make them think: “Ooh, I like that… that's nice!”
A Simple Equation: Delight = Expectation Exceeded + 1 There is a caution here too – you have perhaps opened Pandora’s Box as your client is now aware that you want their booking and you are prepared to throw in a few extras to get it. Stand firm. “You know, it’s your lucky day – with this particular tour date I can negotiate a bonus for you. That’s a nice bonus isn’t it? Definitely worth Booking today wasn’t it?” How it works: The Bonus Close may work in several ways. First, the bonus is a temptation that helps the customer decide emotionally. Second, the bonus may not be “there” tomorrow. Your offer of something extra re‐sells the book now concept to the customer. The Bonus Close is also known as the Delighter Close or the Extra Close. The Thanks for Calling Delighter! You can use the delighter idea to bring a prospect closer to your agency. Even just for a phone call… “Thanks for calling us Steve, we appreciate it and to show you we do care about attracting your business, I am going to authorize a (BONUS) for whenever you book with us.” You can introduce a thanks for calling, thanks for booking, thanks for referring delighter program. Keep the bonuses worthy but not expensive.
The other day I was watching a George Carlin re‐run and there he was doing what he does so well – I caught him delivering his “I’m a Modern Man” poem. Something struck me and I went to work to travel‐ize it. Here’s how it might read if George Carlin was a Modern Travel Agent.
There is a certain cadence to this ‘poem’. Find the George Carlin original and then you’ll get the rhythm. It moves fast, each paragraph delivered on one breath. "I’m a modern agent, a CTC. I’m digital and smoke free. A counsellor, priest and weatherman too. A father or mother just for you. I do weddings and cars, cruises and air, meetings, conventions and yes we go there. Thanks to you no time to pee, because of you, just too busy. I’m diversified, multi‐cultural and next generation. I’ve been hoodwinked, up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m high‐tech high‐touch, cutting edge, state‐of‐the‐art bi‐coastal, bi‐polar, multi‐tasker and I can use up a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school, think fast, move fast, can’t do slow, so I gotta go. I’m an inside agent but I’m outward bound. I’m a hot‐wired USB and sometimes, a mean mannered SOB. I’m a heat seeking, warm‐hearted cool customer service provider, voice activated and bio‐degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m F1 inactive. I’m social when I network, and networking to be social. I Facebook, iPad, iPhone and YouTube too. I Flickr, Link in, Tweet, chat and work the Cloud above the crowd. Sometimes I’m behind the eight ball and ahead of the curve. Ridin’ the wave, dodgin’ a bullet and pushin’ the envelope, thinking inside the box. I’m on‐point, on‐task, on‐message, I undo, redo and click back often. I’m in‐the‐moment, on‐the‐edge, over‐the‐top and under‐the‐ radar. A high‐concept, low‐profile, medium‐range ballistic travel‐now missionary. I’m street‐wise smart. A top‐gun. I wear power clothes, power sell, I take power naps and run victory laps. I’m a totally ongoing, slam‐dunk, rainmaker and a pro‐active referral generating machine. A raging workaholic, travel‐holic and fam‐a‐holic!
I’ve got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant and a personal agenda. You can’t shut me up. You can’t dumb me down because I’m tireless and I’m wireless, plugged in and always on. Ready to tell and ready sell. I’m a travel believer and an over‐achiever, laid‐back but fashion‐forward. Up‐front, down‐home, high‐rent, high‐ maintenance. Super‐sized, long‐lasting, high‐definition, fast‐ acting and built‐to‐last! I’m hands‐on, foot‐loose, ready to go. I’ve got clients that love me, they tell me so. But, I’m feeling, I’m caring, I’m healing, I’m sharing‐‐ a supportive, bonding, nurturing travel trade care‐giver. My output is down, but my income is up. I read junk mail, I eat junk food and I watch UFC! I’m fully‐equipped, factory‐authorized, hospital‐tested, clinically‐proven, scientifically‐formulated medical miracle. I’ve been pre‐washed, pre‐cooked, pre‐heated, pre‐screened, pre‐approved, pre‐packaged, post‐dated, freeze‐dried, double‐wrapped, vacuum‐packed, PDFd and certified. I’m specialized and formulized. I‘ve got unlimited broadband capacity, and you can download me anytime. I can be rough, tough and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide. I’ve got glide in my stride. Driving and moving, sailing and spinning, jiving and groovin’, wailing and winning. I don’t snooze, so I don’t lose, but I do cruise. I keep the pedal to the metal, the rubber on the road and the mouse to the pad. I party hearty and lunch time is crunch time. I get commissions on low emissions, you gotta be a supplier to get any higher. I’m offline and their online. My net income is now their net income. I’m buying, I’m selling, I’m going, I’m doing. I’m fighting the lighting, the ash and the oil. They make it tough and cause me to toil. I’m hanging in, I’m hanging tough, selling travel has gotten rough. But I’m a pro, I don’t’ quit. I take the money, for the deposit. I book and service, tell and sell. Day in day out it’s what I’m about. I’ve got the passion and the package. I do it right. I’m a modern agent, fully apprised and dignified. Where would you be if it weren’t for me?
