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05 Apr

Posted at 16:44h in Agency, Best Practices, Business, Marketing, Travel Agent, Travel Host

As a travel advisor, you wear many hats. In today’s day and age, it’s not enough to be a great travel advisor in terms of knowing and selling destinations. You must also think as a business owner with a plan and strategy on how you wish to grow your business. Of course, one size does not fit all.

Most of you understand the importance of having a plan and strategy but may not know how to make it a reality – you’re not alone.

From my perspective, the best place to start is with your passion and interests. Then, start with understanding who your target customer is and what products they will want to buy. You may have gone through this exercise some time ago, but it’s always good to dust off that plan and reevaluate it to ensure it’s producing the results you seek. For others, you’re not quite there yet.

I, along with a team of marketing executives and industry leaders, would love to try and help you take your marketing plan to the next level. This summer, we’re bringing back a Magellan award-winning event that will give you the tools, knowledge and components of a good marketing plan. This three-day event is aimed at all levels of expertise and designed to dive deeper than the basics of marketing. You’ll leave Marketing with your own marketing plan that is developed and ready to put into practice.

At this symposium, you’ll work with experts on:

  • Learning the components of what makes a strong marketing plan, and work on your own unique marketing plan
  • How to build your brand
  • Mining your database
  • Maximizing your marketing with Nexion and Travel Leaders Group tools
  • Social media and online strategy
  • Leveraging public relations
  • Planning and executing consumer events
  • Budgeting and measuring return on investment
  • Making yourself retainable and relatable

One of my mantras is “It’s important to work on your business and not just in it.” You may not fully understand what I mean by that. Working in your business equates to the day-to-day tasks you do as an advisor – making bookings, taking final payments, accounting, for example. Growing your business means also taking time to work ON it, and a lot of this centers around marketing.

Everything Nexion Travel Group does in terms of education, coaching and specialty events adds value in making you the most effective, efficient and profitable travel advisor you can be. This event is personally important to me, because I truly believe that as much as anything we do, this program will prepare you to take your business to the next level by giving you the tools, knowledge and confidence to develop and execute on a marketing plan that is relevant to you and your business.

I invite you to spend three days with me and our experts at Marketing, who are there solely with the purpose to make you successful marketers. It’s going to be a phenomenal event, and I am excited to see the inspiring and lucrative ideas and plan of action that our advisors will put into place and execute from their learnings. To attend, you must be a member of Nexion Travel Group.

All travel professionals interested in learning how to succeed as a professional business owner, backed by Nexion Travel Group’s many great benefits, are encouraged to call 800-747-6813 or email sales@nexion.com.

 

Written by Jackie Friedman, Nexion Travel Group President

 

21 Dec

Posted at 14:17h in Agency, Best Practices, Business, Marketing, Travel Agent, Travel Host

credibilityDo you want to increase your credibility and expertise in your travel specialty or niche? Do you want to reach new audiences, find new clients and create new business opportunities for your travel business?

Are you not sure of the formula for success or even where to start? Keep reading to learn how to go from zero to hero and market yourself as an expert in your travel specialty without having to spend a penny.

Recently, I attended an entrepreneurship workshop in Fort Lauderdale with a talented group of new and experienced business owners. One of the guest speakers was a gentleman by the name of Bruce Serbin, an award-winning media publicist serving clients in a variety of fields, from financial services and the travel industry to book authors, business consultants, professional speakers and everything in between.

expertFrom this workshop I gained 12 best practices you can implement today to build your reputation and credibility as an expert in your travel agency niche or specialty:

