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TRAVEL AGENT THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS MAY 2014 The ART of Selling Travel from HOME AN SMP TRAINING PUBLICATION
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Transcript of Ic travel agent may 2014
THE HOW-T
TRAVEL AGENTO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS
The
Selling
from
AN SMP TRAINING PUBLICATION
MAY 2014
ART of
Travel
HOME
4 EDITORIAL
Selling travel from home doesnot have to be a puzzle when you
read IC! Find the host agencythat best suits your needs.
Share your money making ideasin IC and help your IC colleagues.
CONTACTSteve Crowhurst
www.ic-travelagent.com
Publisher:SMP Training Co.
www.smptraining.com
ContributorsSteve Crowhurst
IC TRAVEL AGENT is owned and publishedby Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. AllRights Reserved. Protected byInternational Copyright Law. IC TRAVELAGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut andpasted but not sold, resold or in any waymonetized. Using any images or contentfrom IC TRAVEL AGENT must be sourced asfollows: “Copyright SMP Training Co.www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co.568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach,BC, Canada, V9K-1G1 Note: SteveCrowhurst is not responsible for outcomesbased on how you interpret or use theideas in IC TRAVEL AGENT.T: 250-738-0064.
6 ARE YOU ON THE LIST?
7 5 SCREEN MARKETING
12 5 SCREEN MARKETING TIPS
13 THE NEXT SCREEN = #7
14 THE TRAVEL INSTITUTE
15 DID YOU KNOW Guest Article by Jill Wykes
16 SPAM ‘N’ CHIPS
18 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY Guest Article by Steve Gillick
21 A BOOK IS THE NEW BUSINESS CARD
22 GOING BY THE BOOK
23 SCREEN SLIDIN’
25 WHY YOU MIGHT Guest Article by Jill Wykes
26 SCREEN SURVEY
28 THE PFC FACTOR Guest Article by Cory Andrichuk
30 DIGITAL TOUCH POINTS
31 SELLING TRAVEL WITH STEVE
32 THE PHOTO PAGE
34 HOME BASED TRAVEL AGENT TRAINER
35 PRINTING FOR HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC MAY 2014
If it’s not yet 5pm where you live, you still have time to make one morecall, close one more sale or e-mail one more promotion!
Advertising in IC Travel Agent reaches the serious business-minded travel agent.Promote your products and services via video, audio or generic text and images. ICTravel Agent is marketed direct to over 4,000 travel agents plus thousands more viasocial media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, SlideShare, trade contacts,partners and educational institutions. Your ad includes a BONUS How-to-Sell article.Full page rates range from $300 to $425 based on number of insertions.
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It’s time to join a family of professionals that truly supports your independent business dreams.
It’s time to join Nexion Canada.
• Your choice of up to 80% of commissions
• Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers
• Technology tools to better manage your business
• Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo
• Training, coaching and networking opportunities
• Innovative marketing programs to grow your business
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• Lead generation for qualifi ed agents
• Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge!
Contact us today to learn more about our growing family of travel professionals. Visit www.Join.NexionCanada.com Email [email protected] 866-399-9989
MENTION THAT YOU SAW US IN IC AGENT MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE!
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5 Screen Marketing
So which screen do you prefer when watching movies, YouTube videos, commercials and travel
shows? Does it depend upon where you are at the time, who you’re with and what screen is
available to you? Well it’s the same process for your clients and once you tap into who they are
by generation and then factor in their screen watching habits, you’ll be better able to target your
5 Screen Marketing Plan.
This issue takes a look at Gamification and how that fits into your 5 Screen Marketing Plan as
some Boomers and Gen X’ers and of course Gen Y are attracted to game related marketing.
With the new Canadian anti-spam laws on the horizon and the existing spam laws in Australia,
UK, USA and many other countries the chips are down! Read my page, Spam ‘n’ Chips and see if
it makes sense. If you do follow your country’s anti-spam rules then building a base of new clients
via email is going to be tough – the best way to build that list is to turn on your social charm.
See you inside.
Don’t forget to check out the new titles at The Travel Agent’s Store.
Here’s to your continued success!
Best regards.
Steve Crowhurst, CTC
www.ic-travelagent.com
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher
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5 Screen Marketing
There they are. The 5 Screens. TV, desktop, phone, tablet and laptop and as you know they
each come in various brands, colours and sizes. It is through these screens that you engage your
clients with your overall digital content in the form of e-mail and social media promotions with
your website backing up each and every online promotion. To take advantage of your client’s
5 screens and to market your travel services requires a variety of tools that allows your content
to “play” on all 5 Screens. Let’s explore:
Does Your Website “Play” on Mobile?If someone accesses your website from their
smartphone will your website function on / in a
mobile format? If not then that’s one screen
that’s off the list and a very important screen it
is too especially as most people who respond to
your online / off line promotions will seek out
your website to determine whether or not they
like you and what you offer.
The route back to your website is the typical
outcome of your promotions and the majority of
people today want that information now – they
will not wait until they get home or back to the
office to their laptop or desktop before looking
for you online. They will use their mobile phone.
If your website is not mobile compatible that’s
one screen down and many more prospects.
Start With Your WebsiteBefore we start creating a mobile version of your
website let’s start with the agency website itself.
You’ll know that very old acronym GIGO…
Garbage In Garbage Out. Well it applies here to
your website. If it’s a terrible looking website
period, it will look terrible on any platform. It
doesn’t matter of it is converted to mobile or not
– if it’s not attractive it won’t pull, keep and
retain a prospective customer.
It has to be said that so many, and it is truly the
case, that so many travel agency websites are
not the best they could be. They are old looking,
dysfunctional, lack any pizzazz and when, today,
there is literally no excuse for this lack of interest
in having a professional website represent your
agency. Nothing less than best should do.
Website TemplatesUnless you own and operate your own travel
agency, or your agency belongs to a national
chain it’s very possible that your website was
included in a home-based agent package of
some kind.
My experience is that many agency owners have
paid for their websites to be created by a
professional site builder. Some have found a DIY
site and done an excellent job with limited tools.
Chain agencies generally have a tech team in
place and create in-house or purchase the skills
they need as and when.
A website that is confusing, sporting a mass of
small icons, click-through images, text galore, a
booking engine and very little warmth and no
true welcome, not a mention no hint of who
owns and operates the agency… well, if that is
YOUR website just described, you need help.
Website ExpectationLanding on a professional looking website is
expected by the travel customer. If your website
is a mess – you’ve lost that customer and as you
well know by now, they will tell their friends
about their experience.
The options open to you are:
1. Check with Head Office for a new and better
looking template.
2. Hire in a professional specializing in travel
websites to retool your current website.
3. Buy into a DIY website with ALL the bells and
whistles and if you are not too creative most
DIY companies offer a package for about
$500 where they will create your website
and hand it over to you. After that you can
access your site to make changes to the text,
upload your images etc.
You may wish to explore other travel agency
websites around the world for new ideas and
whatever their website layout is like, you can
have the same thing created for yourself. Let’s
assume you’re now mobile.
Going & Gone MobileYour generic website can be viewed on these 3
screens and they would be TV, desktop and
laptop. The other two screens that require a
mobile version are: the tablet and smartphone.
Converting your current website to a mobile
format is now quick and easy. More or less a one
click event. Companies like DUDA MOBILE can
take your current website (the new professional
website) and do what they do to create a mobile
version.
