Facts, Logic and Emotions!

Your clients love to cite the reasons they buy from you. You negotiate great prices, you provide extras and good value, you know everything about Tuscany, etc. What they won’t admit is that they almost always buy based on emotional reasons, so your sales and marketing techniques need to play to their emotions and not just facts and logic.

I remember the process of buying a motorcycle when I was in my 20s. I did a lot of research on competitive models, looked at prices, service warranties and put all the features side-by-side (I didn’t compare mileage as they all get a zillion mpg). The truth is that I ended up with the bike I liked best from the outset because I thought it was really cool looking (full disclosure: It was that hideous green that was pervasive in the late 70s and 80s. I’m pretty sure I had a disco shirt of the same color, but that’s for another column). I thought I was a cool-headed and objective decision-maker but, even then, I knew in my heart that I made an emotional decision and then strung together some facts to justify it.

Your clients make decisions the same way, though they’ll never admit it, perhaps not even to themselves. If you’re like most travel professionals, you’re probably already selling and marketing with facts and logic, but you better be subtly selling and marketing to push their emotional buttons as well.

How do you do that? First and foremost, it’s all about you. Okay, it’s not completely about you, but you’re an important part of their purchase decision.

What about facts and logic? Well, they have to feel that you know what you’re talking about. They expect you to be a treasure trove of information on their intended destination. They want someone who is going to create the perfect itinerary that is customized just for them. And they will expect that you’ll get them the best value possible, even (or perhaps especially) if they are highly affluent.

What about emotions? They also have to like you, and you will need to have the chemistry that really clicks for them. That means you have to authentically market and sell yourself with every customer.

In his book “The Likeability Factor,” Tim Sanders refers to the four elements of likeability: friendliness, relevance, empathy and realness.

Friendliness: This seems pretty intuitive, but as someone who for years has observed travel professionals interacting with clients, I can tell you that it’s not always as “friendly” as it should be. In fact, I’ve been shocked occasionally at what’s been said to clients. Without a strong “friendliness quotient,” you’ll never get further with the customer or get the sale, so remember, there can’t be any “bad days.”

Relevance: You may, indeed, have an incredibly friendly nature, but you still have to be relevant to your customers. For example, if they are looking for an in-depth, customized, comprehensive vacation in Vietnam, and you only know that Vietnam is not one of the countries bordering Italy, you won’t be relevant. And you won’t make the sale, irrespective of your friendliness.

Empathy: What if you are a Vietnam expert and couldn’t be friendlier. Does that guarantee the sale? Not quite. You have to be able to understand and sense how customers are feeling about the trip and be in touch with what emotions may be evoked in the planning process. If they perceive that you are not just knowledgeable and friendly, but that you actually have a visceral sense of what this trip means to them, it will make a huge difference in their propensity to buy from you.

Realness: How often have you heard an experienced politician skillfully deliver the words you want to hear, complete with the perfect facial expressions and intonations, but left you wondering if they’re just pandering to the audience? Sometimes they are exceptionally compelling, but just not believable. I should quickly point out that I’m not comparing travel professionals to some politicians, but I am saying that if you try to come across as someone other than the real you, the client will sense that and you may just unravel an almost-done sale.

Despite what we all like to think, we are emotional decision-makers. Sure, the facts have to be there, but what’s down deep inside of us can readily overpower all of the above. When you are marketing and selling, be sure to appeal to both the need for information and logic and the need to be emotionally satisfied. They are both critical to the buying process.