    1. Make a list of experts and journalists who regularly cover your travel specialty. Be sure to look at radio, television, newspapers, social media and online blogs. If your specialty is honeymoons and destination weddings, look at the number of people who are regularly featured in your area of expertise. Make a list of those specialists. Second, make a list of the journalists who covered these specialists; this will be one of your go-to lists of publications and people you will need to develop relationships with to establish your credibility.
    2. Be an expert. Don’t make it about you; make it about your expertise. Begin to chronicle the trips you have planned, hosted and executed for your clients in your niche and collect testimonials and reviews from those clients.
    3. Stop writing press releases. Press releases are typically meant for new product launches, new business launches and other innovative and newsworthy topics. They are not intended to be written for your business in general. If you do this, the press releases will get lost and probably won’t be published.
    4. Develop your pitch. You need to have a solid pitch for each area of expertise you want to develop for your business or hot topics that are trending in your market niche. Components of a successful pitch include:
      –       Introduction/Lead: Why are you contacting me?
      – Define who you are: Why are you a good source? Indicate number of years as an expert, any high-level positions you may have, positions on boards of directors, etc.
      – Articulate your thoughts: What do you have to say about your expertise? What can you offer on the topic that’s trending
      – Always include the close: The close must include your mobile number, email address, website and social media handles.
    5. Learn the different types of pitches. Great places to start include:
      – Knowledge and insights: Share your knowledge and insights around your specialty or niche.
      – Breaking news: Selling “you” around existing events as an expert.
      – Predictions: What do you see in 5-10 years?
      – Leverage HARO (stands for Help a Reporter Out): This is a website of journalists looking for experts on a specific topic.
      – Breaking Myths: Focus on common travel-related myths and what the truth is to bust the myth.
    6. thought leaderBe a thought leader. Draft a pitch as a thought leader versus a follower in your specialty. Offer fresh new ideas, and say what others are not saying (entertain a controversial headline).
    7. Be flexible. People may reach out to you to for an interview on a topic that you may not think of yourself as an expert at first glance.
    8. Size doesn’t matter. It’s all about earned media and credibility. A blogger with a smaller following could be more beneficial for you than a major media outlet from a conversion perspective. Take advantage of every opportunity, and remember that smaller opportunities can lead to bigger opportunities.
    9. Write an article. Write an opinion piece on a topic where people are split down the middle 50/50; you will see traction online. Keep it about the benefits for your readers (9 ways to reduce travel stress, or 7 questions to answer when planning your next family vacation, for example).
    10. Expect rejection. Keep at it; if you are working on 10 new media opportunities, you will be lucky to have one “yes” come to fruition. Remember, there are many people pitching to media outlets.
    11. Get media trained. If you’re serious about being covered on radio and television (even if it’s local coverage), be sure to invest in proper media training to ensure your credibility comes across on camera and over the radio.
    12. Leverage your media coverage. Be sure to leverage your media coverage in everything you do. Have a media page on your website, include a link on your subject line in your email and on your social media channels, and in your phone and in-person conversations (Did you hear about our agency on the local CBS news the other night?).

With your pitches, remember to publish them on your website. Journalists can pick these up and write articles from the pitches you publish, making it easier for them. Remember to pitch on the long side. If your pitch is longer in word length, it will be less gaps for journalists to fill when they go to write the article.

If you use some of these PR secrets in your travel business, you will find success in the media and new business opportunities. Whether you are a travel agent who is new to the business, or you’re an experienced travel agent, using the media can be your engine and fuel for growth and reach new audiences and build new business opportunities in your travel business.

 

Written by Cris De Souza, Nexion Vice President, Sales and Marketing

 

21 Dec

Posted at 11:58h in Agency, Best Practices, Business, Marketing, Travel Agent, Travel Host

We’ve all heard the term, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” This concept certainly rings true in the travel industry. Many independent contractors are business owners and are faced with the challenge of generating new customers.

To face this challenge, most travel professionals start with contacts they already know and turn them into clients. For some travel agents, this may be enough. For most, it’s necessary to be creative in how to successfully reach potential, new customers. If you’re one of these travel professionals who wants additional clients, the good news is, you don’t have to go after the search process alone.

Consider partnering with a complementary business to promote each other to your customer bases and expand your reach. The benefits of cross-marketing with complementary businesses include:

  • It expands your reach to potential customers who otherwise would not know about your travel services.
  • It provides added value to your agency by differentiating you from your competition.
  • It adds credibility to your agency through the power of referrals from trusted customers.

Tips for Finding the Right Partnerships

The best partnership relationships benefit both businesses, along with their customers; everyone wins/receives a benefit. Here are 10 tips for finding the right businesses to become successful partners:

  1. Take time and write down as many types of businesses that you can think of that may work for you and your agency.
  2. Get out and visit with owners of other businesses, both small and large. You never know what types of ideas can be generated with other successful entrepreneurs.
  3. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
  4. Seek mutually beneficial partnerships. Ask, “What are both businesses wanting to get out of the partnership?”
  5. Always budget for associated expenses. Treat these opportunities as part of your overall marketing plan costs.
  6. Be open to partnership opportunities.
  7. Look to your local chamber of commerce or business networking groups for good partners.
  8. Find businesses that cater to your target customer; is there a matched appeal or interest based on demographics or affinity/psychographics?
  9. Use social media to “trade” marketing. Once you’ve found a business partner, link to each other’s websites and social media pages to cross-promote both businesses.
  10. Be creative. The best partnerships aren’t always obvious.

On the last tip, an example of an obvious partnership would be a destination wedding and honeymoon specialist partnering with florists, bridal shops, photographers and caterers. A more subtle example would be a travel agent partnering with a doggie daycare, for example.

