Travel

You’re at a local chamber organization breakfast, and someone walks up and asks what you do for a living. How do you respond?

You’re in the check-out line at the grocery store and notice the person behind you looking at the magazine covers. How do you engage in a quick conversation about the 10 best beaches to visit?

You’ve been asked to give a speech about travel tips during a local AARP chapter meeting. Are you prepared to WOW the audience?

Experts say you have 30 to 60 seconds to make a lasting first impression, and one of the critical components to promoting your business and gaining new clients is by having an engaging elevator pitch.

So, what exactly is an elevator pitch? Quite simply, it is an explanation, in less than a minute, of your business model and how your business is unique. It serves as a verbal business card with a brief introduction to you and your business. It is a VERY important networking tool that allows you to break down barriers with the intent of engaging your audience in future conversations.

Use it as a conversation starter at networking events, to make a connection during unplanned face-to-face encounters or as an opening when presenting to other professionals. Everyone should have an elevator pitch – it will help grow your business with prospective clients.

4 Steps to Create an Effective Elevator Pitch
Your goal and end result should be to give a clear, concise message, so anyone will understand exactly who you are, what you do and why you are unique and different.

Step #1:  Determine what your elevator pitch should address. Make a list, and sell the value of YOU! Use bullet point statements to show your expertise, personality and principles. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is the concept behind your business?
  • What is your specialty or niche?
  • How are you different from the competition?

Step #2:  Write down specifics, steering away from industry jargon.

  • [Name of your company] provides [name your products or services] for [describe the specific segment of the market you will serve] who [describe the problem this solves for them].
  • Include one sentence that tells why this business is needed and by whom.
  • Make a statement about the size and/or growth trend of the industry.
  • Write a sentence or two, no more, to address your qualifications to run the business. (What makes you different and why should they listen to you?)

Step #3:  Review and practice your elevator pitch with others. Ask them to be objective. Do they understand what your message is? Continue to tweak your pitch until it becomes second nature. Record yourself on your phone to listen to yourself, and also record yourself on video with your phone to review your pitch. A picture is worth a thousand words!

Step #4:  Ask for business. If you’re in a one-on-one or small group situation, ask whether they or someone they know would be interested in learning more or receiving a follow-up communication. Then, ask for their business card, and give them yours. “Would you like my expertise and skillset to plan your next vacation experience? I am here to save you time and money, and make your dreams come true!”

Remember, your ultimate goal is to know your pitch so well that you’re able to customize it on the fly to fit the audience and not sound as if you’re reciting. By doing so effectively, you’re sure to gain new clients and see your sales soar!

 

Your travel agency is all about YOU – not about the suppliers you work with or the deals you can offer. Those are mere transactions. You are not an order-taker; you are transforming lives through travel. YOU have the personality. YOU have the unique combination of attributes – enthusiasm, knowledge, experience, compassion and focus – that will deliver remarkable travel experiences for your clients. Here are five ways to market YOU:

  1. Craft your 60-second commercial or elevator speech. Do you know how many words fit into 60 seconds – 150! How many words does your personal commercial have? Hone it down to 150 words or less. Then, hone it down to a 30-second personal commercial. That’s 65 words or less. Trust me, it may seem impossible, but you will LOVE your 30-second commercial. It will be focused, effective and powerful. Practice your delivery in the mirror. Then ask someone to listen and give their feedback. Be certain that your enthusiasm shines through. If you are excited, the person you are talking with will get excited, too.
  2. Create a blog/guest blog. Write about your travels – paint a picture with your words or include photographs. Write about how you serve your clients’ needs (it is ALL about THEM) – make people want YOU to take care of their travel. Offer how-to tips that improve your readers’ lives. Guest blog on highly rated blogs that mirror your philosophy and complement your areas of expertise.
  3. Create an integrated FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and/or website presence. Only choose the channels where your clients, and potential clients, are active. The focus should be on the type of experience your clients will have with YOU and/or the type of travel experiences in which you have expertise.
  4. Write for local publications or specialty publications. This includes local newspapers and magazines; convention and visitors bureaus’ newsletters and websites; specialty publications for college alumni; doctors, dentists, architects, lawyers, young professionals or executives – see what I mean?
  5. Develop a searchable library of information on your area of expertise. Keep itineraries, event calendars, destination information and recommended drivers, tour guides and resources, so that you have that information at your fingertips. This allows you to speak to your expertise more readily when talking with clients.

Host agencies such as Nexion can assist in these areas, such as coaching you on your elevator speech and providing social media tools to help you with your integrated web presence. However, it’s up to YOU to ensure your clients know how YOU will provide those lifetime experiences for them.

 

With so many educational opportunities available both within and outside the travel industry, it is important to make the right choices in order to gain the most from your training sessions. Use these three tips to set a training course that will make a difference for your personal development.

#1.  Don’t become a training junkie! As an educator, I can definitely appreciate the enthusiasm; however, there is no need to sign up for every course offered. It is not realistic to expect you’ll know everything about all things. Narrow your focus to what is most important to your professional growth right now, six months from now and within the next year, and plan accordingly.

Agents in NEXstart (a program exclusively for new sellers of travel LINK TO THIS ONE WEBSITE from Nexion® that lets you earn commission while you learn) have a set training curriculum to start with, and we also provide them with a professional development plan template that they may use to plot their own unique training course. 

#2.  Just schedule it! Schedule time for your training and development. Whether you are attending an event, virtual classroom training or viewing recorded sessions, it is important to schedule your time and stick to it. Create a training plan, select your courses and schedule it on your calendar. When that calendar reminder pops up, take the course!

Nexion University is our learning management system that gives you access to a virtual education 24/7, so you can schedule your training when it’s convenient for you. Topics include Nexion® tools, industry and destination knowledge, managing your business and supplier partner presentations. Nexion University provides every Nexion® agent access to all of our virtual educational opportunities.

#3.  Use it or lose it! Put your new knowledge to use immediately. While attending a session, take note of those “a-ha” moments – you know, those times when you just learned something that you know will apply to your professional development. As soon as you are back in your office, decide how you can apply what you just learned.

At a recent Boot Camp (a Nexion-exclusive, three-day event on how to be an incredibly successful travel agent), an agent asked a great question. “Why use SNAP! (Nexion’s graphical air, car, hotel and rail booking tool) to book hotels rather than another popular online booking tool?” Our answer is by using SNAP! for hotel bookings, Nexion® agents have access to our exclusive hotel program rates and special amenities, and booking this special rate will guarantee commission. Also when booking in SNAP!, the reservation is automatically posted in our back-office system. Now she knew that she had access to these special rates and amenities for her clients, and guaranteed commission and less work for her by not having to manually post the booking!