If you wanted to go straight mobile – Duda also
has a service where you can create a mobile site
using their ready-made templates as shown
below:
http://www.dudamobile.com/templates-2
The basic DUDA plan is FREE and the Premium
version is as low as USD$7.20 a month on an
annual plan.
There are many more convert-to-mobile services
like DUDA so search locally where you live if
that’s a preference – or work with the online
firms.
The main thing is that your website functions on
all 5 Screens – and after that, you’ll need to
survey your client base and analyze which
generation/s you serve. Chances are you are still
serving your past and present Baby Boomers
who would represent desktop, laptop and TV
screens and now attracting Generations X and Y
who would be using their smartphones, tablets
and laptops more than Baby Boomers. What
does it all mean? Let’s find out:
Generation TVAs you probably guessed it, Baby Boomers and
Seniors are watching more TV than checking out
a video on a smartphone. If that is the case how
do you get your clients to play your digital
content on their TV? There is a way and it can
only work if your Baby Boomer TV goers are
more than a little savvy about connecting their
laptop to their TV using a USB / HDMI cable.
According to a survey by BrightLineTV - the BabyBoomer generation is heavily invested intelevision, having never known life without it.Spending over 6½ hours a day watching live andtime-shifted TV, Boomers watch more TV thanany other group.
Source: http://www.brightlineitv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Baby-Boomers-POV-Q3-2013.pdf
Now although Baby Boomers are savvy and aswell connected as Gen X & Y, or getting there,they’re screen viewing preferences are different.
The phrase is “Second Screen” and what thatmeans to a Baby Boomer watching TV is thatthey’ll also have a tablet with them, and assomething pops up on that TV screen, they’llresearch it online using their tablet. The surveysays 22% of Boomers are into this second screenactivity.
Knowing the Second Screen activity goes on, youcan now send a video for instance to your clientsand prompt them to watch it on the BIG screen.
Let’s say you’ve sent your clients a link to thatvideo you shot in a certain country and thatcountry just happens to be the one featured onyour next tour. They will access their email viatheir tablet and then, following yourinstructions, click on that link, and then connectto their TV via WiFi and watch your video on theirbig screen TV. Nice!
The key to success here is to advise your clientswhat to do. Make it and keep it simple. Justadvise the steps and let them work it out. Do notget technical. Keep selling the sizzle of watchingthe video on the BIG SCREEN.
Top and Tailing Your VideoJust like those TV commercials from tourcompanies, cruise line and airlines – you shouldinclude a Book Now call-to-action with a phonenumber, email or website address. You couldand you should prepare your video with anintroduction and the call-to-action before yousend it out.
Going InteractiveIf you run a large travel agency and can afford
the bill, then you may want to investigate
interactive TV ads where the consumer watching
your commercial can actually click and submit an
onscreen request using their remote or mouse.
Generation X & YIt’s always worthwhile being reminded that
older Generation X’ers are very close to younger
Baby Boomers and younger Gen X’ers are close
to older Gen Y. Where they crossover you would
find similarities in screen use. When at the
opposite end of the Generational X or Y year is
where there is a big difference in screen use. The
more you know about your clients the better
target marketing you can achieve.
Now, from a recent survey of online adults in the
US conducted by YuMe and IPG Media the
following stats and facts are very, very
interesting: Here’s an excerpt:
The survey found that Gen Y, defined in the survey as
those ages 18 to 34, were more likely to watch digital
videos in almost all content categories than their older
counterparts. While 37% of Gen Y watched TV shows
online frequently, only 26% of Generation Xers (those
ages 35 to 54) and a mere 16% of baby boomers
(those age 55 or older) did the same. The gap in
watching user-generated content was also dramatic,
coming in at 33% for Gen Y, 21% for Gen Xers and 15%
for baby boomers. The only content category for
which Gen Y did not lead other age demographics was
online news.
Video apps emerged as a popular means of watching
digital videos across all age demographics. But Gen Y
used video apps on smartphones and tablets in
slightly greater numbers than Gen Xers, and
substantially higher numbers than baby boomers. Gen
Xers were the most likely to stream video from a
webpage on a tablet, while baby boomers used
websites to watch videos on smartphones more than
the other two age groups.
Read more here AND here.
Tap and BookLet’s stay with the video format for the moment
as it truly is the best format for showcasing travel
no matter what the journey or where the
destination is. You can create a 15 minute travel
feature or you might prefer to create a 30 second
commercial. Your choice and here’s one tool for
you to explore and others like it.
http://www.celtra.com/
Click around the Celtra website and you’ll find
you can actually create a video with a Tap AND…
feature. Right away, a Tap and Book idea comes
to mind. Show off your video and then asking
clients to Tap and Book makes a lot of sense.
What Else To Attract GEN Y?Travel as an activity offers so much of what GEN
Y like, from music to games and of course videos.
The sounds of various countries would mean
sourcing the music a destination is known for, or
embedding the promotional theme the tourist
board is using. Either way… music is attractive to
the GEN Y ear and eye. How can you use it? You
can try using it with one of my favourite creative
tools: Animoto.
Animoto ProIt’s going to cost you USD$39 month if you want
it, and if you subscribe then you can produce
video content with embedded call-to-action
buttons. Features include multiple sound tracks,
video duration of up to 20 minutes. The Animoto
video is made up of photo images and video clips
that are 10 seconds max. The timing suits the
mindset and focus time of GEN Y. They are
distracted quite often by multitasking various
devices – so short, sharp bursts of video can
work. Try Animoto here.
GamificationGamification is something you’ve been doing for
years so no need to panic. Remember your
points system and referral discounts – yes? It’s
the same thing only today you’ll exploit the
digital landscape and make the game such as
collecting points more interesting and more
interactive using, wait for it, BIG words coming
up: Game Mechanics! WOW!
Gamification then can involve many different
activities that apply game mechanics and
psychology to drive the “user” - your client – to
follow a specific set of desired behaviors – like
click and book! Out of the many game activities
such as being challenged, building points,
badges, brand loyalty and advocacy, a travel
agency could focus on contests, coupons and
customer loyalty programs.
The word ‘play’ when it comes to travel agency
gamification means to book a trip that’s how you
want your game users to understand play. OR,
they could achieve status by referring friends to
your agency. Think how you would like to engage
your clients into a travel game – offering free
prizes for playing and rewards for “work” such as
referrals. Some of those freebies or rewards
could be won as result of booking a group of
their own friends.
Your preferred suppliers are well into the
gamification side of 5 Screen Marketing. Be sure
to ask your BDMs for information as to how you
can offer your clients the chance to play.
GMP: Gamification Marketing PlanIdentify the message: Starbucks want you to play
to win – play means drink coffee. What is your
“PLAY” message?
Define your measureable marketing goals: Are
you looking to raise brand awareness? Increase
travel insurance sales? Encourage subscriptions
to your travel newsletter? Boost referrals and re-
peat customers? What re-action and action are
you trying to encourage?
Understand your creative resources and
gamified outlets: gamification can be found in
everything from a mobile app, to a blog survey,
to a Facebook post. The art is to create a little
competition amongst your clients via their
favourite social media channel.
Choose your audience: Are you targeting
Boomers, Xers or Ys? How will you encourage
them and motivate them to participate in your
game? The answer is NOT always free trips.
