Invest $300 now to insure a stellar Wave Season | Travel Research Online

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Invest $300 now to insure a stellar Wave Season

I am a huge believer in proactive subtle marketing. Of course, you need to touch your clients when you have that fantastic promotion that is just what their doctor ordered; but you also need to reach out to them when you don’t have that fantastic promotion as well. Face it, much to our dismay, people do not travel all the time. There are down times in their lives where travel is the last thing on their minds—and for many, that time of year is now!

For me, I have Christmas gifts to worry about and two tuition payments for my kids in college. So, planning that dream trip is not at the top of my to-do list. And receiving a nudge from my travel professional suggesting that it should be on the top of my list will do little more than irritate me.

But, a brief personalized (in order of preference) handwritten note/mailed holiday card/email to simply say hello and thanking me for my past business will certainly keep my agent at the top of my mind.

The large agencies of the past have thinned their ranks. Most of us now operate from a very small office or from home. I know that my book of business is nowhere near what it was when I owned several storefront agencies, and I also know that I have many fewer (yet better) clients.  Depending on your business mix, identify your top 50 clients (or 25, or 100) and invest a few hundred dollars and a few hours on postage and cards.  Today, while the phone is not ringing, jot this down on 50 note cards….

I was just going through my agency client list and I smiled when I remembered your last trip. With Thanksgiving on Thursday, I just wanted to offer you heartfelt thanks for your support and business. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And hand sign it.  Do not include a card, but be sure your address is on the envelope with a real stamp–no machines and not the cheesy labels dispensed from the Post Office Kiosks. No sales pitch. No flier. No call to action. I bet when the New Year rolls around and they do begin to think of spring break or summer—you will be on the top of the “must call” list.

But don’t stop there. After Thanksgiving while the phone is not ringing, do the same thing for the holidays.

When the holidays roll around, it’s only natural to think about those that are important in our lives. I just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much I value our relationship and your support. Wishing you the most joyous holiday season and a wonderful 2014!

OK, so now you have hit your top 50 clients two times in 30 days with good wishes and no sales pitches! How do you think they will feel? And what do you think they might do in late January when you send them a third note.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. If your 2014 includes some travel, I’d love to help you plan another dream trip. If you are thinking about escaping the cold, I expect to see some fantastic pricing on cruises in the coming weeks.  Give me a shout!

This time, include a business card. And now, you have prepped them for Wave Season. For 50 clients, it has now cost you 3 hours of time, about $70 in postage, and maybe $200 in stationery.  For under $300—seems like marketing money well spent!

Do you contact your clients during the holidays?  How do you do it?

 

 

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