The Travel Agent Guide

Stop Winging It: The Proven Sales Process That Turns Travel Hustle into Predictable Revenue

• Byrd Bergeron and Haley DeCarlo

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In this episode, Byrd and Haley dive into one of Byrd's favorite topics: the sales process, specifically tailored for travel advisors. With six years of experience running my travel agency and generating over $20 million in travel sales this year, Byrd developed a proven sales process that I believe can significantly enhance success in the industry.

They kick off the discussion by addressing a common pitfall in travel sales: the tendency to rely on impersonal methods like emailing or texting quotes to clients, hoping for a response. I emphasize the importance of having a structured sales process that goes beyond the "spray and pray" approach. Our target audience consists of luxury travelers looking to invest in bucket-list experiences, often spending $10,000 or more on their trips.

Haley, the co-host, joins to outline the sales process, which begins with a consultation. They discuss the significance of this initial meeting, where we aim to build a personal connection with clients through video calls, preferably on Zoom. We highlight the importance of non-verbal communication and how it can enhance the relationship-building aspect of the consultation.

As they delve deeper, we outline the steps of our sales process: starting with the consultation, moving into a research and design phase, and culminating in a live proposal presentation. They stress the importance of setting clear expectations for clients throughout the process, including what they can expect after closing the deal.

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to the Sales Process

00:01:07 - Targeting Luxury Travelers

00:02:10 - The Importance of Consultations

00:03:14 - Overview of the Sales Process

00:05:49 - The Value of Video Consultations

00:10:13 - Identifying the Right Clients00:12:05 - Preparing for the Consultation

00:14:17 - Building Connections During the Call

00:16:55 - Exploring Previous Travel Agent Experiences

00:23:45 - Explaining Fees and Next Steps

00:25:12 - Research and Design Phase

00:25:23 - The Proposal Call: Telling a Story

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SPEAKER_01

Something I've really noticed in this industry is we love to email or text a client quotes and just hope they respond. And we do a lot of what I like to call spray and pray, where we just kind of like throw it out there and hope for the best. And I have to tell you, that's not a proven sales process. And you might have had success, but I feel very, very confident that you could have more success if you do it a different way. It's more of I want to spark ideas of what your process could look like. For us and for a luxury client, I firmly believe that this is the process that will make you successful in this industry.

SPEAKER_00

We're hands-on with our clients. We like to get on Zoom calls, we like to meet our clients, we like to know who they are, you know, get a little personable with them. So, first step is get your client on a Zoom call. And by creating your process and knowing how to do that, it's gonna be easier for you each time the opportunity comes for a consultation. So, step one, bird, consultation, get them on a zoom call. Welcome to the travel agent guide, the podcast pulling back the curtain and what it really takes to be a travel agent. We're talking real life the challenges, the wins, the money, the mistakes, and the growth. Whether you've been in the travel industry for years or are new to it, we're in this together, and you're exactly where you need to be.

SPEAKER_01

All right, today is my favorite topic that we ever talk about, and it is the sales process. So we're gonna talk about what I have now coined and in my head have as my proven sales process. So uh my travel agency is six years old. It will do over $20 million in travel this year. I was not in travel before this, but I have been in sales. And something that I've just noticed in sales over the years is there needs to be a process that you stick to every time. And something I've really noticed in this industry is we love to email or text a client quotes and just hope they respond. And we do a lot of what I like to call spray and pray, where we just kind of like throw it out there and hope for the best. And I have to tell you, that's not a proven sales process. And you might have had success, um, but I feel very, very confident that you could have more success if you do it a different way. The other thing that I want to do as I frame this conversation with Haley today is I want to explain that we really target luxury travelers doing bucket list experiences. So we're looking for those people looking to spend 10, 15, 20, 25,000 or more in travel. And maybe the client doesn't travel every year, maybe they travel every other year. That's fine with us. Um, we definitely have some that spend $20 plus thousand dollars multiple times a year. That's the ideal, right? And the idea is basically there are these really big trips. Um, so if you're out there and you're like, look, I'm selling carnival cruises and the way that I am doing it works for me. And it is just, you know, I make $50 or $100 or $150 in commission per trip. Great, that's no problem. But it's more of I want to spark ideas of what your process could look like. For us and for a luxury client, I firmly believe that this is the process that will make you successful in this industry. Um, so Haley, we always start our process with a consultation. Tell us a little bit of what a consultation really means to a travel advisor in 2026.

