Is it time for you and your travel agency to start the hard-sell?

The easy-sell, packages to Mexico, the Caribbean, cruises and some parts of Western Europe, are the volume producers, the end-of-the-aisle things. Sometimes, if you do enough volume, you make decent money, and in many cases, the product sells itself.

But…you are in competition with every other brick-and-mortar and online agency out there, not to mention the product service provider itself – the airline, the hotel, the car rental company…

For agents, either brick-and-mortar or home-based, this is what you must sell, really, to stay alive. Rare is the agent who can super-specialize in a niche or destination.

However, the easy-sell is just that: too easy. And increasingly less profitable.

To stay in business and thrive, it might be necessary to look at the hard-sells; those destinations that the consumer does not feel comfortable booking on their own, or will be sorry most of the time if they do book without a travel agent. This is where the specialty tour operator comes in. An agent can work to become an expert in a hard-sell destination or niche, but can that be enough to add to the bottom line net profit? Will you get a return on your investment? You might.

My approach over the last two years has been that I want you to need me. Sounds like a pop song, but if I (Ya’lla Tours) can comprise three to five percent of your booking on an annual basis, be it through group or FIT business, it will go a long way to adding twenty percent to your net profit.

Here’s how. It’s basic math and common sense.

• Our product is quality, so the price is higher.
• You work with a partner whose focus is on a small part of the world, so things can be done that the “supermarket” tour operators cannot or will not do.
• Quality equals repeat clients and referrals
• Consumers are not confident about booking our destinations on their own.
• We do not compete for your business. Ya’lla Tours does not solicit business from the public.
• Ya’lla Tours has the tools to make your investment in the exotic worth it. We do educational trips for agents, support you with media and personnel, and will provide four-color printing for your group business. In addition, we have real, actual documents, so no PDF printing. The client gets something to hold in their hand for their $12,000 FIT.

It’s really a matter of choice. You have to do the easy sell, the daily sellers, but to take some time and invest with a partner who has the tools to add to your net profit, will be more satisfying to the wallet and to your work. After all, who wants to do the same thing over and over again; a little variety on the job is rewarding personally, and your clients will be pleased to find the special item in the middle of the aisle, which is a surprise and delight.

Think about investing in the hard sell, either with me, Ya’lla Tours, or with a similar company, because it will ultimately be survival of the smartest, the fittest and the best connected.

Rich Davis, Ya’lla Tours USA Sales Manager, Midwest Region