Rewards & BadgesSo what would I win if I did engage in your Most
Travelled Client Contest game? Would I receive
a Badge, be mentioned and profiled in the
agency newsletter? Invited to speak at the next
agency consumer event?
What if I referred ten friends over time or within
the following week – what then? And about the
game… is there a digital referral board to fill in
and submit? What have you got in the way of
game pieces, elements that I can look at on my
screen of choice or print off to read, or click and
save and submit via email?
You might want to create
badges that resemble badges
and patches you wear, or
keep them purely in a digital
format. The digital format
would offer your clients the
chance to share them with
their friends and do a little boasting too. All good
for your agency no matter what they do with
their reward.
The Gamified Corporate TravelerGen X and Y corporate travellers are very
comfortable with the concept of gaming and
gamification. Rewards, badges and systems that
many corporate travel departments are using
today are used for instance to entice their
corporate travellers to fill in expense forms
correctly.
Keep the above in mind the next time you pitch
a corporate account with more GEN X & Y than
Boomer employees. Check out how many of the
5 Screens they use during the day too.
Group GamesHow about using all 5 Screens to promote a
group game where your prospective group can
win…? Win what? The FREE seat, an extra
coupon… an upgrade, a special discount that
your preferred supplier just announced? How
about using gamification to ATTRACT new
groups? Why not? When the quo is status, add
an edge to your marketing by promoting the
games you play to attract group prospects into
asking for more information.
Easy game ideas: Where is this (picture of a
location)? How much suntan lotion left in the
bottle? Complete the digital puzzle in record
time and guess the location of the scene… these
and more can be used to create a game that your
group prospects might like to engage in to better
their pricing or tour features.
Game ON!Think on it. Add gamification to your marketing
plan across ALL 5 Screens and monopolize your
trading area!
WATCH
OUT!Okay then, it’s now 6
Screen Marketing!Samsungs Gear 2 Neo.
PLAY SMALL!
5 Screen Marketing TipsOnce upon-a-time in old Agentville there was only one screen and that flapped in the wind andswung back and forth in front of the porch door. In the 1950’s another screen entered our livesand that was the TV screen. Fast forward to now, we’re up to a new a different set of screens,5 in all (at the moment – eight if you count digital wristwatches and Google Glass and touchscreen direct mail) and those screens are as mentioned: TV, desktop, laptop, smartphone andtablet. Each one of those screens is a pathway to your customer’s eyes, hearts, minds, travelgenes and wallets. Here’s five marketing tips on using the 5 screens:
1. CONSISTENCYWhatever message it is that you are sendingout, make sure the same message plays onall screens. Sounds easy and it is if you knowhow to do this. Most website platforms offera mobile version today. Check to see if that’strue for your website. Where the messageyou are sending is not compatible with all 5screens – call in your tech’.
2. VIDEOVideo is where most travel marketing isgoing and your suppliers are already there.Learn from them. Ask for their videos andfactor them into your 5 Screen MarketingPlan as their videos would be compatiblewith all or most players and configured toplay on all screen sizes.
3. YOUR OWN YOUTUBE / VIMEO CHANNELThis tip is simply a “just do it!” one. Open aYouTube account and create your own travelchannel. Do not upload family videos etc.,keep the content 100% related to your travelbusiness. Once you have a selection of yourown videos and the videos borrowed fromyour suppliers you can inform your clientbase by sending them the link to yourchannel allowing them to use their screen ofchoice on which to view your videos.
4. INSERT CTA BUTTONSBe sure to add in a CTA button. This is a Callto Action button that resides somewhere inyour video, usually at the end, and it offersthe viewer no matter which of the 5 screensthey are using to watch your video, a chance
to click on the video and be taken to yourwebsite and the offer you are promoting.
5. BECOME YOUR OWN NEWS ANCHORWith 5 screens ready and waiting for yourappearance, what can you do? First thingsfirst: learn how to present yourself well andgroom yourself for be a 5 Screen Star. Beable to talk about your services, your offers,your niche tours and statements to close outthe video and suggest the viewer click on theCTA button and check out your offer. Youcan create your own video using the webcam/ video feature of any of your handheld anddesktop devices / computers. Createmeaningful and current content that wouldbe of interest to your clients. Remember myquote: “Whoever owns the news, WINS!”The key to video success is practice.
What news can you glean from currenttrade papers to repurpose?
The NEXT Screen = #7Okay then, for all you tech loving travel agents and travel trade suppliers – here’s one more
screen you might want to learn about. Imagine the next generation of brochures combining
traditional marketing as in Direct Mail and new technology such as a touch screen. Not cheap
but then those travel trade suppliers of luxury products might want to chip in – pun intended.
As the company Structural Graphics says: Touch has become such a natural and intuitive way to
communicate and interact with our world each day. By providing your target audience with a new way to
interact with your messaging, it makes the communication more impactful and memorable.
Here’s a few video facts that make a lot of sense
and as to why marketing travel by video makes
even more cents. The sights and sounds of a
vacation don’t truly come through a photograph
or a postcard – but through video, absolutely.
Video increases understanding by 74%.
97% of video viewers more inclined to buy.
64% of brand marketers have plans for using
video in their marketing strategies.
Seeing and hearing real people gains trust.
More than 1000 branded video campaigns
topped one million views last year.
80% of online users will remember a video
ad for up to a month.
Human brains process visuals 60,000 times
faster than text.
Marketers are finding that video can drive
home brand messages with an appealing
authenticity that brings results.
Source: Structural Graphics
The Travel Institute's New E-Book
The Travel Institute's Financial Planning book has been completely updated and is an excellentresource for travel professionals and travel entrepreneurs who want to put their business on asound financial foundation. In this e-book, you will learn why accounting, bookkeeping, andfinancial planning are crucial to the success of your business. The information generated from aproper accounting system can help you improve your business plan, manage your cash flow, andsave on taxes and professional fees.
After completing the readings and activities in Financial Planning, you will be able to:
Explain the primary purposes of financial planning and accounting; Determine whether you should hire a bookkeeper; Define the link between customer relationship management (CRM) and accounting; Identify the components of external financial statements; Describe the importance and functions of internal financial reporting; Analyze the relative financial strength of your business; Improve your cash flow; Use several different strategies to analyze the performance of your business
You can get this e-book and other helpful tools to make your business prosper by visiting our“Resources for Professionalism” section in our bookstore. Travel Institute members save 10%.
Did you know…that 1 in every 4 agents in Canada works from home?
The landscape is changing rapidly in the travel
industry worldwide and Canada is no exception.
It used to be that if you wanted to sell travel, you
had to work either in a travel agency or a call
centre. In fact, in Ontario, that was the law. You
could not operate from home.
Well all that has changed over the past 15 years
or so, to the point where almost 25% of all
Canadian travel agents are home based.
In the U.S., when the economy was hit hard in
2008, many travel agencies closed and this left a
lot of agents with some tough decisions about
their careers. Many of them chose to go home-
based and today, it is estimated that over 50% of
all travel agents in the U.S. work from home.
The same is true in the UK, about 50% of agents
are home based.
That is an astounding shift! Given the UK and US
percentages, it is expected that Canada’s home
based group will grow to reach the 50% level too
in the coming decade.
