Let’s Keep Things Simple | Travel Research Online

Who says that building a business had to be difficult? Certainly not me. I do not see what all the fuss is about. Like everything else worth pursuing, it’s the fundamentals that will get you to where you want to go.

In an attempt to simplify your journey, I’ve outlined five steps that will have you feeling like a pro in very short order. My message has more to do with “consistency,” than from tedious and laborious “work.”

Let’s break this down to its component parts.

1. Identify a market consisting of people who want what you have/do.

This may be a hard pill to swallow, but current cruisers are a more attractive group to pursue than the larger group of those who have never donned an orange jacket during the mandatory lifeboat drill.

2. Introduce yourself to this identified market.

No buckshot approach here. You know exactly who you need to know. You have targeted them and positioned them on your “dartboard.”

3. Qualify this group.

Make certain that what you have is what will “scratch their itch.” There is no future in trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

4. Make yourself visible and available.

Make it easy for them to contact you. It is your job to remain visible. And, when they do contact you, pretend that you are actually pleased that they called. (You should not have to pretend. This should not be an exercise in make-believe.)

5. In time you will be given an opportunity to showcase your wares.

You have been earning your stripes. Soon it will be time to cash their checks.

That’s it. That is all you need to do, every day, with consistency, with personality, and with a sense of professionalism.

That’s easy enough, isn’t it?

So why are not more people successful at sales? That is an easy question to answer. Most people fail to buy-in to this formula. They feel that if they build a better mousetrap, the market will find its way to their door. This is outdated thinking. This is mindless thinking.

The entry-demands for selling travel are simple. You don’t have to buy anything. All you need to do is to learn to say, “me-too” and go print yourself a business card with some fancy travel-related logo and a clever saying next to a pretty picture of a palm tree next to your email address.

The options consumers have today are limitless. At last count, there were 25 bazillion ways to book a trip to Europe or a room with an ocean-view in Cancun. The fastest way to failure is to do what everybody else does when it comes to selling travel. The fastest way to success is to adopt the formula I outlined above.

Here is an idea. Before crossing my formula off as another piece of marketing mumbo-jumbo, give it a shot. Adapt this formula to fit your own personality and see for yourself if it is a waste of your time.

Mike Marchev freely shares his experiences, strategies and observations with travel professionals in an effort to keep them on top of their game. For a complimentary copy of his 12-Word Marketing Plan send him an email at mike@mikemarchev.com.

Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.