The Art of Closing the Sale

You can have interested customers, great suppliers and a thorough knowledge of the travel business.  But if you can’t close the sale, you’re just spinning your wheels.

Here are eight steps to sealing the deal, based on advice from travel pros.

#1. Get personal
“Closing the sale begins when the client calls and requests information,” said Chris Tichy, owner of The Vacation Center, a TRAVELSAVERS agency with locations in Southington, Conn., and Coventry, R.I.

“We can’t just give a quote and get the booking. We have to grow relationships.  

“We get personal with them. If they have children, we talk about our kids. When my wife and I got married, we even invited clients to our wedding.”
 
#2. Gain their trust
“Trust is a huge, huge factor,” said Patty Noonan, CTC, director of sales for The Travel Institute, the agent training and certification organization based in Framingham, Mass.

“We used to go out and wine and dine clients. Now you have to find other ways to engage clients.”

Cultivating trust-based relationships from the outset is critical to all business dealings.

“When I speak with a client for the first time, I try to find commonalities, to talk about the weather, about sports teams,” said Noonan, whose travel industry experience includes sales positions with suppliers and on the incentive side.

#3. Build on their interests
Discovering clients’ interests will allow agents to design the unforgettable trips that it’s hard to say no to.

Taking copious notes during those initial conversations can be helpful, Noonan said. “Knowing when their birthday is, that they’re a big Cubs fan, that they love to ride bikes is important,” she said.
 
“After you’ve established a basic rapport, the next step is to figure out what clients enjoy doing,” advised Noonan. “Maybe they’d prefer a $400 bottle of wine to an adventure tour, or vice versa.  Figuring out their interests allows you to determine the type of trip they’d enjoy.”

Keeping the connection alive is important too. “After the basic fact-finding call, keep in touch with emails, texts and phone calls,” Noonan said.

#4. Communicate your expertise
For Diana Hechler of D. Tours Travel, an Ensemble agency in Larchmont, N.Y., establishing her professionalism with customers is an important part of the sale.

“Being good at your work establishes your competence and credibility. I’ve spent 15 years learning this business, traveling to various locales, attending conferences and CLIA lectures.

“Our first conversation is my chance to show them that I know what I’m doing. It’s up to me to make the case that I’m the right person to handle their trip.”

That initial talk also helps Hechler qualify how serious clients are about signing on the dotted line. “At the end of 15 minutes, I mention my consulting fee, and I get one of two responses: ‘Where do I send the check?’ Or, ‘I guess I really didn’t realize there was a fee involved.’”

#5. Share your passion
To get clients excited enough to book a trip, Tichy of The Vacation Center said, “We let them see the passion we have for travel. We love to do it – and we think it shows.

“We spend days visiting resorts at various destinations,” said Tichy. “We check out the food, the layouts, the entertainment so we can properly advise clients.”
 
Noonan also touched on the role of emotion in the sale. “The whole process comes down to emotion,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re selling clients their dreams.”

#6. Use your judgment
Even when clients are committed to a particular kind of trip, they look to agents to confirm their visions – or suggest better alternatives.  

One of Tichy’s clients wanted an all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica. “After talking to her, I realized that she enjoyed birdwatching,” he said. “So, what she really needed was a boutique-y resort specializing in birdwatching vacations.”

Noonan recalled a tale she heard from an agent who was counseling a young couple who had three kids, ages 7, 8 and 11. “The father says, ‘What do you think of a four-day cruise?’ She’s thinking, ‘I wouldn’t put my dog on that kind of a cruise.’

“So she says, ‘How about a Disney Cruise?  They’ve got a brand-new ship out of Cape Canaveral. You can get two adjoining suites.’”  

The family initially came to the agent for an inexpensive four-day cruise and “it ended up being a $15,000 booking,” Noonan said.

#7. Knock down obstacles to the sale
Overcoming client hesitations can be a big part of getting customers to yes.

“Time and money are the two biggest obstacles to arranging a trip,” said Noonan. “You have to find solutions. If a client is concerned about high airfares, you have to find a solution.

“Obstacles are the walls to closing the sale. You have to knock down those walls.”

#8. Create a sense of urgency
Being honest with your client is key, but creating a sense of urgency can sometimes help seal the deal.  

“The late Anna Gaye Gilroy of Gilroy Travel, a Virtuoso agency in Utah, once sold four around-the-world trips at $75,000 each,” recalled Noonan. “I asked her how she did it. She replied, ‘All I said was I sure hope I can still get those four seats for you.’”