Be the Buyer’s Agent to Beat Competition

Travel agents face competition from many sources, from online search and booking engines to suppliers who market directly to their clients even while claiming they don’t, said travel industry consultant Bob Joselyn, who is also president and CEO of TAMS, a travel agency financial benchmarking and networking company.
 
However, the way to deal with this competition isn’t by complaining or claiming suppliers don’t have the right, Joselyn told Travel Market Report. “It’s all about convincing customers that working with a quality agency results in the best value. It’s about developing a relationship of trust.”
 
Be Consumer Focused
 
Travel sellers need to ask themselves ‘who are you an agent for?’ Joselyn said. “These days, you have to primarily be a ‘buyer’s agent, ’a buying agent for the consumer, not the selling agent for the supplier.”
 
“We have to effectively sell our merits so that even if a supplier markets direct to a client, the client knows that you are the one who recommends what’s best for them. I need my client to understand and believe that, so when a supplier tries to market to them directly, they think: ‘I trust that Bob is really interested in me and in my getting the best value.’”
 
“Travelers can buy a cruise, tour or car rental everywhere, so ask yourself why they should buy from you,” he advised.  “Most travel agents have a great story to tell but too few tell it, or tell it well. The benefits associated with agency services need to be clearly and powerfully articulated,” he said.
 
Let Clients Know What You Do
 
The problem is that most people don’t fully understand what travel agents do, he lamented.
 
Joselyn related a story about an agency that specializes in honeymoons and destination weddings. “Their client, a bride, posted a note on her destination wedding Web site saying something to the effect of ‘I know it seems outmoded to use a travel agency, but we are using one to coordinate the travel for our destination wedding and urge you to book through them.’”
 
“It was heart-stopping,” said Joselyn, noting that the incident illustrates a very important fact. Even those who use travel agents can’t articulate why.
 
Joselyn said he advised the agent to go back to the bride and say something to the effect of “I want you to feel better about recommending us, so maybe we need to let your guests know why you chose to use us.”
 
Like most travel sellers, this agent does a lot of special things for his clients, but sadly, the client either wasn’t aware of the benefits, or wasn’t properly sold on their value. 
 
Be Specific About the Value You Add
 
Joselyn recently gave his TAMS members an assignment. Articulate the value that you add for your clients.  Often travel sellers don’t take credit for what they do because they don’t recognize how special it is.  “Because you do it so often, from your perspective, it may not seem like a big deal,” he said.
 
“One member articulated the top ten things they could do for customers that they would be unlikely to do for themselves and that online retailers wouldn’t do.”
 
But that isn’t enough. You have to let the client know in a way that they understand. Agents do a lot of wonderful things and never take credit for it, he said. “It’s important to come up with the right wording to let your customers know what you are doing.
 
 
For example, an agency’s strong preferred arrangement with a hotel might allow clients to receive valuable VIP treatment — perhaps an upgraded room, a personal greeting, early check in, late check out, or even space when the hotel is fully booked. “When you arrange for that VIP hotel treatment, let clients know that you can do for them that because you have a special preferred relationship with the hotel,” he advised.
 
Or on a cruise, for the same price as an official excursion on a crowded bus, an agent can organize a private excursion. “Make sure that when you arrange those special private excursions for your cruise passengers, they know that this is something that the cruise line is not offering. You can offer this because you know their interests and can help them make the best use of their time,” he stressed.
 
And that if they miss a connection or a flight is canceled, you are there to help; that’s something the online sites don’t do. “That’s the kind of value that sells your services.”
 
“Don’t assume that people know what you are doing for them, he stressed. “My spouse often reminds me of all she does to support me, and it’s important that she does that because it’s easy to take things for granted.”