I’m sitting here singing that little ditty from Napoleon Dynamite, titled, “Yes, I Love Technology”, if you don’t know it, YouTube it!
I am a big fan of technology. I enjoy setting up and using systems in order to offer effective service to my clients. I embrace new technology, and over the last few years have been learning to use Social Media, including the newest in that category–Pinterest.
Several people I like and trust are using Pinterest and I am excited because of its marketing potential. I can’t wait to find different ways that I can use some of my existing clients’ photos (with their permission) to get new referrals from potential travelers.
If I can feed off my client’s enthusiasm and get someone else excited and ready to travel, then more than half of my work is already done! As I see it, getting people excited to the point that they want to talk to me is the major challenge as a home-based agent. With Pinterest, I can use others’ enthusiasm to pave the way to more business. I think of this as a win-win. One way to make it a win-win is by helping a non-tech savvy client post their photos on your Pinterest board or their own—with the proper tags of course. I can see a lot of potential with this one and think every agent should check it out.
While Pinterest seems to have piqued my interest, I do need to talk about peeve of mine—the automated telephone call. No, I don’t hate all automated calls, and really, there are some that I actually appreciate.
I like the automated call that my doctors’ offices’ use to remind me of upcoming appointments. I can even get onboard when the Red Cross automated call comes looking for blood during a shortage. When my daughter was in school I certainly thought that the emergency auto-call system was a good idea; especially when letting us know if school was getting out unexpectedly. The common thread in all these was that I already had an existing relationship with the caller. These calls were set up to either help me, or in the case of the Red Cross, to ask me to help with something in which I had already expressed an interest.
When I am working away at my desk and pick up the ringing phone, expecting to have a client r prospect on the other end, only to hear a robotic type recording from some random company, I go ballistic! These people seem to just be dialing as many people as they can and hoping for a response. Am I overreacting?
Who knows? There may be something that I would want or need; maybe it’s Publisher’s Clearing House telling me about that cool million I won. But I don’t wait…I hang up! And on the odd chance it is a live person, I will politely dismiss him or her before hanging up.
I hope that my marketing efforts do not even come close to eliciting “hate” from my clients. But I realize that there are different strokes for different folks; and it sure makes you stop and think.
Have you played with Pinterest? What marketing habits annoy you?
Trish Gastineau, CTC is the owner of Simply Europe Travel who is passionate about her craft; especially Europe and River Cruises! She was recognized as the #1 Selling River Cruise Specialist for 2011 with Avalon Waterways as well as participating in several of their training webinars. She has been in the Travel Industry since 1993 and hails most recently from Montgomery, Alabama. Learn more about Trish at: www.simplyeuropetravel.com or contact her by email: trish@simplyeuropetravel.com.