This series will explore the huge opportunity for
Canadian travel agents to go into business for
themselves. We will discuss why this is
happening, all the how-to details, advice on
many aspects of running your own business,
everything from how to deal with your family, to
how to set up your accounting records, to
work/life balance.
Running your own business and being your own
boss have many rewards, especially if you have
all the right support systems in place, and the
tools to do your job well.
When you talk to home based agents and ask
them why they made the decision to work for
themselves, the answers are usually the same.
They like the control it gives them over
everything from what hours they work, to what
to sell and how to service their customers. They
like selecting their own marketing strategies.
They love not having to commute to work! They
can earn more and keep more of their earnings.
Most of all, they all have a great sense of
accomplishment in their own success, knowing
they are fully responsible for their results and
feeling huge pride of ownership.
Brought to you by The Travel Agent Next Door
By Jill Wykes
Spam ‘N’ ChipsAs you may well know “one person’s spam is another person’s interest” – however most
countries are forging ahead with their anti-spam rules and both the USA and Canada have very
tight legislation with Canada presenting one of the toughest which also affects US businesses
if they are emailing north of the 49th that is. The challenge is that the rules and regulations
although meant to protect everyone, the aspiring travel agent and the new home-based travel
agent are going to have a hard time gaining new clients unless they go social.
The US have had their CAN SPAM rulings for
some time now as has Australia and the UK and
many other counties. There are some pretty
harsh penalties if you’re caught bothering the
average person online. Not that it’s stopped
certain drug, lawnmower or birdseed spammers
from loading up my email with trash! And those
telemarketers still disturb my evening meal!
Why is it that the “crooks” can always get past
the rules despite my being on a “no call” list and
having anti-spam / anti-virus installed?
But then the rules are written not for the crooks
– only to prevent the good guys from generating
a decent dollar – or so it seems. The Canadian
spam laws are going to hinder any new travel
agent from building a book of business unless
they work their magic in accordance with the
rules and also invest more time in building social
media connections.
Check In With Your HostIf you have not yet done so, American HBAs
should check here at this link and also explore
what your local and state rules are too.http://www.fcc.gov/guides/spam-unwanted-text-
messages-and-email
Canadian HBAs can check here for their spam
information: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/casl-lcap.htm
Next is to check in with your host agency and ask
how they suggest you handle the anti-spam
rules. You cannot do very much to avoid them
but you can make sure you are using the right
tools and correct text. Your host agency should
be ahead of the game and have ready-made
templates and or scripts for you to use.
Going SocialSocial media is going to play a bigger role in how
you build a mailing list. Better start now and
create an account on any and all social networks.
Travel is very attractive and if your host agency
has ready-made social media tools then now is
the time to apply them.
You’ve got to go Facebook as most people using
social media are on it. Then there’s all the other
social sites and although you’ll be spending more
time at the keyboard to pump up your social
buzz, it’s got to be done. So you’ll be Tweeting
about your recent and most fabulous trip to
entice someone to make contact. Same for what
you pin on Pinterest. Got to be such a powerful
image that pulls people to you. Keep going…
make sure you take a look at all current social
networks and even the niche networks that
service only book lovers, golfers etc., whatever
your travel niche is, be sure to locate the social
network that serves it.
More Ad Money TooYou’ll need to fund more local advertising to
attract would be customers to opt-in to receive
your newsletter or simply to subscribe to your
email list to give you what all spam laws are
requesting: a person’s permission to email them
or send messages to their mobile phone. That’s
spam law and the chips are down!
You must be aware of what you send out unsolicited to someone’s
mobile phone – however you can post that fantastic video of your
most recent trip and post it on YouTube, Facebook and Tweet about
it and eventually that social media marketing activity will be picked
up, watched, forwarded, shared, sent viral – all the things you want
to have happen to your post BUT your video content must be BEST.
Not only must it be BEST, you’ll want to build in a call-to-action to
encourage whomever receives your post to connect to you socially
or opt in to your email list.
As mentioned before in previous issues of IC TA it’s time for you
to become very familiar with creating video, using your own
images and learning to write about your travels – all being done
in an attractive format that suits social media and aimed at
building the list you need and want.
You’ll want to study a variety of tools such as Animoto,
PowerPoint, The Logo Creator, Snag It and a host of other
easy, DIY creative tools.
At this point Canadian home-based travel agents should start
to take a hard look at what they have to do to meet the June
deadlines. American home-based agents should double
check the federal and state anti-spam laws should there be
any updates caused by the Canadian program.
For the rest of the world, if your anti-spam laws are not so
tough at the moment they will change in due course. It’s the way it is. So it’s best that you start working
more social media marketing into the general marketing activity.
LOCAL CONSUMER EVENTSYou’ll be familiar with the word Mixer as it applies to
monthly gatherings of small groups of travel agents
mixing with suppliers, enjoying a few hours together
after 5pm to share knowledge, learn something new,
develop relationships, taste some food and sup some
beer. The MIXER concept is a terrific spin off of the
generic consumer event – the Cruise Night, the day time
Coffee Event etc. You would do well to start a series of
consumer mixers, you being the speaker and perhaps
involve some of your known clients to chat about their
travels. If you can work with a supplier or tourist board
do so. Now with the arrangements made – start
marketing the event. Here’s a rough layout that you can
use to kickstart your own ad ideas.
Games People PlayImpacting training through Gamification
There are usually two meanings for the expression “games people play”. One refers to the
cynical head games that some people play in order to induce sympathy, feed their ego, confuse,
obfuscate, humour and more. While there are several songs on the subject, perhaps the most
direct was Joe South’s 1968 composition with the words “Oh the games people play now/ Every
night and every day now/Never meaning what they say now/never saying what they mean”.
The second meaning of the term refers to fun and educational games that replicate life
situations and experiences, solve problems, encourage interaction, or teach and review skills.
One of the buzz words in the industry these days
is “Gamification”, which may be defined as the
use of games to encourage participation during
a training meeting or conference and thereby
make the event more meaningful, relevant and
memorable. This is not a new concept. Take it
from me, a former summer camp director, who
used games to successfully train 100 staff every
year, who in turn used games to teach
everything from swimming to canoeing, to arts-
and-crafts, drama and sports. Today, one of the
biggest challenges for event organizers is to
ensure that the participants have a ‘take home’
of information that not only justifies their having
attended the event in the first place, but has a
lasting effect. By ‘Gamifying’ the event, there is
an excellent chance that this objective can be
reached and surpassed.
Know Thy AudienceA successful meeting or conference starts with
knowing something about the audience. That’s
the reason why seasoned speakers introduce
their topic by asking questions of the
participants. How many of you are bricks and
mortar travel agents? How many are home
based? How many managers in attendance?
How many agents have been in the industry for
5 years or more? Etc.
Now you thought the speaker was just killing
time to arrive at their own comfort level before
they begin their presentation. Not so. Actually,
the speaker is ‘gamifying’ the conference from
the very start by asking members of the audience
to participate—to interact if you will—and
provide some background on their careers or
personal lives. If the audience wholeheartedly
raises their hands or shouts out answers, then
this may indicate that the group is gregarious,
sociable and extroverted; one where members
of the audience enjoy getting up and speaking,
participating in skits or being singled out. This is
a group that will be engaged and contribute to
brain-storming sessions without worrying about
whether their ideas are silly or far-fetched.
