2 Mistakes that You Are Making When Planning your Client’s Trips
Let’s face it, times have changed, the travel industry has changed, and how and why people travel has changed. This means that you can no longer design and run your travel agent business the same old-school way. By acknowledging and solving the two mistakes that you are making when planning your client’s trips that are mentioned in this article, travel agents can elevate the level of service they provide, ensuring customers receive personalized attention, guidance, and support throughout their travel journey by incorporating travel coaching.
- You’re asking too general of questions in the discovery phase
It’s common to ask your clients questions like “what kind of trip are you looking to have?”, “what types of activities do you enjoy doing most?”, “how many people are traveling?”. “how long do you plan to travel for?”, or “do you prefer nightlife, adventure, luxury, cruising, or something else?”.
The problem is that those types of general questions don’t actually tell you anything specific about your client. Instead, get to know your client on a deeper and more personal level. Get to know why they are truly looking to get away or go on that vacation. What are they really looking for? What type of transformation, outcome, feelings, or changes are they in need of?
Consider incorporating questions in your discovery calls like “where is the motivation for wanting to go on this trip stemming from?”, “how do you want to feel upon return?”, or “what has prevented you from going on this trip already?”.
Travel coaching is about helping your clients set intentions for their trips and better understanding your client’s needs, struggles, goals, and overall pain points that are leading to the desire for a trip and what they are looking to get out of that trip. The coaching aspect encompasses active listening, empathy, and more.
- You’re selecting a destination and the activities first
Instead of recommending a destination because of its beautiful white sandy beaches and palms trees or it’s luxurious shopping and nightlife options, you should be getting to know what your client’s personal needs and goals are first and then matching a destination and the types of experiences that they should have.
There are beautiful beaches, palm trees, great shopping, and nightlife all over the world so those types of things don’t make a destination unique. Also, your clients are looking to go on a trip for deeper and more meaningful reasons and it’s your duty as the travel expert to pull those needs to the surface. Once you gain a better understanding of what your client is truly in need of, you can then suggest destinations and activities that best align with those needs. For example, if your client has just experienced a big life transition and is looking to get away to decompress, suggesting a destination where they can spend time in nature, self-reflect, and also meet new people and experience a new culture may be a good fit.
L:earn more about becoming a Certified Travel Coach here