SPEAKER_00

Of course. So a consultation is going to be the first opportunity to get to meet a client. So it's really important how you handle this, how you're gonna approach it. I am very big and like Bird said, I we're hands-on with our clients. We like to get on Zoom calls, we like to meet our clients, we like to know who they are, you know, get a little personable with them. That's my style of being a travel advisor. And it's also what I teach to advisors when I do coaching. So, first step is get your client on a Zoom call. Um, and by creating your process and knowing how to do that, it's gonna be easier for you each time the opportunity comes for a consultation. So, step one, bird, consultation, get them on a zoom call.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. So let's actually, I should have taken a step back and framed the full process first, and then we'll dive into how to make it unique because I think some of you might be listening to this and going, Of course, we do a consultation, fine. Um, but there are a few steps to it that I think make a big difference and what makes it successful for us. So our entire process consists of we do a Zoom consultation where we get to know the client. We will talk about a couple of unique things that you cannot forget in the consultation to make it successful. Um, then we have a research and design phase. From there, we have a process that we call our proposal or presentation that we do, and we do a live presentation. I'll walk you through what that looks like and again, a few things that really make it successful. Um, and then we basically coach our clients and set the expectation that we close on the presentation call. So we're asking Visa or MasterCard by the time we're done with that. And does it work 100% of the time? No, but it works quite often. So I'll explain to you how we get to that process without being pushy, without being salesy, with really being authentic in our work. Um, and then the process keeps going. So I think part of the proven sales process is always making sure they understand what the next step looks like. So the next step after you close the deal is, hey, I work with somebody called my guest experience manager. They're gonna reach out and they're gonna help you with dinner reservations and spa appointments and any special requests you have, but you're not gonna hear from us again for a while. You know, if they plan a trip nine months in advance, you want to make sure they understand they're not gonna hear from you every single week like they have been in the past. Instead, hey, 60 days prior to departure, you're gonna start hearing from us again as we put the finishing touches, the icing on the cake of your trip. And then we'll do a pre-departure call where I go through and really make sure all your questions are answered and you feel really excited and prepared for your trip. So I like to lay out the full process in the consultation, just like I kind of did here. It should be quick, 30, 45 seconds. But the idea is helping them understand the journey that they're about to go on. Because if you help lay out the roadmap, they're more likely to stick to the map than if you just have it in your head and you're like, well, how come they're just texting me this? How come they don't know that the call is coming up?

