Asking the right questions is so important to The Mark Travel Corporation, it has become a core company value. It's true. Knowing what questions to ask helps team members identify problems and uncover opportunities critical to the well-being of the organization. For travel agents, the ability to ask the right question is a key factor in creating more revenue and developing lifetime customers.
Successful agents ask questions and plenty of them. They probe and delve into the likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests, of their customers in order to customize the best vacation possible. And by doing, agents become more than someone taking an order. By spending time asking the right questions, agents add value to their clients, ensuring not only a great vacation, but also increasing the likelihood of future business.
Asking great questions is (at its core) one of the biggest differentiators between a transactional relationship and a personal relationship.
So what are the kind of questions do you need to ask? As we all know, you need to, at a minimum, ask the mandatories:
• Where would you like to go?
• How long are you planning on traveling?
• What kind of budget do you have in mind?
All of these are important - but don't stop there, because there is so much more opportunity to start creating a deep and valuable relationship.
Do you know what questions to ask?
Before you begin to provide suggestions on where to go and what price your customer(s) should consider, focus on information gathering. If this is a first-time conversation with a client, now is the time to get to know the person on the other side of the phone.
[READMORE] READ MORE: Agent Wellness: A Core Value at The Mark Travel [/READMORE]
If this is a past client, use the meeting to reconnect and understand what they are looking for. Importantly, don't assume this trip will be the same kind of trip as before. In either case use your time to get vital pieces of information that will help you get what your customer wants and build a relationship into the future. But do you know the right questions to ask? We talked to a few travel agents recently and asked them their opinion on what kind of questions to ask, and below are just a few to help get the process moving.
• What does the customer want their experience to look like?
• Why is the client going on this trip? Is it an anniversary, a birthday, a special milestone?
• Who else are they traveling with?
• What does your client want to accomplish on his/her trip?
• Is your client a pool person or a beach person?
• Have they had specific past experiences that stand out as memorable?
• Are they active travelers or are they fine relaxing with a book?
• If they are active, what kind of things do they like to do?
• Are they foodies?
• What level of service do they require?
• Are there health issues you should be aware of?
• Is your client a night owl or do they like to make it an early night?
• If they are looking back on their trip after it is over, what would have had to have happened to make it an incredible memory?
And if your client is traveling with children or a multi-generational trip, that will lead to a different set of questions. Here are just a few to consider as a starting point:
• How old are the children?
• Does your son or daughter like to swim?
• Would they have fun with children's activities or would prefer they are with you throughout the trip?
• What kinds of things do they like to do?
• Will you need any equipment for the room like a crib?
• Would you like a babysitter for a night so you can get away on your own?
Given the fact there are so many food allergy issues today, it's critical an agent probe to find out if there are any dietary concerns. And if so, what kind?
Now let's pause here for a moment. This list can easily go on and this is just the start, depending on your client, the kind of trip, etc. But even if an agent were to stop with this list, look at the wealth of knowledge they have already accumulated. Armed with this knowledge, imagine what a better job an agent could do at providing a range of amazing recommendations! Moreover, the client has invested their time and energy answering these questions leading to a longer-term, ongoing relationship.
Travel agents can provide so much value in the travel space and can be such an important element in the overall process and helping make this happen begins by asking the right questions. And when this happens, you become a value provider and start paving the way for life-long clients.
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