BDMs: Still an Essential Connection for Agents

Part 1 of a series.

For travel agents, suppliers’ reps can be a critical lifeline when agents – and their clients – need them most. Supplier reps can also play a vital supporting role in travel agents’ business success.

Good business development managers, or BDMs, help agents solve client problems, partner with agents on sales and marketing, and keep agents informed about product news, travel agents told Travel Market Report.

But while some agents see improvement in the quality of supplier reps, some suppliers are missing the boat in important ways, agents told Travel Market Report. Among the issues – BDMs who just go through the motions; high turnover among reps, and expanding territories.

In Part 1 of a series, agents discuss the positive role that BDMs can play.

Partnering for mutual benefit
For Scott Kertes, president of Hartford Holidays in Garden City, N.Y., the line between a good BDM and a not-so-good one comes down to a question: “Are they just giving you brochures and printouts of specials, or is somebody working with you to develop a marketing plan and training calendar to create a true partnership?

“The best ones partner with you to create programs that will build business,” said Kertes, whose agency is a member of Ensemble. “A lot of the marketing I do involves initiatives by BDMs.”

Kertes gave an example: “I have a Princess BDM who was asked by the line to establish a more prominent presence in Long Island.

“She reached out to a very high-end magazine here. The magazine was interested, and the BDM got us involved as part of a promotion. This got us exposure in the magazine and Princess helped with creating ads.”

Part of the team
Kelly Bergin, vice president business development at OASIS, an outside agent network that is a subsidiary of Smart Travel Group, said that good BDMs “are considered members of our marketing and support teams.”

“They come up with ideas to help us promote their product. They brainstorm about ideas to communicate and sell their product.”

Agents said that good BDMs can have a key role in supporting their business success, and not just by helping out on a cruise night. In the best agent-BDM relationships, the supplier reps bring creativity into the mix.

Marketing help
“What the BDM brings is help with sales and marketing ideas to help us boost sales,” said Colleen Gillette, owner of New Paltz Travel, a TRAVELSAVERS agency in New Paltz, N.Y.

“The better we do, the better they do, because most of them are paid based on sales volume in their territories.”

Gillette said that when she met with her Disney rep recently, the two discussed what was new at Disney’s theme parks, how her agency’s Disney sales were going, “and how we could work together to grow it.”

As a result, “we are putting together an ad campaign that will go on my Facebook pages, on the websites of local newspapers and elsewhere. She’s helping me with graphics.”

Friendly ties
Personal connections with BDMs are important, and some agents, Kertes among them, have become friends with their reps.

“I have my Crystal Cruises rep coming today – I’ve known her for 20 years. We will talk about marketing strategies, booking trends and go over revenue and sales goals together.

“If somebody stays in contact with you in a productive way, their product will be top of mind when you are selling to clients,” Kertes said.

Listening is key; tools are too
Angela Novelo, director of sales and marketing at Breton Travel in Grand Rapids, Mich., said a good BDM “needs to ask questions, listen to the answers and then offer suggestions on how their product can work for our individual travelers.”

“They need product, marketing, sales and excellent negotiation skills. They need to come in with ideas and suggestions on how to position their product,” said Novelo, whose agency is a member of the Signature Travel Network.

“They need to follow up in a timely manner. They need to remember the promises they made on their last visit and follow through. They need to be helpful and creative,” said Novelo.

Targeted training
What agents really need from BDMs are “the tools that make it easy to sell their product,” Novelo said.

“We need comparison guides as to what makes their product stand apart from the rest. We need quick and concise updates on the latest news from their companies.”
 
Gillette agreed that training is an important role for BDMs. But, she emphasized that it needs to be targeted training.

“A good BDM will know just what you need in training presentations and give us important information – and not waste time on things that won’t help us sell,” Gillette said.

“I want to know why this ship or room category is better than the competitors.”

Next time: Agents’ frustrations with BDMs