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_01

So I think it's a lot easier if we lay out the journey. So consultation, research and design phase, proposal, then pass it off to your uh, we call them guest experience managers, but you should have some kind of assistant if you're working full time in this job. And then you want them to understand they're gonna have another opportunity to talk to you before they actually travel. So they can kind of either save up their questions or just know, hey, there's still this other moment where I get to contact my advisor. So, Haley, back to the consultation. You said a couple of things for the setup of it to make it successful. And one of those was Zoom. Tell me a little bit more about that as we dive into this consultation practice.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, of course. I think, you know, an important step is once you get an intake form that comes in or you get that email or random text message. It's okay, now I have this time to actually get this client on a call. And how do I do it? You know, a lot of advisors will say, okay, here's my Calendly link and send it off, which I think is great. Definitely do it. But you need to have a follow-up process with this client, right? You need to get them into your CRM right away. You need to keep track of them so you can get the next step moving, which is getting them on the consultation. So once you get them on the consultation, I always say just get them on the Zoom, right, Bird. You like to say assume the Zoom. There's no, this is what it is. Here's the Zoom link. I will see you at three o'clock on Tuesday, whatever that looks like. And most clients aren't gonna kick back. I mean, once in a while, I'll get like a mom who's driving her kid to soccer who wants to just talk on the phone because she can't get a Zoom call, or you're gonna get clients in their 70s who are struggling. But even that, I just FaceTime them. I just call them right on my Apple and FaceTime them. Um, I like to see faces. I like to know that these are real people and I like to introduce myself and explain what my business is about and and how I can better serve them as a travel agent. And that's your opportunity to make a connection, right? So I think getting on a consult, they know you're a real person, they know this is what you do for a living. Um, it's a great approach to gain that trust right from the beginning.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and let's back up the the thing that's beautiful about Zoom or any kind of video, whatever you use for video consultations, the thing about the video that's so important is we have to remember there's so much of our communication that happens nonverbally. And when your job on the consultation is to make that connection and that relationship, you're gonna make it so much more easily if you're able to see the person, see their reaction to things. Because you might make a suggestion, right? They're talking about going to Rome and they're bringing their kids, and you might make a suggestion about did you know there's actually a gladiator school where kids can learn to fight like gladiators and better understand the gladiator lifestyle? Is that something that would interest you? You could hear, and don't get me wrong, tonality says a lot, but you could hear them say, like, yeah, that'd be interesting to them. Or you could see their face where they're like, Yeah, that's interesting to them, right? It's a very different way of communicating. And I think we forget how important nonverbals are. So a lot of advisors I talk to are very hesitant about that Zoom call, or they say my clients don't want to get on a Zoom. Don't ask them. Just say, like, when's a good time for us to chat? And they say Tuesday at 2:30, and you say, Great, and then you send over the link. And if they don't have, if you don't have their email, I literally say, Can I get your email address so I could send over a calendar invite? And in the calendar invite, I just have the link to Zoom or Teams or whatever you use. So that piece of it, I actually think is really, really important. And Haley kind of mentioned sometimes you do get the pushback. So I explained to them, no problem, I'm gonna call you. Not an issue at all. But just so you know, for the presentation, we do need to be on video because I'm gonna show you pictures of every exactly where you're gonna stay and the experiences you're gonna get and da-da-da-da-da. And I want to make sure you get to see it, right? So as long as they are willing to get on a Zoom at some point in the process, we have the conversation with them. Haley, what if someone absolutely refuses to get on Zoom? You get the feedback, I'm on Zoom all day at work, I'm not willing to get on a video call. What do you do then?

SPEAKER_00

It very like it very rarely happens. I truly think I've gotten on consults with Zoom where they haven't even put screens on. And I was just gonna ask you, like, what do you do in that situation? Um, I will shut my Zoom screen off. And I explain to them, I think after the consultation and they understand what you're doing and why, they're more apt to show up to the proposal, having the screen on, and they're excited about it. So at first, maybe they're just a little skeptical, they don't know what to expect. So maybe they want to stay with the screen off or not get on that Zoom call, which is fine. I, you know, but I think how the progression of the relationship is after that consult is what's really important. Yeah. If they're yeah, if there are clients who are like, you know, you can usually feel it out. You're gonna know if they're just trying to price shop. I mean, that goes back to the consultation of pitching a fee, right? And me explaining what I do. If now they're they don't want to hop on a Zoom call, they're not willing to pay a fee, then I know it's not gonna work and and you bless and release them, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, they're not the client for us, right? I I do want to address if they don't have cameras on. I still think it's really important for you to leave your camera on, and this is why you tend to like other humans that you could see, especially if you could see their enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is really important in this process. We'll talk more about that here in a minute. But if they can see you and see your enthusiasm, they're more likely to start to warm up and start to like you, even if you can't see them back. So I would challenge you to leave the camera on simply so they get to know Haley. And maybe you don't really get to make the connection with them as much as you would if you could see them. But you're right, they're way more likely to leave it on once they kind of understand what the process is when they come back for the proposal call. So um, I will not harp anymore. You guys can tell I'm clearly passionate about making that connection initially. And I think a massive part of the connection is the nonverbal communication part. Um, so Haley, when we dive into the consultation, there's a few check boxes we always do in the very, very beginning. The first is absolutely create the connection. I think one more thing that I want to talk about is like prepping before the consultation. So the first step is sending them the invite so they get the link. So it's a video call, but there's there's some prep that needs to happen before you even get on the call. What does that look like for you?

