Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008 - (Page 13)

YOUR a difficult client because he is 20 percent of your business, factor in extra fees or raise your pricing in order to provide this client with the extra attention he demands,” she says. Your time is money, she states, and you should be compensated accordingly for working with a difficult client. Making It Work Sometimes all relationships need is a little fine-tuning on the communication front. Kelly Shea, vice president/owner of Earle Travel Co. in Indianapolis, says she has tried to nicely fire two clients. “One of them screamed at me from a restaurant in the south of France because an agency, we are very conscious of not taking on a new client without first qualifying their needs and expectations. Most times we will get a client who has left another agency and my first questions have to deal with why they left, such as ‘What was the agency not doing for you?’ We look to see if their expectations are realistic and valid. Sometimes they are not and I can then indicate that we would have the same issues as the previous agency.” However, even after that initial consultation and perhaps working together for some time, the professional relationship may simply run its course, or change FOR THE AGENT in unexpected ways. “We have found that when a client takes up so much of our time that we are neglecting the other profitable clients, the time has come to say goodbye,” he says. “If we are not earning a reasonable return on our time, we politely part ways. I try to explain that we are going in a different direction and that we aren’t the best agency suited to their needs. If they still Continued on page 14 they were seated 20 minutes after their reservation. I sent a letter when they returned and told them that I thought we needed to part ways because they didn’t seem to be happy with my service and I wasn’t happy in return.” The restaurant problem was not the first and only issue, says Kelly, but it was the final straw. “In this case, the man knew exactly what I was doing, and the next day I had a flower arrangement that could have been in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, it was so huge. We now have a reasonably good relationship, and he has never yelled at me again.” Peter S. Carideo, president of CRC Travel in Chicago, says establishing expectations up front is a wise move. “As If your client has become unbearable, it may be time to show him the door. M AY 2008 Home-BasedTravelAgent 13

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008

Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: When It’s Just Not Worth It Publisher’s Note: Never Underestimate Your Lifeline: When Things Go Wrong, You May Need To Agent Spotlight: Odyssey Travel’s Michelle Duncan New Technology: Resources That Can Help You Quickly Industry News: Costa Names Field Sales Director Hot Deals: From the Caribbean to Canada and London Success Stories Independent Associations Southern Swing Mexico Dominican Republic Cover Story: Australia Family Trips Theme Tours New Products: Urban At Ease Laptop Messenger Bag

Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008

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