Tell it like it is!

Are you a story teller? I am sure you have read a story out loud at some point in your past but I am talking here about relating a tale, describing an incident, conveying an experience, imparting advice based on your travels, and more. Some people think that their job as a travel professional is to ask the client questions, listen to their responses, and then answer their needs using the information in the brochure, the internet or other available literature. This is all fine and good except for one key aspect: Are you an order-taker or are you a relationship-builder?

An order taker is very similar to the bureaucrats who run various levels of government or large corporations that you have to phone from time to time to ask a question, have an invoice explained to you, or request a service. (Ever try to get a quick response from your phone or cable provider?) An order taker typically responds by following company policy to the letter. There is no room for give-and-take. There is rarely room for personality to enter the call. It is a cut and dry response to your phone call or visit.

Relationship-builders are those who see a client as a long-term investment. You help the client enjoy their travels and they in turn, give you repeat business and word of mouth endorsement. Relationships are built through personal interaction, and really, the whole reason why the client walked into your travel agency or called you on the phone is that they wanted to speak to a real, live, human being, as opposed to making an impersonal booking on the internet. Your task is to appreciate your qualities as people-person and build that relationship through smiling, greeting, eye contact, handshakes, calling the person by their name, sitting them down at your desk, listening and …story telling.

And what stories will you tell them? Your experiences at the destination or in similar destinations. The hotels you inspected, the attractions you visited, the restaurants in which you dined, the night life that you sampled, the funny stories, the cautionary tales (eg safety concerns on land and on sea), hints on getting through immigration…and more.

Now there are some ‘out there’ who will respond to this by saying “it is the clients’ trip—they don’t want to hear about my trip” But I beg to differ. In a relationship-building scenario, no one is suggesting that you monopolize the discussion. Rather, at the appropriate time, you inject your own personality into the sale and infuse your clients with confidence by telling them about your personal experiences.

Just think of the advantage you have over the internet. You have the opportunity to pass along your infectious enthusiasm for the destination through your stories and your people skills. Stories sell travel; telling and selling is key to travel sales. So tell ‘em and sell ‘em!

- Steve Gillick, President and COO, CITC