Recommend May2017 - 34

25 No job too small. Someone just
wants a half-day private guided tour
in London for a family of four? Take
it. It will give you an opportunity to
show your skills and they may come
back for a more elaborate trip.
26 Process requests quickly after
receiving them. Important to get the
ball rolling.
27 Don't be rigid about itineraries
you may design. Even if you love
your plan, if a client shows they want
something different, you have to
be flexible.

35 Be up to date on international
news and have opinions on how
you feel about certain events. If
a client brings up a country that
has had terrorist attacks, how do
you respond? How do you react to
news that's misleading? Evaluating
a country by what you see in the
news is like seeing a room through
a keyhole. Make it your business to
understand the whole picture.
36 Sell trip insurance but unless
you're an insurance expert,
encourage your clients to ask specific
questions to the insurance providers.

28 Before a client travels, offer to go
over the itinerary day by day on the
phone or in person.

37 Get feedback from clients after
a trip and share it with partners and
suppliers that you worked with.

29 Keep in touch with clients when
they are traveling. Don't only be
there for the bad news.

38 Collect testimonials and use
them on your website, in social
media and in publicity campaigns.

30 Be reachable 24/7 or have a
backup. Be ready to pivot and make
changes as needed. Vespa foodie tour
rained out in Ho Chi Minh City?
No problem, shoot an e-mail to your
DMC to switch nights.

39 Encourage clients to refer
friends. We all know that word of
mouth is the best advertising you
can have.

31 Keep in touch with clients
throughout the year. Send post cards,
short e-mails...
32 Suggest a 5-year travel plan for all
your clients. This is something
you can sit down and develop with
them, taking into account budget,
ages, interests.
33 Talk about budget early in the
process and convey your commitment
to get them maximum value within
their budget.
34 Keep abreast of rates of exchanges
and foreign currency. If the South
African rand is weak against the
USD, use it as a great selling point.
34 may 2017

40 Follow up with clients, with
suppliers...always.
41 Keep up to date on holidays
in destinations you're likely to
sell. For example, know when Tet
is happening in Vietnam. Know
when to go and when NOT to go to
certain places.
42 Don't multi-task. This is when
mistakes happen.
43 Don't send e-mails late at night.
Always proofread in the morning
with clear eyes.
44 Make sure your e-mails, your
itineraries and other documents are
error-proof. These are reflections of
you and they show how well you pay
attention to details.

45 Hire a bookkeeper.
46 Attend trade shows and travel
events but choose them wisely.
Ask yourself how many you can
reasonably attend every year and
whether you need to go back to the
same ones each year.
47 Decide whether a consortia is right
for you. Great to have a network and
it can yield some terrific amenities for
your clientele. But at the same time,
don't underestimate the potential of
a strong independent agency where
relationships with suppliers are direct
and first-hand.
48 Cultivate business contacts
whenever you can. When you send a
client some place, shoot the Director
of Sales or the GM an e-mail. Draw
attention to the fact that you're a fan
of their property.
49 Travel smartly. Every year, identify
the places you need to visit to be up to
date for your clients and get to them.
50 When traveling, have as many
experiences as you can, so that you can
effectively sell them to your clients.
Take the gladiator lessons in Rome.
Walk the walls of Dubrovnik. Spend
the night in a ryokan in Japan, a riad
in Morocco, a pousada in Portugal.

Susan Farewell is the owner
of Farewell Travels LLC
(FarewellTravels.com), a
travel design firm based in
Westport, CT.
Follow her on Twitter
and Instagram
@FarewellTravels.

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