As business owners, we wear many hats and face many challenges. The biggest challenge is customers. Finding them. Acquiring them. And in the end, understanding their needs, desires, and capabilities. It is a never-ending challenge. Recently I was on a dreaded* Zoom call with some colleagues brainstorming on ways to better understand our clients. Here are several ways, if I can read my scribbles from my notes!
Be Accessible
Today’s client is mobile in many ways. They are on the move, and they run their lives in the palm of their hands. Voicemail is nearly dead, so at a minimum, you need to be available by text. Take it a few steps further and add in a chat or video chat (Facetime, etc.) feature as well. Of course, you need to set limits and expectations of availability. And we discussed many options to mask your personal numbers with minimal cost. Google Voice and Text Free are services I have used with success.
Ask For Feedback
As an industry, we are not terrific when it comes to this. But if you think about it, who has more clout for a potential client? Is it me, telling them that Mr. Smith just returned from a fantastic trip and had a great time and loved our service? Or is it Mr. Smith telling them that he just returned from a fantastic trip and had a great time and loved our service? Ask your customers to review you on social media (Yelp, Facebook, and Google are the biggies) and let their words do the work for you. Of course, you need to engage as well and publicly thank them for the business and address any negative reviews as well. We all agreed negative reviews should be handled offline. And needless to say, these reviews must be monitored—nothing says “I don’t care” more than a business reply to a review from a year ago.
Ask What They Want
The best indicator for the future direction of your company is your current client base. You have already established the relationship, so use it! Not sure how you are moving forward after COVID? Ask your clients where they are looking to travel and how. Ask them about their concerns. Ask about additional services you are considering adding to the mix and about any that they think might be a perfect fit. Remember, the best way to view your agency is from afar. You are too close for a clear picture, so use that relationship to help develop it.
Split Test As Much As You Can
Some of my colleagues are part of a franchise that will mail out promotions and they offer the ability to split test mailings. Segregate them by zip code, or other criteria and see what performs better, and then re-market to that segment. If you are using an email service (and you should be), all of them offer A/B testing as well. Change up the subject line and the content and see what does better. It might be that an ALL CAPS subject resonates with your audience (but more likely will turn them off). Send out a broadcast with a moderate property and another with a luxury one. You might just discover that your audience is willing to travel a lot differently than you assumed. And I mentioned re-marketing to a client; email broadcasts are ideal for this. I use it all the time. Find out who clicked on a link multiple times and then send them more information on that. The multi-clicks display an interest. So what do you think a follow-up email will do if you include some photos and a few recent client testimonials along with a sample itinerary?
Start a Frequent Traveler Program
I am not a huge fan of this personally, but it has worked for my colleagues. Develop a way to reward your best customers with discounts or perks. It could be an Uber ride to and from the airport or an upgraded accommodation on their next trip. Tie it into referrals or into sales. It does not need to be hugely expensive, but many say it is very effective.
In The End
The bottom line is that you need to listen to your customers and prospects. If nothing else, the past decade has shown us how the consumer has changed and how we must keep on top of it to survive. Hopefully, these ruminations might spark some discussion in your business, just as they did on our dreaded Zoom call!
*Dreaded only because I am so over Zoom—I love my colleagues and love getting together with them.
