Being in the travel industry and having to sell hotel deals, air fares and more to your clients means you need to have basic selling skills.
Selling skills aren’t something everyone has, but you can get the skills you need to make an impact and close the deal by following some basic tips and techniques which can help you provide your clients with everything they need to make an informed decision, while ensuring that you secure the deal.
Listen
It is very important you have good listening skills. If you haven’t practised this, then you are going to want to start now. Focus on what people say, take the time to listen to their every word and identify what they are trying to tell you. It is very easy to misunderstand your customer when they are speaking to you. It is a good idea to take notes, ensuring you get all the important facts. If necessary, repeat what you feel is important to them before searching for deals you feel are going to meet their unique travel needs and budget.
Identify your clients’ needs
Ensure that you have a firm understanding of your clients’ needs. Are they travelling for business? Are they looking for a romantic getaway? Maybe they’re planning their family holiday for the summer. By asking questions you will be able to get a better understanding of what your clients expect for this holiday.
Use open ended questions and then use your listening skills to ensure you get accurate details you can use to secure them the best holiday deals that they can enjoy. You want to make a good impression, you want them to come back to you time and time again for all their future travel.
Use language your client will understand
When working in any industry it is easy to pick up on jargon that only your colleagues will understand. When talking to a potential client, you want to refrain from using jargon, ensuring you use language that they understand. You only get one chance to make an impression and get them to consider using your company for their travel, which means speaking a language they understand to ensure that they get a good understanding of what you are trying to share with them. This will reduce the risk of miscommunication and possible disappointment for your client.
Identify your clients’ priorities
While taking the time to listen to your client and understand what they want from a holiday, it is important that you focus on their priorities. While you understand they want to visit a certain location, or they want to stay in a specific type of hotel, what is most important to them to make this their dream holiday? Learning to identify with priorities can help you put this first when looking for deals, as you are not always going to be able to meet every need and expectation.
Identify if the hotel is more important or the price? Does the client expect a specific location or will they be happy with a hotel set a few roads away? These are things you need to identify to help you provide your client with the most memorable holiday experience.
Provide facts
Another important element of selling is that you provide your client with the facts. Don’t let them assume anything, this is their holiday money that they have been saving up. Take the time to go through each deal with them in detail, ensure they understand what they will get for their money and work with them to put an itinerary in place that guarantees they will have the best holiday experience.
Value for money
You will find that the majority of your clients will be looking for value for money deals. It is not a surprise that your clients are going to be looking to get more for their money and with internet deals being so affordable, you need to ensure you can show them the value for money in the deals you provide.
Ensure you work out each deal and identify where your client will be saving, where there is value in the deals you are offering, making them more appealing.
Smooth over any suspicion
It is completely natural for a client to be suspicious of a deal or your service, you need to expect and anticipate this. Focus on smoothing over any suspicion they may have. This can be something as simple as securing confirmations from each hotel or airline and attaching it to the itinerary that you send to them.
Know your product
While you may think that selling is all about focusing on the client and most of the work you do is customer focused, you also need to know your product. Knowing your product can help you provide the best service, ensure you match your clients’ needs to the right deal and help you achieve success in the tourism and travel industry.
When you have a few quiet moments, go through the hotel deals you have available, see what airlines are offering the best prices right now and ensure you know what countries you provide your services in. Know the star rating of hotels, gather guest reviews and ensure you have all the information you need so you can provide the best possible service to every customer.
Superior after-sales service
Providing excellent after-sales service goes a long way in any industry. Taking a minute to phone a client when they return from holiday to check up on them and ensure that they had a good time or ensuring that the client has your direct number if they encounter any problems during their holiday.
When you provide top after-sales service, it helps you build up a rapport with your client. You want to focus on each client as a long term investment and you want them to come back to you every time they are planning a holiday.
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