Groups for Growth

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Some agents steer clear of groups altogether, because the prospect of selling groups seems so daunting. But those travel advisors who tap the highly lucrative — and growing — group travel market advise agents not to be held back by their own negative perceptions.

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“People are afraid of selling groups because they’ve been brainwashed that you have to have minimums — and what if you don’t hit a certain number,” says Gary Pollard, CTC, president of San Francisco-based Ambassador Tours.

In Pollard’s view, those issues need not be as intimidating as they appear at face value. “It’s part of negotiating with suppliers and understanding their needs and the needs of your group and how you work together,” he says.

While groups arguably require a considerable amount of work on the agent’s part, those efforts are well worth the returns.

“The rewards can be great, not only in terms of the money made on the group booking, but also for the new crop of potential clients,” says Judy Nidetz of Travel Experts in Chicago.

We asked group travel experts for their advice on how you can succeed at selling group travel.

Evaluate suppliers’ group policies. Carefully evaluate each supplier’s group policies. No two suppliers are necessarily the same — or even similar. “I think it’s important to remember that when selling group travel, there are no ‘normal’ or hard-and-fast rules,” says Nidetz. “Some suppliers give you a free person for every 15th or 20th person you sell — and in some cases I’ve received a ‘free’ person included with the booking.”

Furthermore, Nidetz has found that group discounts do not necessarily offer the lowest rates. She recently priced out a cruise for a bachelorette party and determined that the cruise line offered a promotional rate that trumped the group rate. “The group price was way higher than the lowest rate offered through a special promotion being offered,” she says.

Use Pied Pipers to promote groups. Pied Pipers not only help draw prospective travelers into groups, but can also help an agent promote them.

In many cases, they can be found in an agent’s backyard — such as the golf pro at the local country club or the minister at an area church. “You can offer them a ‘free’ spot that is provided through the tour operator or by building their cost into the total pricing for the tour, which is their incentive to talk up the trip,” says Nidetz.

Once you have selected Pied Pipers, you should thoroughly brief them on their responsibilities. “We make certain they understand that a bit of work is required,” says Lisa E. Safran of Sarasota, Fla.-based My Cruise Doctor, a Vacation.com agency. “We also tell them we are happy to do all the marketing on their behalf.”

Design events to advertise groups. Creating events to promote groups isn’t nearly as intimidating as it might appear, particularly when agents avail themselves of the services of supplier business development managers (BDM). “I did an event that cost under $500 for 35 people and booked eight river cruises,” Safran says.

Agents may also want to consider partnering with local businesses to help promote group programs. For instance, Trish Gastineau of Simply Europe Travel, a Travel Experts-affiliate based in Montgomery, Ala., has promoted a river cruise group in partnership with a store specializing in infused olive oils to create an event that focused on pairings of olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars. “We had the river cruise company’s BDM there, who talked about river cruising and local cuisine,” she says.

Capitalize on consortium programs. More times than not, agents will find that their consortia provide a considerable portfolio of products, tools and educational programs that greatly enhance their ability to sell groups. “We actively participate in Vacation.com’s Engagement program since we believe direct mailing is the number-one way to attract attention and benefit from the call to action,” says Safran. “We also balance Vacation.com’s Distinctive Voyage group amenities that are being offered to determine whether we are able to offer more if we put our own group block together.”

Vacation.com recently unveiled a new guarantee for Distinctive Voyages, its hosted group program. When agents fall short of filling cabin quotas for groups and are thus unable to obtain the tour conductor stateroom, select Vacation.com preferred cruise partners will nonetheless host a cocktail party and exclusive shore excursion for its member-travel agency’s Distinctive Voyages group.

Provide high-touch service. Groups typically require a little more handholding, which means agents should be prepared to be at the top of their service game. “When you are working and traveling with a group, you need to be available to them 24/7,” says Sara Butruff of Travel Leaders in Apple Valley, Minn. “You are their personal concierge. ‘No’ is never a response my clients get from me.”

The customer service process should continue long after the group has traveled. “I always follow up on every booking with a phone call, and I try to keep in touch to develop the relationship so they contact me directly for their next trip,’ says Nidetz. “I look at group bookings not as a huge money-making opportunity, but as an opportunity to [cultivate] new clients for FIT bookings.”

Hone your social skills. It may sound old-fashioned, but one of the best ways in which to prospect for groups is through personal encounters. “You’ve got to be a communicator and communication should still be face to face, shaking a hand and looking at a person,” says Pollard.

Although Pollard believes texts and emails are a perfectly legitimate way to communicate with the clients as the booking process progresses, he contends that an agent is invariably able to establish the client’s trust more effectively in person. Listening to the client, of course, is key. “You just need to listen and almost repeat back what they’re saying,” says Pollard, adding that agents must be able to provide stories from their own travel experiences that will resonate with clients. “They have to sell themselves and develop connections.”

Accept public speaking engagements. By speaking in public, agents are able to promote the advantages of group travel to larger audiences. “I’ll speak to almost any group and put myself out there for that,” says Gastineau, noting that such civic organizations as Rotary and Kiwanis clubs regularly feature guest speakers.

“I’m not saying it’s easy all the time, but you have to persist and ask for those situations,” she says, adding that she has spoken several times at the American Business Women’s Association, book clubs and a local club that welcome newcomers to the area.

Continually develop new group themes. “Sometimes I don’t have people in mind for a group,” says Gastineau. “I’ll just come across something and I’ll think, ‘Oh that sounds really cool. I think that might be something I could market as a group and sell into.’”

In particular, cruises — both ocean going and river — offer a host of possibilities for theme cruises. “We take advantage of theme voyages — whether a cruise line has a particular trip coming up that we can book into or we have a Pied Piper around whom we build a group,” says Safran.

“We have a very qualified database and know which guests would have interests in that area and promote accordingly with direct mailing, social media and emails.”

Convert FIT bookings into group bookings. In the case of cruises, Gastineau recommends that travel agents suggest to couples that they consider inviting friends on their vacations — and whether they would like her to send information to those friends. “You can get generate buzz that way and start to build a group out of something that was just two people to start with,” she says.

Stay organized. Don’t leave anything to chance. Agents should make sure that they understand the deadlines for signing contracts. They should also create a schedule for sending out teasers on their groups, as a way to keep trips top of mind with participants long before departure. From beginning to end, groups typically take nine months to one year to create. “Give yourself enough time,” says Gastineau.

Don’t be discouraged. Not every group prospect translates into a booking, but by evaluating what went wrong, agents can increase their odds of succeeding in the future. “Look at why something didn’t work and analyze it,” says Gastineau. “Don’t be discouraged if the group doesn’t come to fruition the first time. Was what you were offering not being marketed to the right group of people? Did it not work because you didn’t give it enough attention in a certain area?”

After tweaking the trouble spots, Gastineau urges agents to get back out there and try it again. “Don’t give up,” she says.