Dear Travel Agent,

People are very visual and have short attention spans. This means that you need to use social media posts that attract the right audience, post often, and create posts that do not overwhelm and are not too long. If you follow my postings on Facebook @travelwithrosana you will see my daily posts are available for travel agents to share with their clients, and that emphasize the importance of travel and making travel a priority in people’s lives.

To reach our target audience with what we are talking about, we need to do some math:

How much does a pack of cigarettes cost?
How many packs does a person smoke a day? Let’s say 1 pack a day times 30 times 12.

I googled for information, and learned that one pack costs $6.16 x 30 (days) x 12 (months) = $2,217.60 for the year.  A cruise to the Caribbean, including taxes costs less than that.  And that does not include the value of saving your lungs!  (In some places the price of a pack is much higher, and they can save even more!)

How much does a cafe latte (medium size) from Starbucks cost? Let’s say a person drinks one per day.

I googled this information, and the price is $3.65. 3.65 x 30 x 12 = $1.314!  Sure, other drinks cost much more, like Mocha Frappuccino, etc. That could pay for a tour or a cruise.

All vices and addictions can be used and changed to make travel a priority and create memories instead of lung problems, ulcers, weight gain, etc.

Promoting these types ideas on social media like Facebook and others will build trust and relationships between you and prospective clients. Prospective clients will see how much you care about making them think, look better, and prioritize what is really important in life. Give them some guidance and cheerleading.

The new year is time for new resolutions and for travel agents to create a better and bigger network. We should all try to be a better person and give new ideas and create hope for prospective clients. They will become your traveling clients if you follow up with them. Be a cheerleader, set an example, and be a coach!

Let me know how these postings work for you.

All the best,

Rosana
Follow me at
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Twitter @travelRosana
Blogs@ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Dear Travel Agents,

Encouraging people to travel is easy.  Helping them to decide where to go can be a bit more difficult.  Many clients have a clear idea of their destination and the type of vacation they want to have, but some people have so many ideas that it is hard to keep all those thoughts organized.

Once people begin traveling, they become braver and a desire to experience more of the world is born.  They may see an advertisement or a movie where the scenery is so appealing they want to explore it for themselves.  They may want to float in a gondola in Italy, or see Machu Picchu in Peru, or walk the Great Wall of China.  These trips are all very different, and not practical to combine.  So, what are they to do with all of these ideas, and how will you always know what they are thinking about?

Collaboration is key for you to be able to best assist your clients.  Thanks to today’s technology there are programs and apps that help travelers build bucket lists.  I have recently learned about another software that can help travel agents work together with their clients and explore different destinations through images and information from tourist boards, and travelers themselves.  Using this, you will get a clearer idea of their wishes, and help to steer them towards the best vacation experiences for their next vacation, and for future ones.  This is a service you can provide to your clients to assist them in building their own personal bucket lists, but will also give you knowledge of how best to make their travel dreams come true. This software is customizable for each agent in both price and functionality, allowing you to work with your clients in a way that is comfortable for you.

The company who offers this software approached me and asked me for a review.  After checking out their website and asking questions, I believe that what they are offering would be of value to agents. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but want to let travel agents know that there are new and helpful ways to collaborate with clients and build long-lasting relationships. Would you and your clients benefit from this type of organizational and collaborative package?  If you would like to learn more, I would be happy to provide the company’s contact info.

All the best,

Rosana
Follow me at
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Twitter @travelRosana
Blogs@ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com

Dear Travel Agent,

We all know that most people enjoy traveling. I like to believe that ALL people do, but somehow, beyond my comprehension, (LOL!) that is not true. We also know that many believe they can NOT afford to travel.

This is what I want to talk about, and no, I am not going to talk about teaching them to become travel agents!

I want to talk to those travel agents who are willing to go after the huge number of people who believe that they cannot afford to travel, and show them how to prioritize their wishes and make their travel dreams come true.

If you are the one of those agents, keep reading, because I can help you with many ideas!

First, we need to convince these types of people that everything is possible IF they wish and plan for it. People can see themselves doing things in the very short future; planning something for 2019 or 2020 seems too away. But, once we turn that thought around, it is already 2018, and those future dates will happen whether we plan for them or not. So, why not plan for something beautiful in their future, and give them something wonderful to look forward to.

Then we can offer some of the solutions for how to make it happen. I have heard many incredible stories from travel agents and/or clients. They have quit a bad habit and saved that money. Or tried eating healthier meals at home instead of eating out and putting the saved money aside. Drinking coffee at home or making it in a coffeemaker in the office instead of paying for the expensive Starbucks, and putting aside that money. Walking places instead of using the car …… Do you get the idea?

When you give travelers these examples of ways to save, and then multiply them by the days until the planned trip, you get a nice amount of money to fund a wish that they turned into a priority.

To that, you can add ideas to a bucket list with your prospective client (I will talk more about this next week) and get them more engaged with you and what you can offer them.

There is a huge segment of the population who would love to have a travel agent guiding them and holding their hands as they plan to travel. Once you find them and show them what you can offer, they will trust you, recommend you to others, and keep you on file for their next trip.

Follow me at:
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Twitter @travelRosana
Blog @ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com

 

 

Dear Travel Agents,

When it comes to shore excursions, what do you recommend to your clients? Do you suggest the ones that the cruise line offers, or those from private companies?

And what do you do yourself when you are cruising?

Here are some of my own experiences, plus a little advice:
I love small groups and I prefer and trust small companies that deliver wonderful shore excursions in every port. I would rather not mention which companies I use (since I have used many and they are different in each country) but they pay commission, have excellent service, go beyond the call of duty so you’ll recommend them to friends and families, are well organized, on time (never late so the client will not miss the ship!). My preference is to book the companies who offer small groups with guaranteed departure (maximum 12 people).

The great advantages compared to most cruises:

• smaller groups
• less expensive
• travel agents earn commission on these excursions
• the groups seem to be “younger” at heart
• more excursion options in some ports

Do NOT worry about:

• being on time for departure
• getting money back in case ship skips the port
• getting to the excursion in case the ship is delayed into port

Make sure you use a reputable company for shore excursion, as you would do for any vendor. Your clients will be happy that they paid less for their excursions as compared to those offered by the cruise line, enjoyed a smaller group, had time to see and do more than the excursions offered on the ship, and you, the travel agent, will earn commission on these types of excursions.

Follow me at:
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Twitter @travelRosana
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Blogs @www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com