The Millennial Travel Agent: The One Client Who Matters

Alex doesn’t really care about price. He’s willing to pay for quality and, while he’s not wealthy by any means, he budgets for his lifestyle. (Which is why he’s willing to pay for a good latte or a Bucket List vacation.)

He is interested in art and design, climate change, social responsibility, current events, healthy living and nature.

He’s drawn to brands that embody those principles.

He works in a creative agency, but it’s still a desk job that only offers three weeks of vacation time per year. However, there is an adventurer within Alex, so I aim to inspire him with my personal story of leaving a job in finance to travel the world and build my dream travel business.

Alex is the single most important person at IntroverTravels, and he’s not an employee, supplier or even a friend.

In fact, he’s completely fictional.

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Your Brand is a Magnet

Alex is my ideal client avatar (ICA), the one who makes my heart sing when I get his email. He doesn’t question my expertise or fees. He feels like I am inside his head, wondering how my entire brand feels like it was made for him (because it was).

In reality, there are literally millions of Alexes in the world, or at least people who can identify with a part of him or her.

Depending on your niche, gender may be an important factor. However, I purposely named my ICA Alex since my niche (introversion) is non-gender specific. I generally use male pronouns in my descriptions, for simplicity. Obviously, not every client is going to be an exact carbon copy of Alex, but by creating a fictional character and then speaking directly to them, we attract the people who embody that persona in some way.

When I write a blog or a newsletter—or am confronted with the hard decisions that every entrepreneur must make—I think of Alex and ask what he would do or want.

My goal is that by speaking to this one fictional person, then the real-life Alexes will stop dead in their tracks and feel as though I am speaking directly to them.

That is a magnetic brand.

However, creating messaging around this one central character doesn’t mean we turn our backs on the rest of the world. Rather, we create a compelling message around our ideal clients that others will naturally be drawn to as well. As an added bonus, the wrong clients will likely be repelled from contacting you in the first place.

READ MORE: Agent to Agent: Trending in the Right Direction

A Purposeful Exercise

Writing a lengthy biography for a fictional character might seem like a pointless use of time, but it serves several important purposes.

First, you’ll get clear on exactly who your ideal clients are, the types of destinations they want to explore, the things they want to do and the places they want to stay. If they stray too far from your specialty, you’ll quickly realize that they’re not your ideal client. You can confidently (and politely) decline the business.

(Side note: It’s helpful to have a handful of trusted colleagues who you may want to refer your non-ideal clients to. As the saying (roughly) goes, “One advisor’s non-ideal client is another’s dream customer.”)

Second, you’ll know where to find your dream clients.

Perhaps they’re philanthropic, in which case you might consider volunteering or joining the advisory board for a local charity. If you’re targeting brides, I’d dedicate my time to becoming a master on Pinterest! Are they a food and wine enthusiast? Then consider joining a hip, underground dining club for serious foodies. The possibilities are limitless.

Most importantly, by saying no to the wrong customers, you free up your time to help more of your dream clients.

Asking the Right Questions

It’s easy to know when a client isn’t a good fit. Unfortunately, we often don’t realize it until it’s too late and we’ve already begun the work.

You know the type: The ones who can’t make up their minds on where to go, those who are asking for a fifth or sixth iteration of an itinerary. They ask for price breakdowns since they’re wary of being overcharged. The list goes on.

Once you’ve done the legwork and written a detailed biography, you’ll have a good sense of the criteria that is important to you. During your initial consultation with a prospect, ask qualifying questions to determine if they are the right fit for your business.

On which criteria should you assess the prospect’s fit with your brand?

READ MORE: Agent to Agent: Don't Stop Me Now

While there’s no right answer, here are a few of the most crucial factors to consider:

—Budget: Are they willing to pay for the types of trips that are profitable for your business? A middle-income traveler may budget more for a vacation than a wealthier person who doesn’t see the value in travel.

—Destination: Do they want to travel to a destination with which you have expertise? It may otherwise waste hours of tedious research to plan a trip that isn’t in your wheelhouse.

—Previous travel experience: Those with less travel experience will require much more time to hold their hand through the process. Conversely, well-traveled clients will demand much more expertise. Can you meet or exceed their expectations?

—Core values: Do their values align with yours? Someone who values expensive labels and material things likely isn’t a good fit if you specialize in cultural immersion-type experiences.

Have I convinced you of the importance of diving deep and creating a detailed ideal client biography? If so, I’ve put together a checklist of questions that you can use to identify your own dream clients.

Next week, I’ll share some ideas on creating a core compelling message to which your own ideal clients will be magnetically attracted. Until then, stay inspired.