These are the high energy ‘hams’ that will bring
out the fun in an event.
But even more so, an audience that includes
extroverts has an interesting effect on the
introverts in the group. Introverts are those
whose comfort level naturally leans toward
being more reserved or keeping their thoughts
to themselves. These are the people who avert
their gaze when the conference speaker asks for
volunteers, or who mentally run for cover (or
silently mouth expletives) when they are forced
to interact during a meeting or conference.
The curious thing is that introverts often feed off
the energy of the extroverts in the crowd. A
rambunctious extroverted audience can gather
in those who tend toward introversion and
involve them in the spirit of the event:
participation, interaction and fun. Everyone
By Steve Gillick
leaves the session in high spirits, feeling great
about the experience and about themselves.
And that one audience game, sandwiched
amongst the seminars, workshops, break outs,
field trips and banquets may in fact be the only
session that the participants buzz about for
weeks and months afterward.
Conference games come in all shapes and sizes.
I began by suggesting that the very act of asking
the audience questions is, in a sense, a game of
involvement. If the group tends toward
introversion (even the most successful travel
agents may be personally introverted while at
the same time being professional extroverted)
then games might include:
A quiz that asks some serious as well as fun
questions. Eg. Do you like the GDS we are
using? If you could change one thing about
the GDS what would that be? What is the
most enjoyable destination you have ever
visited? How many countries have you
visited? Who is your favourite cartoon
character? Somehow this should relate to
the session being attended. The quiz can
either be ‘marked’ by the person who
completed it or handed to a seat-mate to
mark.
A map. This is useful at destination seminars
(draw a free-hand map of Mexico and
identify Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta
and Cabo San Lucas). But this can also be
used in general travel skill seminars to drive
home the importance of destination
knowledge. (E.g. Draw a map of South East
Asia and identify the following countries:
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand,
Myanmar, Malaysia…). It’s a fun and
challenging exercise that gets the audience
involved, as well as making the point that
they probably need some assistance with
their geography skills (and potentially their
drawing skills). Those who score 100% can
be acknowledged and given a small prize,
which helps to establish an energy-field in
the audience and encourages further
participation.
A more extroverted group will enjoy exercises
that are more socially interactive:
A structured Experience. This is usually a
team exercise in groups of 4-5. No chairs
have to be moved. Some will opt to move to
another area to complete the experience,
others will sit where they are. But the entire
room will be buzzing with discussion—which
is what organizers want. The actual ‘game’
consists of asking the group to list 10 things.
It could be 10 reasons to send a client on a
cruise; 10 selling skills; 10 customer service
points you would want an entry level staff
member to know; 10 reasons to buy travel
from a real, live travel agent, etc. Or it could
even be an exercise where each group is
tasked with the challenge to start their own
travel agency and they must list 10 aspects
of the new corporate culture, or 10 ‘codes of
ethics’ for the make-believe agency.
After a few minutes, when each group has their
‘10’, you announce that a new law has been
passed that says each group can have only ‘5’
items on their list. Now the group has to discuss
again what are the top 5 skills or reasons, out of
the original 10. After a few minutes, you make a
similar announcement that another law dictates
that only ‘3’ items can be on each group’s list,
and once again, the group must decide on the 3
most important skills or reasons or features. The
purpose of the game is to get the audience to
interact, think, brain storm for ideas, argue their
points, and ultimately arrive at a consensus.
Then you can ask for a few volunteers to speak
about the results they arrived at or the dynamics
in arriving at those results. The exercise must be
tied to the session they are attending, and now
having participated in a game, they can fully
relate to the topic. They will be more attentive,
more engaged and more apt to remember the
session days and weeks afterward.
Other games may include...
Skits, where audience members volunteer
and are coached before acting out a
scenario, or are provided with a simple script
to read.
Game shows, pre-planned with quiz
questions and based on popular television
shows such as Jeopardy, Deal or No Deal,
Family Feud, Are you Smarter than a 5th
Grader, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?,
Let’s Make a Deal, Truth or Consequences,
The Price is Right, The Dating Game etc.
Icebreakers: human bingo, fact or fiction,
mixed-up nametags, truth or dare etc.
Conference and meeting games simulate
situations, problems, dilemmas and challenges
and by doing so, encourage creative thinking,
problem solving and involvement. And let’s not
forget some of the most important aspects of
any event: fun, relevance, enthusiasm, energy
and promoting a spirit of education that is
memorable.
Steve Gillick is the president of Talking Travel
and a former camp director. In 1991 he
founded Board of Life, a gamification company
that not only created staff training games, but
also the travel board game “Peregrinations”. In
his role of Keynote speaker and conference
presenter, Steve created the live Industry and
Consumer Conference Game “Are you Smarter
than the Average Traveller” to engage, enthuse,
enthrall and energize his audiences. Contact
[email protected] for details or to
customize gamification exercises at your next
conference or meeting. This article appeared in
a slightly different format in trade magazine
www.travelindustrytoday.com
A variety of games shown above: The Rope, Team Traversing, Log Cutting and The Trust Wave
A Book Is the NewYou know you’ve always wanted to write one. Everybody has it in their
mind to do so. Fact is, it’s not that easy to write a best seller and then you
have to wonder who would be interested in reading about you out of the 7 Billion people on
the planet. But then, hold on. This is a book of a different nature. This is a book about travel,
your travels, your client’s travels… how to book this and that and more! And this book, or books
once you get to grips with the concept, becomes your NEW business card.
Keep your business cards and hand them out
when you get the chance. They are two-sided
with limited information unless you go to those
5 panel jobbies. As you look at that box of
business cards, think about handing out, sending
out, posting an e-book and using that book as
your calling card.
The word author elevates you for some reason
and probably because of the above introduction
– everyone wants to write a book and so few do.
Well they start but never finish. The book you
can write does not have to be a 300 pager – it
can be a 30 pager and very focused.
TopicsFor your first topic you could actually write about
your own travels and use some of those amazing
images that you shot. Think about it: one
glorious image on one page and your text on the
opposite page. It’s the imagery that will capture
the eyes of the reader first and then the
excitement builds as they read about your
adventures and experiences.
The Reason for WritingOur focus in IC Travel Agent is always about
generating income – so we meaning you, need a
reason for writing. The reason is to boost your
sales. This means you’ll need more than one call
to action requesting your reader to “Call Me to
discuss your trip to this very spot!”
One Book or Many?No need to give it all away in one shot. One book
could fill 100 pages as you describe your travels.
If you’ve travelled far and wide then you could
still be writing come page 822! I can tell you
from experience – your reader won’t make it
that far. Those who know, tell us that an eBook
(of this type) should be about 10 – 20 pages and
that’s it.
Following that advice, you could set yourself a
goal to write a cruise eBook, a touring Europe
eBook or a book about the top three adventures
you have enjoyed the most.
The New Business CardThe concept here is to promote yourself using
the eBook format which as the title of this page
suggests, becomes your calling card. It’s the new
business card that you send out to your clients
and post on your website.
Now a Famous Author!Today you can publish your own books and
eBooks without any editor or publishing house
telling you NO! As soon as you publish your first
eBook, you are an author. Not well known yet,
but you could be. Market yourself the right way
and a publishing house could knock on your
door. In the meantime – write, publish, promote
yourself as an author, use your eBooks as
business cards and generate new sales.