SPEAKER_00

I think obviously understanding the destination they're looking to go to is super important. Um, make sure you know where they want to go. So if you haven't booked it before, you prep yourself with enough time to sound like that professional when you get on a call. And yeah, so that's I would say very important. Take 15 minutes. You really don't need to put a lot of time into it. And you know, have your second screen up, do some Google research or AI, pull in, you know, the big key points. Um, and that's that's pretty much it. That's all you really need in a consultation to kind of get going on a destination you haven't planned before.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, don't spend hours and hours doing like the destination certification and knowing everything there is to know. Like, just have the basics. When's the best time of year to go there? What does a price point really look like? Give me some of the major activities in the major cities. How do I pronounce certain things? My God, if I hear one more person uh try to sell France without really even Googling how to pronounce some of the major things, like just a couple of small things. This is literally less than 15 minutes, I think you need to take. Um, I would actually say 10 minutes on researching the destination if you don't know it at all, and about five minutes on researching the person. Um if it's a referral, go to your friend who referred them, go to their Facebook page and find your mutual connections, find this person, go find them on social media and just kind of see what they're into. Do they have kids? Maybe their kids are the same age as your kids. Do they play sports? Are they into certain movies you're into, whatever it is? Try to find that connection because what's gonna happen is when they get on a call, you're gonna have the opportunity to steer the conversation and you can steer it in a direction where you know the connection can be quickly made. We don't have a lot of time here. These consultations should be about 20, 30 minutes tops. So the reality is you wanna make the connection really, really quick. So if you see on their social media, they're huge Saints fans, when they get on, you can say, like, oh yeah, you know, I can't, I can't believe football season's right around the corner. Who's your team, by the way? And they start talking about it and it's a whole different, you know, you make the connection. And the idea is you can't just feel around because you don't have time to do that. You want to be able to make a quick connection. So if I were you, I would encourage you just doing a simple social media search for whoever it is you're gonna meet with if you don't already know them. Um, if you do already know the person, it's a friend or family member, think about the last time you saw them. And is there something you can bring up to reconnect that moment of when you saw them? Because I think it's important just to say, I remember you and let them feel seen and heard and that sort of thing. All right, Haley. So we're on the call, we're on a video call, we're making this awesome connection, we're super excited. What are the other checkboxes before we really dive into where do you want to go?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's important to number one, make sure you want to work with a client, right? And make sure you that connection's there, but not only the connection, I mean, you could meet the best person in the world, but if they want to go to Italy with a $5,000 budget, including flights, that's a different conversation, right? So I think diving into the amount of money they want to invest or some bottom line so you get a good indication of what the trip is going to be like and how you can service it is really important. I highly suggest getting off the off that call with some type of number in mind.

SPEAKER_01

Well, do you you don't do that right in the do you do that right in the beginning?

SPEAKER_00

No, no, no, no. In the beginning, I dive into what the trip looks like and what they want. Who are you traveling with? Where are we going? How long are we going for? Have we narrowed down dates and those type of things? What type of travelers are you? What is the first thing you want to do when you get to your destination? Are you excited about the food, the history? You do you like cooking classes? All the things that you know I dive into to understand the type of trip that they're looking for. Budget definitely comes after that, right?

