Sales Training for Travel Professionals | Travel Research Online

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Sales Training for Travel Professionals

What type of formal sales and marketing training have you undertaken? If you look at most professions, the sales people are continually taking sales courses on a regular basis. In travel, however, sales and marketing often take a back seat to destination courses and product knowledge. Too seldom do you see real sales and marketing training in our industry.  Even at industry trade shows, “sales seminars” usually end up being more product knowledge in disguise. How important do you think formal training in sales and marketing is and how have you invested in it in the past?
465837571When something goes “wrong” in a proposal to a client, you can often trace the problem back to the sales skills necessary for a smooth transition from one stage of the sales process to another.  If your marketing  brings 100 potential travelers to your doorstep, and 25 of them travel with you, there is tremendous room for improvement. Resist here the temptation to write off the 75 who did not travel as “tire-kickers” or “shoppers”. Your marketing did it’s job. You were handed 75 leads that did not travel with you. Your mission now is to determine what went right with the 25 leads that went full cycle, and what went wrong with the other 75.

A serious study of your successes and failures will increase the number of clients making it all the way through the sales funnel to become repeat travelers with your agency.As we analyze where things go wrong in the sales process, a good place to begin is in fundamental knowledge and training in the skills associated with sales. Many travel professionals, if honest, will admit to largely “winging it” and allowing their considerable product knowledge to carry most of the weight in their one-on-one encounters with clients. However, to overlook the importance of sales training is to hobble your travel career. A proper understanding of sales enhances every aspect of your relationship with clients. Training in an authentic sales approach to your work will vastly improve the number of successful clients traveling with you.

Sales and marketing are as essential to the business life of travel consultants as product knowledge. Seek out training and good business coaches. Commit to learning more about sales methods and psychology – become your own motivator and sales coach. Seek out and invest in your understanding of these important skills and your business will almost certainly increase many fold.

  3 thoughts on “Sales Training for Travel Professionals

  1. HMTravel says:

    Hi Richard,
    Having spent 20 years in sales in another field before becoming a travel agent, I have constantly espoused the importance of sales training to the other agents in my business group.
    I agree totally with your premise, except it basically took over 400 words to tell people that they need sales training without offering any direction where to find it. Other than Mike Marchev, who I think is great, where is the Industry specific sales training? What resources would you recommend?

    Thanks,
    Harry McKenzie

    1. Harry:

      Glad you asked! Anita Pagliasso and I have just founded Travel Professional Academy and Mr. Marchev is participating there with us. We have tried to pack it with sales, marketing and customer service as well as monthly coaching and business plan development. You can learn more at http://www.TravelProfessionalAcademy.com

      Best,

      Richard

  2. HMTravel says:

    Thanks for the quick response, Richard. I checked out the program and it looks great. I am currently working on my CTA through the Travel Institute. Once I knock that out I will definitely be interested in doing the sales course.

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