Going By The BookAnyone watching the re-runs of Great Continental Railway Journeys with host Michael Portillo
with a copy of his 1913 Bradshaw’s tucked under his arm? Aw come on… you have to be. It’s
entertaining, educational and one heck of an idea for travel agents who love books, history and
able to create and lead their own tours. Imagine your own Going By The Book tours…
Pick a place. Any place. One you love. One that
has captured your soul and one that you wish to
share with your clients. Now… is there a book
about this place? An old book. A historic
anything that could serve as your guide as
Michael Portillo’s Bradshaw’s does for him?
That’s your first task. Find that book.
Found It!Next: okay here’s what you do. You head to a
Barnes & Noble, Chapters, Indigo and or your
local book store and you look for those large
coffee table books that actually deliver
everything you need in terms of places, routes,
itineraries, history etc. Wonderful tools for
planning. The only challenge is, they are so large
and heavy that they’ll not fit in your tote!
Found It #2Your mission continues and here it’s time to
change book stores and look for an old to
antique bookshop. Ask if they have any old guide
books. That’s all you ask. Don’t restrict the
request by naming a country or mode of
transportation as many times the front end
person is not the store owner and not up to
speed with what’s on their shelves. Once you
locate those old travel books then you can start
rummaging.
Found It #3Now it’s time to go online and start searching for
old to antique guidebooks. This time you’ll need
to be more precise in your search terms. Take a
click around the following online bookstores and
search by keyword or dedicated author’s name if
you have one.
Believe or not, there has been a revival in old
guide books being reprinted. Here’s the
webpage to a company that has reprinted the
Bradshaw’s guide featured in the show.
http://bradshawsguides.com/books-and-maps.html
You may also wish to
tour around local
used book stores and
look for original,
leather bound, gold
stamped books like
this one in my
collection…
Invest $50 and then
use the old guide to
explore and marvel
at the changes or the fact that nothing has
changed! Also there’s nothing wrong with
factoring into the price of your tour the cost of a
brand new guide and hand a copy to everyone at
the start of your tour.
Screen Slidin’You’ve heard of Death by PowerPoint well how about Breathing Life into Sales by PowerPoint?
Working your marketing magic using grand images, poetic text and even featuring your ole
mug along with an embedded video and you might just have the presentation you need to sell
you and your services for the rest of the year. And the best thing is, whatever you produce,
your clients and your prospects can view your Travelogue on their preferred screen.
PowerPoint to Slide Show & VideoIf you didn’t know you do now… after you’ve created your PowerPoint you can, within PowerPoint itself
create a slide show and or a video that can be exported. Simply click on the top left arrow to return to the
main menu and select Export, Create a Video then select your preference as to where you intend your
PowerPoint to be viewed such as Portable Devices, and follow the clicks.
Slide ShareYou can upload your PowerPoint to SlideShare
and put your presentation in from of 60 Million
visitors to SlideShare each month. This is where I
post copies of my digital magazines. The basic
account is free.
EmpressrHere you can post and also create your slide
presentation using all the tools of Empressr –
great for those who do not have a current
version of PowerPoint. A free program with
many tools and analytics – not such a large
audience or user base as SlideShare but worth
exploring.
KnovioI like this program as it allows you to upload your
PowerPoint and then add in a video using your
webcam as you advise your audience about
those glorious images showing on screen. This
program is also free.
BrainSharkOne more program which operates very similarly
to Slide Share.
Look for other, more local outlets where you can
upload your slide show and pitch it. It’s always a
long shot when you pitch worldwide, so local
may be better.
Marketing Tip
What have you got planned around the FIFA World Cup event?
It’s a prime time to be promoting your tours to South America and to
take advantage of the TV coverage as they showcase Brazil.
FIFA World Cup 2014 begins on Thursday, June 12 and ends on Sunday, July 13
Why YOU mightconsider becoming a home based agent.
Most agents are not aware of the many reasons
that becoming a home based agent is so
beneficial.
One of the more compelling reasons is the tax
breaks you will get. If you are an employee you
will have relatively few opportunities to reduce
the taxes deducted on every pay cheque.
Not so when you are home
based. That’s because when
you are home based, you are
running your own business,
and there are many tax
breaks associated with
operating your own home
business. Everything from
expensing a portion of your
household costs (condo fees,
mortgage payments,
utilities, etc.) to writing off
all business expenses.
It is worth getting good
accounting advice to make
sure you take full advantage
of this.
But the benefits don’t stop
there. How many times have
you heard people talk about
“work/life balance”? Well, that is within reach
when you run your own business from home.
You decide how many hours you work, and what
those hours are. You can work from anywhere;
just take your smart phone with you when you
go to the gym, or grocery shopping, or to pick up
your kids from school. Stagger your hours…work
when you want to!
With today’s technology, with VOIP telephone
capability (internet phone) you can literally be
anywhere on the planet and look after your
clients. You can manage your life as you choose.
Another benefit that home based agents talk
about is being able to sell the product you want,
meaning that if you want to specialize in a
certain destination like the Caribbean, or
Europe, or Asia, or type of product like cruise or
coach tours, …then you do
that. You are your own boss.
You can choose what you
want to promote on your
own website and other
marketing tools. You will
have way more control over
what you want to specialize
in.
Using a good Customer
Relationship Management
tool (CRM), you can reach
out to your clients regularly,
and remember their
birthdays, anniversaries and
other important milestones.
Setting yourself up to work
from home is easier than you
think. It does not have to be
complicated. Make sure
your host agency provides help in all of these
areas, and has the systems, training and
programs you will need to be fully supported in
running your own business.
Best of all, you can watch the traffic jams every
morning and evening on your home TV and
smile!
Brought to you by The Travel Agent Next Door
This series will explore every aspect
of establishing yourself as a home
based travel agent.
By Jill Wykes
Screen SurveyAs you will appreciate, the world - the marketing world that is - is seeking information on who
uses what device to view the news, videos and brand advertising. The concept of 5 Screen
Marketing is very real to those companies selling products and services that a loyal customer
purchases or uses each and every day. Purchases such as coffee and services such as online
communication. To know who uses which device screen to view their travel dreams is as
important to you as it is to those firms selling an everyday product.
A study by the BBC is very revealing and should
be used as a base for travel trade companies.
Although the survey focused on how consumers
consumed their news there is a correlation to
travel as and when YOU release something that
is newsworthy.
Here’s the reason for the study: The study,
conducted by InSites Consulting, surveyed more
than 3,600 owners of digital devices in Australia,
Singapore, India, UAE, South Africa, Poland,
Germany, France and the US in order to
determine the growing impact of TV,
smartphones, tablets and laptops on people’s
news consumption habits. Survey participants
were top income earners and owners of at least
three devices amongst television, tablet,
smartphone and laptop/desktop.
The survey finds tablets complement TV viewing
and finds the 25-34 age demographic the biggest
news enthusiasts.
Key findings include:
• Tablet owners watch more TV news, not less,
with 43% of tablet users saying they consume
more TV than they did five years ago, and most
saying they use tablets alongside TV.
• Young professionals, the 25-34 year old
demographic are the biggest news enthusiasts.
• Second screening for news is becoming
commonplace, with users often using devices in
tandem. 83% of tablet users say they have used
their tablets while watching television.