HERE’S A QUICK WAY TO SKETCH WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT AS A GRAPHIC, USING ONE OF THE LEAST USED TOOLS IN THE BOX. IT’S CALLED SCRIBBLE AND IT IS FOUND ON THE DRAWING TOOLBAR, UNDER AUTOSHAPES AND THEN LINES, AND THEN SCRIBBLE. Once you learn how to control your mouse you can create quick, dynamic, active images or you can take your time and draw in some detail. It’s up to you. What comes out on screen can be very rewarding and chances are you’ll have one in a million when you’ve finished. Once scribbled you can import your sketch into Photoshop to remove the background and save your sketch as a PNG file or a JPEG. I usually open PowerPoint and use a clear layout to do this. Then I click on scribble and away I go. Many times you can just scribble away then click on Fill to add colour or black if you desire a silhouette. Once you have your image sketched you can add all sorts or imagery around it. The guy above could be ‘over the moon’ or ‘jumping for Joy’ who might be his fiancé! This sketch, I had in mind a mountain scene, plant, fir tree of some type, fall colour on the ground… and in say 5 minutes this is what came from my scribbles. I scribbled as I wrote this page. Imagine what you can do when you plan it, take your time. I prefer to sketch fast and with energy. If you screw up – delete! Start again.
You can also import one of your own photographs and then sketch over it using your mouse and Scribble. Yes you could use the tools in Photoshop to find the contours or lines, however this is you creating your own graphic. It’s original and it’s yours.
Once sketched you can use Photoshop and as shown above use the Graphic Pen tool to render your sketch of your photo into something completely different. Have a go! See what you can create. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s sitting right there on the Drawing toolbar. No cost self made graphics. Ya gotta love it!
Have you tried REBRANDING or RE‐INVENTING yourself or your company yet? It’s a great way to change horses, pick up speed and pony up your sales too. Here’s the catch – if you are a large company this is tough to do – reason being, you cannot stop the company to a dead halt, change horses and then ride on. A smaller company can do this and a single, one‐person home‐based agency can do this any day of the week if they wish! Here’s how and why you should rebrand with a focus on boosting your sales.
The fact of the matter is, most companies stay on the same ole horse for years. Never changing horses or even saddles for that matter. Imagine the same old logo, same colours, same greeting, same service, same destinations and same ole YOU staring back from the mirror. There’s one other point to make – IF you are making a serious income keeping everything the way it was, then good for you. Don’t change it. If it ain’t broke… you know the rest. BUT (!) if you are not generating the income you need and want then perhaps it is time to re‐invent yourself and your agency. THE ALL OUT REBRAND Depending on how well you are doing in terms of revenue and recognition, you could tackle an all out or partial rebranding. Going all out means changing everything from your logo, perhaps your company name, your style of doing business, your core suppliers, the way you dress, your business cards and your specialty – and a lot more in‐ between. You might even choose to relocate to a more upscale area. Partial means changing something that would attract more attention – your logo would be one of the first items on the list. Title Font: Arial Black in reverse
That’s where I started. I changed the font and logo of SELLING TRAVEL on the cover page. I moved the titles of the articles to different areas of the cover too. Does this change anything for you? Not really, other than perhaps seeing how quickly this can be done if you are a one‐man show to a small agency. If you didn’t notice the change I made then that begs the question, “Would your clients notice any change you make as and when you rebrand or reinvent yourself?” There’s a huge probability that they might not. On the other hand, any new customers you attract would only know the new you. It might be that your existing customers know you, and that’s all the need. The don’t actually care what colour your logo is. You should rebrand and reinvent yourself and your agency in order to boost your revenues. You may want to sell more upscale, more cruises, more adventure travel, whatever it is – your rebranding must focus on what new segment will drive your sales. If you rebrand and reinvent without telling anyone – all your effort could be a waste of time. If you create some noise, ramp up your marketing, use the change and the rebrand as a stepping stone to more PR, then you’re on the right track. THE LOGO REBRAND Changing your logo, updating the graphics, adding a new colour, shape, style etc., might be all you need to attract more attention. Your font style can also be a logo. A shape can be a logo. Your company name can be the logo. Which ever mark you wish to use to say “that’s me!” can be your logo. You can hire in expensive talent to create your new logo or you can spend some time with THE LOGO CREATOR. This is the software I use and all for USD$97. Get your team together and produce your own logo. TLG has a connection to a firm that will turn your logo into a vector graphic if you need it.