The doggie daycare gives pet owners a coupon for reduced day care services, courtesy of the travel agent, when the pet owner travels. The agent gains access to new, potential customers; the pet owner receives the benefit of reduced day care services, courtesy of the travel agent paying the difference; and the doggie daycare receives happy customers who have saved on their services, and thus are more likely to return. Win – win – win!

When I reached out to our Nexion members to see what they are doing to reach new clients through cross-marketing with businesses, I received many partnership success stories. Here are just a few:

  • One member is partnering with a snow removal company for winter resort travelers. “We’re putting together a flier to use on social media for cross promoting,” Gene says. “I will be offering their first snow removal (if it snows) to new clients booking winter destinations and traveling between Jan. 1 – April 30.” If it snows while the traveler is away, Gene, the travel agent, will pay for their first snow removal. “While this is a $25-$50 value, the snow removal company and business partner will only charge me $25. He gets a client for potential future snow removal and spring landscaping, and it adds credibility and differentiation to my business, because I am offering an added value of service and good will to new clients.”
  • Another Nexion travel professional partnered with a local pizza parlor to provide a coupon for a free pizza to travelers be enjoyed upon returning from vacation when they weren’t ready to start cooking yet. In turn, the pizza restaurant distributed fliers on the travel agent’s group departure with every pizza they delivered. As such, both businesses were exposed to new, potential clients.
  • Another Nexion member used the grand opening of a local Mexican restaurant to promote all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, as well as experiences such as Experiencias Xcaret. The travel agent provided the door prize, and the restaurant provided the clients.

My dad taught me that the best partnerships in business are those that when both business owners get up from the table, they have a feeling they have achieved something. Truly successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of mutual partnerships.

From art galleries, restaurants, bakeries, wine shops and wineries, to local ski apparel and equipment shops, bookstores, toy stores and more, the ideas for travel professionals to partner with complementary businesses are endless! Get creative, and you’re on your way!

 

Written by Jackie Friedman, Nexion President

 

08 Sep

Posted at 17:07h in Agency, Best Practices, Business, Marketing, Sales, Travel Host

Whether you’re new or an experienced seller of travel, a major key to success for today’s modern travel professional is consistently engaging in sourcing new business, or prospecting. It’s possible to opt in to lead generation programs, and many travel professionals have found varying degrees of success with such programs. In addition, to ensure you have a solid pipeline of new business that is healthy and diversified, it’s critical to have a consistent and comprehensive prospecting plan in place.

Regardless of the industry, prospecting is the cornerstone and lifeblood of the sales process, and you wear the hat of a sales professional every day with existing and potential clients. You may have found yourself on a “prospecting rollercoaster” of sorts when you notice your business is slow. When cash flow is not where you want it, you go out and pound the pavement to drum up new business. Then, when the business starts to come in, you get caught up in the other aspects of managing your business, such as marketing, service and administration. Once again, the pipeline empties, and you jump on the same roller coaster, and the cycle starts all over again. Don’t get caught on the prospecting rollercoaster!


7 Prospecting Channels to Fill Your Sales Pipeline

As a travel sales professional, you have the responsibility to find sufficient leads that adequately fill the pipeline, convert the leads to prospects, move the prospects through the sales process and win the business. To set your travel business up for success, your strategy should include a minimum of five of the seven prospecting channels that are appropriate for your travel market niche.

Let’s take a look at these seven prospecting channels, along with the Prospecting Pyramid, and what to expect in terms of conversion rates from each channel. The activities you engage in at the bottom of the pyramid require a lot more effort and heavy lifting on your part, and conversion rates are generally on the low side.

 

 

 

1. Cold Calls:

As a travel sales professional, you call a prospect to market a new group opportunity, new travel brand, new itinerary or destination without the prospect’s prior knowledge or interest. Cold calls can be telephone calls or by physically visiting the prospect. Most times the conversion ratios are low, and sales cycles are extended. Tips for Success:

  • When contacting prospects using the cold call channel, call scripts are vitally important. They should be simple, yet concise, and address the concerns or objections your clients may have that keep them from booking their next vacation or business trip with you. At Nexion, our Business Development and Education team assists our members with crafting and customizing these scripts for their travel market niche.
  • Look at strategic partners as a way to expand your cold call database, and see if they have potential clients who may be more qualified leads for your travel agency.