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. Okay. So let me take a step back because before we even get to like the meat of the trip, I always do the have you ever worked with a travel agent before? And I think that's such an important question to kind of frame the conversation because most of the time they haven't, and that's the best case scenario because it gives you this opportunity to say, well, here's my process. Is this what you're looking for? Right. But if they have worked with another travel agent, it opens up the beautiful question of, well, why aren't you working with them on this trip? And I have heard some of the most interesting answers. I had a lady one time that's like, well, they put my grand my granddaughter's name's Charlie and they put her as a boy instead of a girl, and that upset me. This woman has spent roughly 75 grand with me every single year since then. That travel agent lost it over the silliest thing. Guess that's the one thing I didn't mess up. But had she not said it out loud, I don't maybe I would have, right? So I think just asking why you're not working with that travel agent again is hugely, hugely helpful. Um, and then I will add to that the uh how did you hear about us conversation? If you don't already know, like don't forget to ask that. It's so important in your job, understanding how people are coming to you and understanding what's important to them. Did they find you on Google because of your reviews? You should lean into those. Did they find you on social media because a friend tagged you? You should lean into that. It's gonna give you the direction as a travel agent to really put forth your effort in the future. So I think those are two big questions that I always go over. And then Haley, do you explain the proven sales process? Do you explain it then or do you wait till the end of the call?

SPEAKER_00

I think we do the call reverse burn. And I think this is only because I think as 20 years a bartender, I really take time to get to know the person first. Then I dive into like the details after. Um, so yeah, I definitely go over all those questions, but I wait to hear about the trip first because I want to know in my head how much time am I gonna put into this and does this trip really align with my business and what I'm looking for? Because if at that point I get to it where I'm like, hey, I this is not the trip for me to work for you and I can pass you off to somebody else, then I try to get there sooner than towards the end, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01

That's absolutely fair. Yeah, yeah. I think so. Basically, if you get through it and you're like, but I'm not working with this person, why bother telling them about the sales process or how you get paid or have you used a TA before? You kind of save that for the end.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, all right. So I love all that. All right. The main part of the trip we're not gonna spend any time on. We can have another episode where we dive really deep into the consultation, but it's the basics, right? It's tell me about where you want to go, why do you want to go there, tell me about the activities. You you guys have that. So I'm not as worried. But there are some steps at the end that we always really, really think make all of the difference in the world when it comes to wrapping up the consultation, but also when it comes to getting the client aligned with the success that you want out of it. So the one big question that I would say never, ever, ever skip is understanding the timing of the deposit. So the way that I ask it is I say, hey, look, a deposit is typically about 25% of the cost of the tour that can absolutely change. But with that, I'm gonna come back in a couple of days and give you all of the best options that I can find within your budget. If I come back and I find the perfect option for you, are you ready to put down a deposit on Friday at 1230? Like I'm very pointed with it. Are you that aggressive about when am I locking it in?

