Helping Advisors Deliver on New Travel Trends

Delta Vacations University resumed in Atlanta in September after a two-year hiatus and, according to Kristen Molloy, vice president of sales for Delta Vacations, the most frequent feedback from the more than 1,000 travel advisors who gathered for the educational event was that clients want “highly personalized and specialized experiences.”

This is really a time for advisors to showcase what they can do by creating those kinds of trips – either in a part of the world that’s new to clients or in favorites being revisited, she said.

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Live Training

The tour operator is working toward ensuring that advisors can deliver on the new travel patterns that have emerged out of the pandemic, Molloy said. A priority moving forward is the relaunching of destination training to help advisors sell better. There is now live training every week with a full library of on-demand programs, all of which are available on Delta Vacations’ advisor portal WorldAgent Direct.

More destinations are being added all the time. Delta Vacations offers holidays wherever parent company Delta Air Lines goes, and it has recently added programs to Tahiti; Cape Town, South Africa; Tel Aviv; and the Greek islands of Corfu, Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes. Others will be announced soon, Malloy said.

SkyMiles Picks

It’s important to support advisors in selling products they might not know as well as those they specialize in, she said. One way is through SkyMiles Picks, which are hotel selections based on trusted traveler reviews submitted by members of Delta’s SkyMiles loyalty program who have taken trips with the carrier and responded to surveys.

To earn recognition, a property must be selected by a high volume of respondents who rate hotels based on multiple standards, including close proximity to local attractions and more.

Partnership with Affirm

Also helping advisors sell – and upsell – is a partnership with Affirm, a company that allows customers to delay paying the full balance of their trip until after their return. This is an extremely hands-off process for advisors, said Molloy, and becomes just another form of payment. It’s a better experience for the client, she said, and often generates a higher commission check.

Meanwhile, the operator is continually obtaining feedback from advisors, including through an annual survey, an advisory board and a council of emerging leaders, which is composed of up-and-coming agents representing different categories of agencies and a variety of roles, including young owners. “I’m never going to get the next great idea sitting in my office,” she said. “Some of my best innovations come from advisors saying, ‘You might think I’m crazy but...”

Self-Booking Options

There are still more ways that Delta Vacations is supporting advisors, including more self-booking options and more high-end products with all hotels now four and five stars, except where that is not feasible, Molloy said.

The company is also making it easier to sell premium air products. And Delta Vacations will continue to support its customer engagement center with more technology, more tools and more training. The “secret sauce” of Delta Vacations is that “we want to be the advisor’s best partner,” Molloy said.

Selling Tips

Take advantage of Rewards to Go, where advisors can earn points toward their own vacations. “Once they take our trips they become better ambassadors for Delta Vacations,” said Molloy.

Tell clients that Delta Vacations trips are now included in the airline’s SkyMiles loyalty program.

Find your niche or specialty, but don’t be afraid to sell outside that. For support, reach out to your business development manager or see if online training is available. And use SkyMiles Picks.