Building Your Group Business: The Easy Way and the Hard Way
by Richard D’Ambrosio /
There is no doubt that perfecting the art of group travel can help drive exponential growth for agents and strong profits. But it is easy for agents to fall into traps that can slow that growth down and drain the business momentum they need to attain their goals.
At Travel MarketPlace West in Vancouver earlier this month, Vanessa McGovern, executive vice president, business development and strategic partnership, for the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs (GIFTE), led two packed group sessions filled with a lively give-and-take about successful and not-so-successful group sales behaviors.
“I know agents who are cashing $30,000 commission checks. I have one agent who partnered with a winery in North Carolina and collected $77,000 for one group,” McGovern said.
But those kinds of results will be hard to achieve if you fall into the common traps. “The industry is set up for you to fall into the hard way, so be careful,” McGovern said.
The hard way is when an agent is inspired after attending a trade show or supplier event. “You get inspired. You call your BDM, and tell them, ‘let’s block some space.’ But then you get the space, and I see those famous last words posted in travel agent forums all the time: ‘I’ve blocked group space on X supplier and I am trying to fill them.’ If you post that, you are doing it the hard way.”
Find an influencer
Finding an influencer who will fill that space for you with enthusiastic members of an existing affinity group is the “easy way,” McGovern said.
“It’s not about what you want, or about the supplier you have fallen in love with. It is what a group leader, an influencer wants, and you understanding the amazing products out there that could satisfy their wants, and you’re being the translator in travel who makes it happen.”
But before engaging an affinity group to gauge their interest and ability to fill out a group, McGovern offered up three key sales lessons:
1. Don’t overthink the details.
“I see too many travel professionals getting lost in the weeds during that first sales call,” she said. “We create unnecessary roadblocks, or we make assumptions about what will attract clients and a group leader before you even make the pitch.”
Instead, McGovern said, focus on finding and networking with tight-knit communities who have a strong common interest, enjoy spending time in person together, and might be interested in adding travel to their affinity. Find out what their needs are and establish whether traveling is a solution.
2. Believe in the value of your strategy.
“Lots of agencies are making a lot of money selling groups because they build their group strategy around a passionate group or extend their passions into a group that wants to travel,” she said.
“I know one agent who took 400 people on a cruise ship built around a nationally known square dancing caller,” she said. You just need to tap into your passion for travel and their passion for a hobby, interest or profession.
3. Don’t think like an employee, even if you are one.
“Think like an entrepreneur. Your path to profitable groups, is not linear: ‘do this, do that, then send this, 2 days later follow up, and then do that.’” McGovern said. “Entrepreneurs take chances, fail, course correct, and improve. Entrepreneurs don’t wait for permission, they take initiative.”
They also don’t allow their business partners to treat them like employees. “The owner of that winery is not your employer. You’re business partners, who own your respective responsibilities, and once you agree what those roles are, you book travel and manage the logistics, and they do the marketing.
“It all comes down to your ability to do good research. If you have tried to do a group and it didn’t work out successfully before, okay. Part of why it’s not working out is because you haven’t done enough research on who the right partner is,” she said.
Thoroughly research your opportunities
McGovern and several attendees spoke about how the best groups resulted from patient and thorough research. “Get visible with that influencer or business owner before you cold call or email,” she said. “Follow them on social media. Like their fan page. Engage with them and their community on their posts.”
If a winery you are targeting is hosting a local event, share it on your personal platforms so they can see your support. Subscribe to their email list. “Don’t pitch yourself from the beginning. At this point, you are trying to get on their radar,” McGovern said.
She gave an example of finding a group that might want to book a wine tour. “Is there a local wine club in your area that you can join? Do they have monthly meetings? Ask if they have ever taken a trip together to taste wine. This is where the research comes in. Look at their social media page, their website and understand who is in the group and whether they communicate effectively to get the word out about group activities,” McGovern said.
“Do they post regularly on their social media platforms? How many fans does the group have? In the easy way of doing groups, you are not responsible for marketing the trip,” she reminded attendees, “so you need some confidence that they can communicate effectively for you.”
McGovern also urged the attendees to find out how large the group’s email database is. “Social media is an important piece of measuring influence, but don’t give it too much consideration. A group that has a large email database that is used regularly to communicate to members is a better indicator you will be successful,” she said, recommending that travel agents also evaluate how comfortable the influencer is in leveraging their platforms.
“I had one agent working on a trip to Scotland, with descendants on a Scottish clan. They communicated regularly about their meetings and social gatherings. For one successful group trip, they sent out the first email on a Thursday, and were sold out by Monday. It can be that easy, that effortless. But you are going to need a charismatic influencer who is accomplished at communicating.”
Additionally, just because a group has worked with another travel agent on a previous trip, don’t assume that the group was happy with the experience. “The square dance caller responded to my agent saying ‘I am so glad you reached out. We did a trip a couple of years before and never heard from the travel agent again.’”
“If they come back and say they already work with an agent, say, ‘That’s amazing. I’m glad you’re working with a travel professional. Let me know if I can ever make a presentation about what I can do for you.'”
Ask for the business
When you get permission for an appointment, make that first sales call all about them. “The hard way is defaulting to our experience in the industry, our expertise and certifications. It’s not about you. It’s about the business owner, the club president, and how a group trip can solve their problems.”
Where does the group or business struggle? Is it developing loyalty? Do they need new revenue streams? Could a group trip be an effective tool for their overall marketing strategy?
At this point, you should be asking questions that enable conversation about what types of experiences would be relevant for that owner and group. “When is your slow season, when you can get away with a group? What kind of experience would you like to escort?”
“You want them to feel like you are collaborating with them on their business, and they are collaborating with you on a great group trip for your mutual benefit.”
Finally, when the owner expresses interest, be direct. Ask for the sale. “You do have to use the words, ‘Do you want to move forward?’ or ‘I would like to move forward with this date.’
“When you ask for the sale, if they say no, uncover the objection. Don’t get set back by rejection. You should be excited, because that is more information in your arsenal to speak in a more educated way about them and their needs.”