If you would like to see one or two samples of what I have produced using The Logo Creator, click to my http://www.smptraining.com/free‐ website here: logos.html THE SOCIAL REBRAND Are you making good use of all the social networking tools? If not you may want to consider jumping in 100%, studying the opportunity to friend, follow, like and link to more people than you are ever likely to meet. The Social Rebrand means you’ll be creating a presence in the social world and building those relationships just like your preferred suppliers are doing. You’ll be blogging each and every day and building on your new brand as you go. This takes time. From 2‐hours or more each day if you wish to maintain your social networking life. THE CONSORTIA / HOST REBRAND This is more a change than a rebrand. You can’t rebrand what you don’t own. If your sales are just not happening, it could be you are not using all the tools at your disposal and it might be the tools and support that your consortia or host don’t have. Now this is a tough decision and before you make the leap to another brand – you must ask yourself if you have done your best to use every single tool on the table. Have you worked each and every angle offered by your current consortium or host to generate new business? Does the mandate of your current consortium or host match what you want to achieve in the travel industry? If not – then it’s time to change brands. THE TITLE REBRAND Are you a Travel Agent, Travel Counsellor, a Consultant, a Cruise Specialist, Corporate Travel Specialist… which one? Is it working for you? Chances are any one of those titles will work for you. That is until you move into a niche market such as upscale. Now you’ll want to reinvent yourself a little. You’ll need to add a little gold to your colour scheme. Your title might become “Your Personal Journey Planner” – hey don’t laugh… this can sell you to the high end traveller. In essence you are giving yourself a business makeover. Add new technology to your new title – try a QR code on your business card or on your website and on any and all printed matter you hand out. Create QR stickers and stick them on all the brochures you represent.
REMIND ME WHY I SHOULD REBRAND q You would do this is if you wanted to move up from selling discount to luxury travel. q You would do this if you wanted to move your agency from uptown to downtown. q You would do this if the market was booking group tours to Europe and you weren’t. q You would do this to attract high end travel counsellors to work for you. That new deluxe and rich looking logo and new agency colour scheme looks so luxury that luxury travel counsellors just may want to work with you. You get the idea. Rebranding means rebirth, renewed, a new YOU, a new client base, new staff, new suppliers… a rebrand can launch a whole new division too. The question remains wrapped up in the W5 = WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY? and HOW? Answer to your own W5 and you will find the answers you are looking for. CLEAR, CONCISE AND IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTOOD If and when you change your logo, make sure that it can be read from afar and immediately understood. You don’t want something so fancy that only Stephen Hawkins can decipher it. For SELLING TRAVEL, the title itself is succinct and to the point. The original logo design was artsy but not necessarily clear. The new logo, somewhat boring to the art and logo design community, but it now has the strength and the colouring that portrays what it intends. The black colour of SELLING delivers on the business approach I wish to convey and the orange colour TRAVEL delivers the creativity component. Orange in the aura being the colour of creative thought. THE REALITY OF REBRANDING The reality is this: you will need a marketing plan to re launch the new you. You will need funding to make this work or, you can make good use of everything digital and online. Focus on the outcome you wish to achieve, explore the best colours, the best font, the best size and anything that will help move the new you towards that desired income. Even a ball cap sporting your new logo will start the ball rolling. It’s true. People notice those things more than a huge billboard sometimes. If you do rebrand, please share what you do with other ST readers. Send in your “before and after” images and I’ll publish them for all to see.
LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY! Some time back I was invited to attend an Accessible Travel meeting and amongst the group I was probably the only fully‐able bodied individual in the room. It was quite an eye ‐ opener for many reasons. One that shot to mind quickly was that I could trade places with anyone of these people at any second. Car accident, cancer, genetics, a mistake in timing… so many reasons a person can become disabled in some way. Being amongst this incredible group of people I Iearned that they do not appreciate a lot of fuss and bother about their personal situation. Some people are of course sensitive and others fall into the ‘let’s git ‘er done’ bracket. They don’t want sympathy, they want service and they want to get on the road and go travelling. If you decide to enter this market you must treat your accessible client as you do your able bodied clients and yes you are allowed to generate an income from their travels. I know some agents find it hard to make money on someone who is wheelchair bound. That’s not how the accessible traveller sees it. To do justice to your accessible client, you had better know where the best tours are for their specific challenge. That’s what they are buying from you. Your first step into the market is to research your area for facts and stats. Check with local branches and associations and any firm that offers services to a person disabled in some way. So how many people are blind, deaf, in a wheelchair and so on. You will need these statistics because in a moment you will be looking for a product you can market. So called ‘disabled’ people have climbed mountains and skied down them. They have kayaked, swam lakes, splayed all sorts of sports, and smelled the smells of travelling the world. You have a ready made, gutsy client base waiting for you and especially if you have something unique to offer. There are tactile vacations for the blind – gardens with walls to feel, aromatic plants to smell… who knew, eh? Yes they are there. Just do your due diligence and it will pay off for you. What ideas come to mind then? An Accessible Adventure Club? There’s a good one. Accessible Singles Travel Club. Nice.
“Quit yer fussin’ wil’yer!”
This fantastic wheelchair accessible hiking trail is close to where I live. It meanders for 3‐5km through the forest, around streams and small water falls with benches along the way too. These are the special activities you can discover for your accessible customers.
There are companies that arrange for sighted travellers to travel with sight impaired travellers – the sighted travellers travel for 50% off as they will become the tour guide in essence. As a guide, the guide will read and interpret, explain and make sure their blind colleague receives full awareness of wherever they are, what they are looking at etc. When it comes to cruise ships, hotels and resorts you know you must truly check for things such as steps, small ledges in bathrooms, non‐slip flooring and so on. These seemingly small things can stop a person in a wheelchair or sight impaired traveller from entering the bathroom or proceeding down a hallway etc. Gravel paths, pathways with rocks… these prohibit wheelchair access too. Once you put yourself in that wheelchair, or close your eyes as you walk, or block your hearing – only then will you understand some of the needs of your challenged customers. Make sure you read the column to the right. There are new rules in the U.S.A. for online travel agencies (OTAs) and elsewhere in the world many societies and associations have already changed the rules and set very high standards for the online travel industry. Interestingly enough, the successful travel companies serving the accessible traveller are run by people who are in some way challenged themselves. There may be a new business opportunity here for you should you feel compelled to service this consumer segment by joining forces with one of these existing firms.
At the meeting I attended there was a young travel agent and she was, although speech and hearing impaired, working on numerous groups. She had built her business handling travellers like herself. They were able bodied, they could see but they could not hear or speak. She was amazing then and I am sure even more so today with the current level of technology. For instance there are computers built purely for the blind. There are brochures published in Braille too. Check it out – the client base is only going to increase.
WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY New rules for airlines and online agencies. Did you catch this? On Monday, the United States National Federation of the Blind (NFB) announced an agreement with Travelocity to make Travelocity’s web site more accessible to people with blindness. As part of the agreement, by July 2011, Travelocity will make its home page and search pages accessible, and its entire web site will be fully accessible to the blind by the end of March 2012. 27 SEP 2011: The US Department of Transportation has proposed requiring airlines (including foreign carriers serving the country) and online agencies to make their websites functional for customers with visual or auditory disabilities. Airlines and airport operators also would be required to make airport kiosks accessible for disabled persons, including those with mobility disabilities. In addition to making their own sites compliant, the proposed rule requires airlines to “ensure that their agents comply” unless the agency qualifies as a small business under standards defined by the Small Business Administration. The proposed rule on airport kiosks would apply to US airports with at least 10,000 enplanements per year. All new kiosks ordered 60 days after the final rule is implemented would have to be usable by disabled passengers. The DOT is also considering a deadline for retrofitting or replacing a percentage of kiosks but is awaiting public comments before proposing a rule.
