9 Ways to Put Supplier Expertise to Work for Your Agency

The following guest column is the latest in a series by the founder of Talking Travel.

Remember the Beatles tune, “With a Little Help from My Friends?” In a travel agency scenario, those in the know sing the praises of their supplier-partners as their business friends.  

Steve Gillick

Unfortunately agents often take their suppliers – even preferred ones – for granted. Yet supplier partners are an invaluable resource for agents. And their products and services, whether we are talking about a packaged product or an FIT, constitute the gold that allows you to respond to and exceed a client’s needs.

It’s important to note that supplier partners are retainers of information, problem solvers and the personification of Rolodex files with extensive contact information. They can provide the creative energy you need to close a sale, solve mysteries, help you explain situations for clients, and give you the wherewithal to exceed traveler expectations and retain clients.

Here are nine ways to use suppliers’ expertise to positively impact your business.

1. Organize. Your database of suppliers, past, present and future, should contain info on their areas of expertise (e.g. “knows the best places to eat in the Caribbean”), notes about how they’ve helped you in the past, and personal reminders, such as birthdays, awards earned, etc. Organizing your treasure chest of supplier contacts is the first step in accessing this source of knowledge and inspiration.

2. Interview. Just as you spend time interviewing and getting to know clients to determine their needs, you need to get to know your suppliers. Take time to nurture this investment. This relationship building should not be relegated to when you have the time. Personal contacts mean you will get a timely response to an email or phone call when you need it most.

3. Collaborate. Work together with your suppliers. Most understand that anything they can do to interpret a brochure, clarify a description, explain a booking policy or restriction or provide an anecdote to help in the sale is a win-win.

4. Take advantage. Suppliers know their products and services inside and out, and agents shouldn’t hesitate to call on suppliers for this knowledge. For example, they’ve probably visited their destinations umpteen times more than you, so they have up-to-date knowledge about both product as well as area restaurants, attractions, accommodations – plus the ultra-important nuances.

Likewise, if the supplier is a travel insurance provider they can advise you on filling out the application, identifying issues that may restrict coverage, responding to sales objections, comparing credit card insurance coverage, and translating their products into peace of mind for clients.

5. Showcase. When agents host a consumer event, suppliers will make your life easier. They’ll give the presentation, provide brochures for handout and may even pay for refreshments and provide prizes. Featuring a supplier who can wow your audience makes the travel agency look good. Both of you will receive kudos from customers.

6. Innovate. Agents who have developed a trusting relationship with a supplier can help improve the supplier’s products, thereby make the agency’s own services more meaningful. So give your supplier partners your ideas for refining a booking procedure, revising brochures or adding an attraction or activity to packaged tour. Positive agent-supplier relationships can lead to innovation, improvement and future business.

7. Troubleshoot. When a client’s travel plans go awry, you need to: a) resolve the situation immediately, b) determine what went wrong, c) strategize to prevent a re-occurrence, d) dialogue with those affected to provide explanations and, if appropriate, compensation. Your partners along this path are the suppliers with whom you work.

Take, for example, a sold-out hotel that can’t relocate your clients immediately. You can contact another hotel to help out. Why would a competitor hotel do this? First, because you have a relationship with them. Second, because the hotelier understands that helping out a competing hotelier today will likely yield future business as a thank you. It’s a small industry when it comes to people helping people. Your supplier contacts are front and center in this process.

Your supplier contacts also can help you provide clients with credible explanations for why things went wrong. In some instances a supplier-partner may be able to expedite compensation, making the agency look good.

8. Socialize. Suppliers play a crucial role in sponsoring events. Of course, the sponsor receives recognition and continued or future business for their generosity. Beyond that, the supplier is showing its commitment to the industry. For agents, these events are invaluable opportunities for networking, sharing thoughts and ideas and becoming acquainted with supplier sponsors, while learning more about their product offerings.

9. Appreciate. People work better when they are acknowledged for their efforts. Suppliers are no different. When your agency praises a supplier partner by telling them how they contributed to a sale or helped a client in a jam, you send the message that the supplier is part of a team that makes the agency successful.

Why not take a moment today to send your supplier contacts a note thanking them for their good work? We don’t want just to “get by” with a little help from our friends. We want to thrive and grow together.

Travel educator Steve Gillick delivers sales, marketing and destination training to travel professionals via his consultancy Talking Travel. He served as president and COO of the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors from 2001 to 2012. Contact Steve at steve@talkingtravel.ca.