• TV still dominates overall usage, taking 42% of
people’s news consumption time compared with
laptops (29%), smartphones (18%) and tablets
(10%).
• News audiences expect to see advertising
nearly as much on mobile (79% tablet, 84%
smartphone) as they do on TV (87%) and online
(84%).
• People respond to advertising across all the
screens, with 1 in 7 users indicating they
responded to a mobile ad in the last four weeks
whilst responses to TV and desktop are 1 in 5 and
1 in 4 respectively.
Smartphones and laptops are most
popular throughout the working day,
peaking at around 1pm.
The survey found that, rather than competing,
different platforms complement one another
allowing people to layer their device usage
throughout the day. Smartphones and laptops
are most popular throughout the working day,
peaking at around 1pm. TV usage spikes
dramatically from 5pm onwards, and at its peak
time of 7pm TV use is 50% higher than for any
other device.
The survey also found that, in breaking news
situations, users turn to television as their
primary and first device (42%), with the majority
(66%) then turning to the internet to investigate
stories further. Users rated national and
international news of most importance (84%,
82%), closely followed by local news (79%).
Financial and business news (61%) were more
highly valued than news about sports (56%) and
arts/entertainment news (43%).
Whoever owns the news, WINS!
One of my favourite expressions and what comes to mind after reading this survey that the word NEWS
is a word well worth embedding in your travel 5 Screen Marketing campaign. Perhaps up until now the
trade has focused on Savings and Discounts and 2-4-1s to attract attention whereas the word NEWS
seems to have a much greater attraction. So what news do you have for your clients that would send
them scurrying to one or more of their 5 Screens?
Okay time to shine! DAZZLE me with something FANtastic. What do you know that would be music to a
client’s ears and then some. That then some would be what your clients send viral to all their social pals,
friends and colleagues. Are there any, and not necessarily discounted new tours, new destinations, any
place in the world that’s just been discovered? Is there a new golf course opening, a new cruise itinerary?
Anything? What have you got for me? Time out: check with your agency team and ask if anyone has
anything NEW to tell your clients about. This is very important as it is NEWS that will attract new clients
to your agency. Once you have some NEWs to tell, think about how you plan to release the information.
The PFC FactorAs a business coach, I expect to lead by example, demonstrate superior customer service,follow up and follow through with patience and diligence and pretty much display excellencein just about everything I do. YES, I do place high expectations upon me by choice but alsounderstand that I am human and make mistakes and am grateful for them as I learn and grow.
I think that a slight edge I have in life andbusiness has always been my positive attitude. Ihave always seen (and again, choose to see)positive versus negative, opportunity versusdismay and growth versus stagnation. I know it'snot always easy to maintain a positive attitude,so I try to incorporate this equation into my lifewhen dealing with negative situations.
The PFC FACTORPerspective + Focus
+ Creativity =
A Positive Outcome
This means keeping your perspective, puttingyourself in the other person's shoes and trying tolook on the bright side. This requires deliberatefocus on making the best of the situation andusing creativity in problem solving.
As travel professionals, our positivity ischallenged many times a year as we travel sooften. It's bound to happen to us road warriorswith the more flights we take...the law ofaverages. To illustrate this, last month as Ientered my home airport, LIFE reared its uglyhead and allowed me to put my theory ofpositive thinking to the test. I found out my09:15am flight had been cancelled due tomechanical problems and the next availableflight wasn't til the next day. No flying that daywas NOT an option. So, I stood patiently in lineto talk to a customer service agent regarding myoptions.
Naturally, negativity began to try and dance itslittle jig in my head, testing my positivefortitude. It didn't help that others began to
complain to each other as emotions wererunning high. There were so many youngfamilies flying on this last day of Spring Break. Iobserved hostile acts of defensiveness andbursts of anger regarding the obviousinconvenience. As we all know, you never helpyour situation by yelling at the only person whocan help you.
I took a breath and chose some perspective herein order to stay positive in a couple of ways. One,I am always grateful for getting informationabout a mechanical issue while my feet are stillon the ground. There is nothing worse thanbeing 30,000 feet in the air and told the samething. Two, I knew I had to stay positive, focusedand get creative on doing whatever I had to doto get to my final destination that day. I knew Ihad to work patiently and politely with theagent.
Annabelle, the most excellent West Jet ticketagent demonstrated why West Jet continues toposition itself as a best-in-class airline. Herpersonal acknowledgement of theinconvenience, her professional desire to helpme and her use of active-listening skills helpedme find some options in real time. The keywords that Annabelle used during our 30 minuteconversation were "acknowledge" and"confirm". Once she demonstrated these skillsand behaviours to me, I knew I had a trustedpartner on my side.
Together, we determined the only availableflight that day was out of an airport that was a 4-hour drive away and that I would need to rent acar and drive there. I sincerely believe thatkeeping my mind focused on a state of positivityallowed me to think creatively to get where Ineeded. She booked that flight, up-graded meand checked me in at the new airport to save me
By Cory Andrichuk
time at the gate when I arrived. I took care of myrental car myself, easily made my flight andeventually arrived safely at my destination thatnight. The feel good ending continues as WestJet promptly reimbursed the cost of the rentalcar plus gas. It took almost 18 hours, 4 airportsin total, 2 rental cars and 2 flights to reach myfinal destination, but to put it in perspective, thatwas better than not arriving for a very importantincome-generating opportunity.
So, my takeaway learning experience that I wantto share with you...
1. "Positive thinking lifts our energy, negativethinking drops our energy level; our mindsetdirectly correlates with our energy levels"Source: Principles of Energy Healing, the Heart of
Healing by Napoleon Hill, Mary & RichardMaddux.
2. Acknowledging, Questioning and Confirmingare key skills and behaviours to be used ineveryday life and business. Annabelle and herfellow colleagues diffused a negative situationwith personal care and compassion, insertingquestions and actively listening to solve aproblem. Bottom line, they walked the West Jettalk and displayed a meaningful difference, thuscreating another loyal client.
3. Life, as in business, is best performed andobserved with a positive mindset. It literally getsyou where you need to be.
Travel with a smile and enjoy the journey!
Digital Touch PointsYou’ve heard of touch points, MOTs - Moments of Truth, well they apply to the digital world
too and that makes knowing your MOTs are nothing short of superb. What this means is this:
every time your client makes contact and engages with you across a digital platform, is
whatever you have waiting for them, simply be BEST. The question: will your clients be
WOWED, however they connect (touch point) with you, online? Think in terms of a generic
mind map and add YOUR own touch points to include all things digital, IT, internet based etc.
What constitutes an E-Touch Point? Right away
your website comes to mind and we know, and
you’ve read it here in IC-TA many times, that so
many travel agency websites are not at all
inviting. Is this an area for you that requires
upgrading?
How about your mobile points of contact?
Any autoresponders need updating?
After a client subscribes to your newsletter –
what happens?
Social media: any updating required?
Okay your turn: take the time now to record
where you need to add more WOW in order to
boost your client’s online & digital service
experience:
TOUCHPOINT WHAT TO UPGRADE?
CANADIANTRAVELLER.NET APRIL 20144
I HAVE just had the most awful experience. If you buy books, love
books and treasure them as members of the family then you’ll bleed a little ink over this story I am sure. Like you perhaps, I have collected National Geographic (NG) for years and years. I read them and studied them to build my world knowledge and � nally as the house went lopsided I had to get rid of them. Anyone? I say anyone want them? Nope. Nobody and no one. Where’s the bin? Chukka in.