IDEA # 165: newsletters Sending out an attractive, well‐written newsletter can be a prime source of securing new business. If the material in your newsletter is interesting, informative, and attention‐getting, it can go a long way towards building up the image you want to create. In addition, it acts as a personal reminder to your clients that you exist. Keypoint ‐ in a newsletter you can mention many details about a product or service that would be far too costly to promote via any other media. Even if you enclose a photograph of a sunset in your snail mail newsletter, it's a whole lot cheaper than paying for a television segment to show your sunset. Or, you could go digital and send out your newsletter by e‐mail with a full multi media promotion embedded in it. Microsoft Templates: Here’s a great source of templates of all types and as you scroll through the template listing you will find ‘newsletters’ listed there and you may want to search within the template pages for anything related to travel. So type ‘travel’ in the search box and you’ll be well rewarded. Mind boggling all the travel related documents listed there.
I think everyone is all over this one but you never know, so worthwhile mentioning it. This would be mostly for the North American travel trade – however through current technology this show can be seen most places around the world. If not now – then soon. I am referring to the new soap called PAN AM.
Things To Know and Do: Writing and publishing a newsletter is one of those ‘once you start – you can’t stop’ actions. So be very aware of the time it takes to research, decide on your articles, the layout, the colours, the images and so on. If you are committed then that’s a good thing. If not, you may have to out source the effort. Not a bad idea – then you can focus on selling. Here are a few steps in the newsletter process – however, check to see what your Consortia offer first. It may already be done for you and ready to send. q Decide on your audience per newsletter. q Decide your frequency – weekly to bi‐monthly to quarterly – or? q Choose a name that targets your audience or the niche you are in. q Budget your costs for out sourcing and postage for your snail mail mailings. q Decide if your newsletter will be simply informative or sell something. q Create a follow up program to each customer who receives your newsletter. q Offer a newsletter subscription on your website. q Advise all agency staff about the content of the newsletter BEFORE it is sent. q Discuss content with agency staff and decide how sales can be generated. q Source story / newsworthy ideas from your suppliers and tourism offices.
Name That Newsletter: You’ll want to build instant recognition with your newsletter to be bold and brave and try for something leading edge, or just edgy depending upon your client base. You might even ask your clients to name ‘their’ newsletter. Why not? Title Font: BadaBoom BB
Whether you’ve seen it, like it or hate it… it’s selling travel. Sure it’s about the good old days… the main thing is it gives you something to chat about. If you want to ride this wave, you can visit www.panam.com – check out the store. Think up a window promo or promote the show on your website. Create some local buzz. Ask if anyone out there flew Pan Am? Any flight attendants living locally? Invite them over for a chat.
412 PAGES 273 IDEAS 100s of VARIATIONS 700 LINKS TO MORE RESOURCES When you need a source of ideas to either implement as is, or to help jog your own creative juices, this is the book to buy. It took me over 25 years to get it ‘here’ and that story is on page 5. It was some journey. When I started writing it, the IBM Selectric was the word processor of choice! What a laugh. Some suppliers have purchased a copy for each of their Business Development Managers, host agencies have made bulk purchases for their members and individual agents have written in to say this book is their idea bible.
WHEN YOU BUY THIS BOOK YOU WILL RECEIVE 2 HOURS OF IDEA TIME WITH THE AUTHOR AND 10% OFF YOUR FIRST STATIONERY ORDER WHEN PURCHASED THROUGH BIG BARK GRAPHICS EASY TO USE E-STORE!
It also, as you can see, comes in pill form, a cure for the common creative block! Okay, just kidding, but it is available in E‐BOOK format if you prefer to read it on screen! For e‐Book’s: www.smptraining.com/store.html
NO OTHER BOOK LIKE THIS ONE – AND IT’S CURRENT!