 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Direct Marketing:

Direct Marketing includes the mailing of information (physical and electronic), and through the various forms of media such as radio, email, social media and print (magazine/newspaper). In direct marketing, the information should not overwhelm the prospect with too much information. Simply address their needs and inform the prospect of the destinations, group opportunity or product being offered (new itineraries for example). An advantage of social media is that daily postings can be placed on the platform that establishes credibility and keeps prospects educated on new product offerings, such as that new all-inclusive resort in Los Cabos. Tips for success:

  • With all forms of direct marketing, stay in front of your prospects consistently.
  • If you’re going to start a newsletter or a blog, be sure you make them brief and informative

3. Seminars/Workshops:

This is a great prospecting channel to use when developing your group business pipeline. Many travel professionals host these “information sessions” either in person or virtually through a webinar hosting platform. Tips for success:

  • Make these events themed (maybe by destination), interactive, fun and engaging.
  • Focus on one or two opportunities at most.
  • Have a clear call to action at the end of the event (special offer for those who deposit on a trip).
  • Keep the number of attendees smaller with a more intimate event; you will find greater success. People who engage with you more are your high-value prospects.


 

 

 

4. Networking:

This is an event in which an individual or group may create leads. It allows you, the travel sales professional, to explore in an environment with a higher probability for sales. Many networking events require less preparation and are cost-effective, which helps budgetary constraints; however, they tend to involve more personal time and effort. Networking is work! It requires a strategy. Tips for success:

  • Take the time to develop a networking pre-plan, and also go in with a game plan.
  • After the networking event, make sure you have a solid post-event, follow-up plan.
  • Always follow up within 48 hours. Remember that everyone is a prospect or a potential strategic partner that can refer you, be a resource and help in other ways.
  • Be sure to have your elevator pitch ready to go when networking. At Nexion, our Business Development and Education team partners with our members to craft a winning elevator pitch and develop a networking pre-plan and post-plan to maximize time and effectiveness.

5. Referrals:

A referral is when the name of a prospect has been given with permission to use from a third party who gave the contact information. This is a direct way of obtaining a lead to generate unsolicited business and does not cost you any marketing dollars. In the travel industry, we often call referrals “word-of-mouth” marketing. Tips for success:

  • Be confident in your product and delivery.
  • Set the expectations early with customers.
  • Believe you “deserve” them, and have a system to “help them” identify referrals for you. Nexion helps our members with a system of success.
  • Most importantly, ASK FOR IT!

 

 

 

 

 

6. Strategic Partnerships:

This channel may be new to you as a travel professional. Simply defined, a strategic partner is one who reciprocates an exchange of business on a regular basis. This core group represents a higher level of influence and is normally smaller in numbers – between six and 10 people serving similar client bases as your travel business or complimentary client bases for your business. While marketing and networking are based on the concept of building relationships, strategic partners involve clear intent and sharing an integral part of the same value system, including trust, integrity and ultimately leading to mutually beneficial outcomes. This prospecting channel can provide 95% of the closure ratio, if qualified. Tips for Success:

  • The 80/20 Pareto Principle asserts that 80% of results come from 20% of effort. Thus, to achieve more with less, you must be selective, not exhaustive.
  • Develop strategic partnerships that can take 20% of efforts and lead to 80% of your new business! At Nexion, we work with our members in a systematic way to identify these strategic partnerships as a core component of their travel sales mix.

7. Quality Introductions:

When a strategic partner or someone refers you face to face, it creates a quality introduction. Often as a travel sales professional, you won’t ask for this type of introduction; however, this personal introduction builds instant credibility and has the highest close ratios. In cases where all parties are not in the same geographical area, the same process can be done via phone or by using other technology. Tips for Success:

  • As a travel sales professional, address your beliefs regarding asking for personal introductions. Most sales professionals are gracious for the referral, and the process typically stops there.
  • Asking for the quality introduction can shorten the sales cycle and increase the closing ratios.

To take advantage of all these prospecting channels, whether you’ve been a travel professional for three months or seven years, take some time and look at your new business during the past year. Do an exercise and identify what percentage of your business has come from each of these prospecting channels.

What do you see? What does this tell you? Do you need more strategic partners? Do you need to engage in more networking? Is your new sales pipeline too heavy in one channel, and does that present a risk to your travel business?

An honest appraisal of where you’ve been spending your time prospecting and where you need to spend your time will accelerate your sales and dramatically increase the return on your invested time!

To have an effective prospecting plan, your travel business should always be engaged in at least five out of seven prospecting channels to be successful. The more time you spend at the top of the pyramid, the more efficient and effective your sales efforts are going to be! At Nexion, we work with our travel sales professionals on optimizing their prospecting plan to accelerate their sales and save them time and money.

Written by Cris De Souza, Nexion Vice President, Sales & Marketing