Posted by Adele Youngs
10 April 2015
How NOT to sell an international tour
Here in the UK, we are in the middle of General Election "fever". This is the time, every five years, when the country re-elects all its political representatives. The winning party (or parties...) form the government and their leader becomes Prime Minister. Last time we got a coalition - who knows what we will get this time!
It struck me that an election is the most powerful and expensive form of sales and advertising that there probably is. The parties will all do their best to out-perform each other, sling plenty of mud around and try to promise "the electorate" that they are the best people to run the country. This is whilst simultaneously kissing lots of babies and being seen drinking lots of cups of tea like all "normal" British people do, of course.
There are lots of lessons in it for us lesser mortals, not least how NOT to do things. Most people in most countries distrust politicians, no matter what their beliefs. But, in our particular industry, distrust is a killer blow.
On that note, and bearing in mind the lessons that our political masters can "teach" us, here is my top 3 list of politician-inspired ways to NOT sell an international tour...and our top 3 resources to tackle each one.
1) Say you can offer a destination when you can't. Politicians love to make all kinds of promises to the voters, from lower taxes to better standards of living. The challenge for voters is to spot the liars... and it's the same for groups. Anyone offering something to a group that can't be done, or a tour in an area that they really don't know, runs the risk of being found out and never believed again.
If you don't know an area, there are many people who do and who can help you, including receptive operators, tourist boards, DMCs etc. It's OK to ask for help and it could just save your reputation. Click here to order our free book on how to choose a receptive operator.
2) Leave them waiting. Politicians love making manifesto pledges, and then when they win...finding lots of reasons not to fulfill those pledges. Groups, like voters, want to see results quickly. So, when a group leader approaches you, make sure you have samples and ideas ready to send to them fast.
Struggling to see the requests due to all the other emails in your inbox? Here are some tips on how to set up filters to make sure you see what is important, and file away information for future reference.
3) Fail to follow up. In the run up to an election, voters are bombarded with emails, flyers, calls and visits from the candidates and their teams. Once they've got elected, do you ever hear from them again?? Quite. In the same way, groups are not going to be insulted if you follow up with them - in fact, most will appreciate it. Statistics show that 80% of sales are made on the 5th to 12th contact with a prospect...that's a lot more than most people would assume.
Following up is critical to business success. Click here for a short video on how to do this and why it's so important.
Now I'm off to re-read my list of local candidates and decide who to vote for....