Fast forward to now. A set of 1972 Encyclopaedia Britannica (EB) – a $400 purchase, mint condition and used only once when I turned to the C pages to � nd out if my name was listed. Well yes, Crowhurst is listed, but the information refers to the English villages in Surrey and Sussex. Not ‘imself. Did I mention I also had every yearbook and the applicable Science and Future volumes, too? Well I do and like my pile of NGs, my EBs are weighing me down. They have to go. We’re downsizing you see.
With their future set, I tried to dispense of my EBs. First offered them on Kijiji for $900. All I received back was a rude message. But I had read somewhere online that there were people who collected EBs. Not on your nelly. Offered them to the local library. No thanks. Offered them to friends and neighbours. No thanks. Offered them to the local Thrift store. Before they said no thanks, they advised me they once had an 1870s set and could only get 20 bucks for them. So to cut a short story long, Wayne the Hauler is coming this week to pick them up along with yard stuff to take to the dump!
Beyond What We Hold Dear by Steve Crowhurst, CTCA Life Lesson In Moving With The Times
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, is an author, speaker and trainer specializing in New Business Generation for the travel and tourism industry. Visit Steve’s online store for travel agents here: www.thetravelagentsstore.com Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sellingtravel. E: [email protected] T: 250-738-0064.
I thought I would take a look around the Encyclopaedia Britannica website, see what’s up. Well would you Adam ‘n’ Eve it? They’re still selling leather bound, paper editions and not cheap at $700. But what’s this? EB has moved to current technology. A DVD for $35 and then you subscribe monthly to access all that knowledge. WOW! When that DVD is old and tired you can simply dangle it by the peas to keep the birds away. No hassles. No begging.
So here we are. Selling travel at a time when things have moved beyond what we might hold dear. It’s a wake-up call to connect with all things current, online, social media driven and whatever is � apping around in the clouds, too. It’s a fast paced world and there’s only so much time to � ip a page and read it. Better to access it online and have your computer read it to you while you shout “Espresso!” to your voice activated coffee maker and clap your hands to turn on
SELLING TRAVELWITH STEVE
the music. Ah the fast lane. What a beautiful ride it is.
Marketing travel today means thinking beyond the bound and printed. You have to move to where it’s all happening and that means using imagery, video and podcasts and when do we want it? We want it NOW, baby! NOW! NOW! NOW! So look around yourself and study how you sell. How you market. Are you back in the 1970s EB style, or are you social steaming ahead and making sure your next gen’ clients are accessing your dream travel brochures online?
Is your agency equipped with interactive desks? Can your clients walk in and review brochures on the agency tablet? Where can they go to sit and watch a series of
“Ooh and ahhh!” videos that will nudge them into booking on the spot? Same question for home based and virtual travel agents only your interactive sales tools will be playing off your website – and that works’ too.
Let’s step back a moment. There are still more than a few million Baby Boomers who love to thumb through a glossy brochure and perhaps one or two Gen X and Yers, too. Going forward you’ll need to know who wants which so that you can target market correctly and not send paper based brochures to those that are trying to save the world’s trees and those that would rate your services as old, tired and not for them.
When and where you can, jump on the latest marketing technology bandwagon and that means using tools like Animoto, Social Go, Elements, Sprout, YouTube, Vimeo, Dragon, SnagIt, Camtasia and naturally your choice of social media channels.
Now about my LPs. Anyone?
“You have to move to where it’s all happening and that
means using imagery, video and podcasts and when do we want it?
We want it.”
PHOT
O: SH
UTTE
RSTO
CK
SW_CanadianTraveller_Curacao_APR2014.indd 1
It’s a wake-up call to connect with all things current, online, social media driven and whatever is � apping around in theclouds, too.
The Photo Page
Blending InTaken with an iPhone 5
Have you considered Butterfly Tours of the World for a niche market?
Steve Crowhurst
Steve Crowhurst
When you need one-to-one training contact the
Home Based Travel Agent Trainer…
If you would like a one-to-many training session, invite your local home-based colleagues to
your home office then gather round your computer screen for the training session.
All sessions are conducted using Skype –
so be sure to download the program here: www.skype.com
Send your topic and request an hourly or project training quote.
A HOME FOR THE HOME BASED AGENTS
Big Bark has all your print-marketing needs covered!
201 – 3011 Underhill Ave.
Burnaby, BC
V5A 3C2
BonVo
yage
BonVoyage
THE HUNTINGTON GROUPHUNTINGTONThe agents choice since 1973
Thank you for choosing to travel with MyEscapades.com. We take pride in providing one-of-a-kind travel experiences in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The majority of our clients require a trip customized to their likes, interests and budget. Whether you wish to travel in the lap of luxury or choose to indulge in an authentic adventure (we call it ‘roughing-it’) we will create a trip to suit your preferred tastes. In other words, we will give you a travel experience that goes beyond your expectations. Rest assured, MyEscapades.com is your perfect traveling companion.
Before You Travel:• Ensurethatyouarecarryingyourup-to-date passports and have obtained any required/necessary tourist visas for entering the country(s) you are visiting. • Youtripinvolvescancellationpenalties in the unforeseen event that you cancel/postpone your travel arrangements. Ensure that you are aware of these penalties.• CarryyourOut-of-CountryHospital/Medical/Travel Insurance Policy with you.• Beawareofluggagerestrictionssuchas weight, size and type of suitcases allowed on the international and domestic flights on your itinerary. Excess baggage charges are steep and can cause great inconvenience• Ensureyouhaveobtainedrecommended or required inoculations.Certaininoculationsare mandatory for travel to endemic areas.Yourtravelagentwillhaveprovided full details.
• CheckouttheavailabilityoflocalATMs in your destination and/or purchase some local currency or travellers cheques.• Givefamily/friendsthecontactinformation at hotels/lodges you will be staying during your travel. Information on your accommodations is provided within your documents.• Werecommendthatyouputyournewspaper subscription on hold for the duration of your trip and have your mail collected by a neighbour or held at your local post office.• Itisalwaysrecommendedthatyousecure your home with a security alarm before you leave.
3100RidgewayDr.,Suite17,Mississauga,ONCanadaL5L5M51.888.887.9710 | [email protected] | www. myescapades.ca
BonvoYage
THE HUNTINGTON GROUPHUNTINGTONThe agents choice since 1973
201 – 3011 Underhill AvenueBurnaby,BCV5A3C2Local:604-669-6607TollFree:1-877-523-7823Fax:604.669.5336
BIGBARKGRAPHICS.com T: 905.857.6333 | TF: 1.866.607.1556 | [email protected]
THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRINTER FOR OVER 30 YEARS
TOP 6 WAYS WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE HBA:
1. Easy to use, do-it-yourself, 24/7 online print-ordering store.
2. No design/setup fees – choose from our selection of pre-designed templates or Design Your Own.
3. Full use of our image gallery at no extra charge.
4. Travel related marketing products such as calendars and magnets plus all your standard business products – business cards, envelopes, letterhead, flyers, and more.
5. Wide selection of ticket packaging options for groups, weddings, and niches.
6. All products available in small quantities (some as low as 25).
