Wanted: More Good Travel Agents
by Robin Amster /The world doesn’t need more travel agents. What it does need is more good travel agents.
That’s the message marketing guru Mike Marchev had for attendees at the recent Travel Marketplace. The conference, sponsored by Travel Market Report, was held in Toronto at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites.
Marchev, whose firm is Mike Marchev Consulting, spoke about Marketing Ideas That Work. “Your job is easy to get into,” he told attendees, adding that becoming a travel agent is not like training to be a doctor or a lawyer.
Agents’ biggest problem is a lack of visibility, he said. “Not enough people know you’re alive. You have to come out of your shell, out of your office, so I can make a decision on whether to do business with you or not.”
There are two kinds of people in the world, Marchev told agents – people you can help and those you can’t help. “Focus on those you can help.”
Back to basics
Marchev outlined his back-to-basics marketing plan for attendees. The first step is to “identify who you want to do business with; find your target and go after it,” he said.
The other steps? Here's what he said.
• Find out what you do. “Some of you don’t know what you do; define your service and polish it,” said Marchev.
• Deliver a meaningful message and repeat it over and over and over.
• Don’t stop; don’t quit. “We’re entrepreneurs,” he said.
• Live by the ‘Rule of 7.’ “People need to have seven interactions [with you], within 18 months, before they will buy from you,” Marchev said. But 50% of salespeople quit after the first attempt. “You have to be persistent,” he said.
Little things count
Marchev also advised agents to pay attention to the “tiny things,” like answering the phone and returning calls.
“People today notice things, little tiny things,” he said. “They may not help you, but they certainly won’t hurt.
“It’s not about ‘new,’ not about the flavor of the month whether that’s Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn,” he said. “It’s about ‘do’ – what you do with something you know.”
Chill
Marchev likened travel agents to magnets. “You either attract or repel” customers, he told attendees.
“You want to attract people and yet too many in our industry are wearing the weight of the world on their shoulders,” he said.
“We need happy upbeat people and by definition your industry is happy. So lighten up.”
Positioned for success
The travel industry has built-in advantages for its practitioners, advantages agents should capitalize on, according to Marchev.
“You’re in an industry that is worldwide, and one where everyone in the world has a use for what you do.
“You can be as successful as you want to be; you don’t have to buy a ship or a resort or anything,” he said. “The people are there.
“If you’re not successful, it’s nobody’s fault but your own.”