PURCHASE THE SOFT COVER FROM
$44.95 + taxes and shipping
Your local bookstore is a terrific place to sell travel. You can work with the local owner to set up an area for you to deliver a presentation, the owner can arrange travel books around you and generate some sales too. Even better if you are promoting literary tours of England or Europe, or a tour of the most famous libraries in the world today. Other than that you can simply be on hand to talk about travelling, refer to some of the guide books on the shelves and promote your next tour or cruise of choice. You could also work with the owner of the bookshop to create a Book Lovers Travel Club. One agency I recall worked closely with the Chapters Indigo group and had banners hanging from the ceiling over the travel book shelves. They had bookmarks printed and anyone who bought a travel book during the promotion received a discount coupon off their next trip when purchased from the travel agency. Bookmarks are still a nice and low cost giveaway that tie in well with a book shop. What else could you do? If you have a niche market you could be focusing on that too and surround yourself with adventure books for instance. Many of the larger bookstores have a rotunda area where they often invite guest speakers to present on a Saturday morning. The objective for the bookstore is always to sell more books. The speaker is the attraction. If you can stand up and speak, why not sell yourself as the local guru on travel. Usually this type of event makes the local paper too. So you’ll be famous if you aren’t already! Be sure to check with your antique book dealer too. There are one or two rare finds to be had also on eBay and Abebooks. Just to wake people up to the price of a first edition by Captain Cook, or Burton Holmes or Thomas Cook or an expedition leader will stir the local interest in going on travel book tours of the world. You can also create an FIT around a famous traveller and their famous travels. The original Grand Tour Of Europe by Thomas Cook for instance. Hit each and every stop. Create an explorer’s club or affiliate with the existing clubs.
This 1896 guide book is in my own collection and it is a fascinating read with a sketch of the Alps by one of the original owners who took the Cook’s tour. Look for covers like this one and be prepared to pay fifty dollars for a less than fine copy.
The Benedict’s tour of the world is a classic FIT!
CONFERENCE KEYNOTES Fast paced, humourous, excellent imagery and delivered with a street‐savvy, no‐fluff and little theory format. Click 4 More.
WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS Webinar’s are an SMP specialty. Running 75 to 90 minutes, they include a workbook plus 30 minutes of post webinar time with me AND a 5‐day review of the webinar recording for additional note taking. Click here for details.
BUSINESS CONSULTING Have you heard of or experienced NBG? If not – it’s about time! NBG can be applied to any aspect of your travel or tourism business including divisions, departments or individuals. Put the power of my creativity and longevity in the business to work for you. q q q q q
Management Soft Skills Training Business Planning Sales Training For BDMs Service Training For Call Centre Teams
q q q q
PowerPoint Design Presentation Skills Agency Decor & Staging Webinar How-To
Franchising, Hosting And Start-Ups
PUBLICATIONS The ultimate desk reference for TAs. With 412 pages, covering 273 marketing ideas + 700 links to additional information. Order today from Big Bark Graphics – Enter the Big Bark Store here. Now available in e‐Book format. E‐mail for details.
Title Font: Sneakerhead BTN Condensed
Read sample copy here
SELF‐STUDY GUIDES AVAILABLE FROM CITC
The world is going through some tough times once again. It’s been there before and chances are it will be there again. Hopefully not too soon though. For newcomers to the travel trade it might seem all doom and gloom for the career they’ve chosen. Fact is there remains so much opportunity and these opportunities are just sitting out there waiting to be found. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in time there was an economic slowdown in the UK and one enterprising company added only one pound over cost and used the ‘busman’s holiday’ concept to market the tour/s. Some one million people booked those trips – just to get away from their daily grind. So all costs paid and one million pounds in the bank. Creative, on the ball, going with the times… whatever you call it, it was a smart move at a time when others where closing their doors. It’s the same today. Creativity is your ultimate resource. Tap into it and make something happen for yourself and your struggling clients. They will remember you when good times return.
“SUCCCESS IS THE SUM OF SMALL EFFORTS REPEATED DAY IN AND DAY OUT.” Robert Collier
TELL A TRAVEL AGENT COLLEAGUE, HEAD OFFICE, YOUR SALES MANAGER OR YOUR HOST AGENCY ABOUT SELLING TRAVEL MAGAZINE AND LETS WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD THE SELLING TRAVEL COMMUNITY. SELLING TRAVEL is published monthly by
www.smptraining.com steve@smptraining.com T: 250-752-0106