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. I had a client, I actually just booked a trip for to Iceland. Our initial consultation was last August. And in the consultation, I said, okay, so are we ready to get the ball rolling? Exactly like you said, Bird, deposit will be due. Um, and I explained to them if I try to pitch you something now, but you can't pay for it six months later, it's gonna be a completely different trip cost-wise. So it's just not worth it. And they came back and told me, no, thank you so much for asking. I actually get a bonus in January. So by February, we'll have the funds ready to go ahead and get the deposit. I said, okay, thank you so much for letting me know it changed everything. I'm not gonna go and waste my time. I'm not gonna charge my fee yet. I'm gonna make sure that they have their money to actually do this trip first. Yeah. And I put them in my CRM follow-up in six months on the first of February. I sent them over the email. They're like, Thank you so much, Haley. Bonus is coming next week. Let's let's reconnect. So yeah, exactly. So I think it's the most important question of the entire consultation for me.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and and here's what else it does: it places the reality in their mind that at Friday at 11:30 p.m. or whatever the time is, that they're going to be placing a deposit. So this is step one to not getting your clients to drag their feet. Um, though those objections happen all the time where advisors are like, well, I can't get them to close, or it's been three weeks or four weeks, or five weeks. If your sales cycle is six, seven plus weeks long, like this is a really, really good step to start to shorten that. It's just explaining the reality to the client. When I do a proposal, we will be locking something in that day as long as I have proposed exactly what you want, right? Like, obviously, if I come back and this isn't the trip you were hoping for, that's a different story. Um, okay, so timing of deposit. The other thing that I make sure I get is I make sure I get all. of the contact information for all of the parties. So I word it this way. Typically you have like the wife's phone number, because we know the wife does all the work, let's be honest. So typically we have the wife's phone number and the wife and the husband or whoever will be on the call. And I will typically do something like this Hey, I love to start a text chain after this. So if between now and the presentation you guys think of something you want me to keep in mind, you just text me and then I'll have it all ready for when we do the proposal. Sarah, it looks like I've got your number, but Jim, I don't have yours. So Jim, what's your number? He gives it to me every time. Like I I've never once had someone be like no. And I don't really give a shit about Jim's number. That's not what I'm here for. What I'm here for is I would like multiple people to annoy so no one ghost me. I want you to tell me I'm not going on this trip if you're not going on the trip. I hate getting ghosted. And I think when you have multiple points of contact, you're way less likely to get ghosted. Someone in the party is going to tell you what the problem is and why they're not traveling. So multiple points of contact. The third step to wrapping up the consultation is setting the presentation date. All right let's go ahead and just get it on the calendar right now guys. I've got a Thursday at three or I've got a Friday at 11 a.m what works best for you? Get it on the calendar right there. Set it out so they understand their next step. And then setting the expectations for the proposal. So again just reminding them this will also be on Zoom. Please come in front of a big computer screen, not your phone, because I want to be able to show you like what the rooms look like so you can really make some educated decisions because we're going to lock everything in right after that. And again I'm just again reminding them like I'm taking payment that day period die.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Again 100% of the time it does not work but it does work I would say 80 plus percent of the time.

SPEAKER_00

Haley is there anything else you do different when it comes to kind of wrapping that up no I think it's just really setting expectations and clear steps for what's next. So I also do something maybe a little different after in the proposal I always send over my form or terms and conditions. So if you are pitching a fee, you need to make sure you're pitching the fee at the correct time in the consultation and you need to explain to them that this fee is collected prior to me getting to work and this is why. And you know you very rarely have somebody come back and say oh okay well that doesn't work for me. I ask them if they have any questions about it so I can answer them right then and there. But then I'm setting that clear step of what the what we need to do. So from here I'm going to send over my tasks or my form for you to fill out all the travelers' names, dates of birth, everything correct you're going to go ahead and give me your credit card information so I can process that payment then we're going to move into um the proposal right so yes try to get the proposal set up you I try to even send those tasks while I'm on the call with them. Say can you check your email right now? Just let me know if you got them any questions let me know. I'm here and then I try to tell them get that done now so we can, you know, move forward to the proposal in the next couple days.

SPEAKER_01

Perfect. I love that and you guys just so you know um we do have a Facebook group called the travel agent guide that you can find. I'm going to drop we have a PDF of basically a checklist with all the questions that you can use for your consultations. I'm going to drop that in the Facebook group for you guys to use as whenever this airs and I'm going to make sure you'll be able to have it basically as a PDF so you can print it. Our advisors we have it in this thick notepad and I send it out to everybody so they can kind of rip them off as they go. If you do like to write this is really handy. And especially if you're brand new at this or just trying this new sales process this is a really good way to just remember everything because there's a lot to remember in this. Okay so we've spent 20 minutes talking about the consultation because there are a lot of like setup and close it out. I think the consultation is the most pivotal part because really what you're doing is you're building trust. And if you don't have the trust the presentation it doesn't matter how good it is it's not going to go over well. So anything else we haven't thought about with the consultation before we move on to step two in our proven sales process.

SPEAKER_00

No, I think just the repeatable process it's important to present yourself as a professional. You know what you're doing. So make sure you set clear expectations right from the beginning.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah I love it. Okay so step two is just the research and design phase that's completely up to you how you do that we will do several episodes of the future about the best ways, best partners, those sort of things. But I want to skip ahead to step three which is the the proposal call itself. So again I think it has to be on video but I think the biggest thing that needs to happen is telling a story. I have a lot of advisors I'm seeing out there that are using a program called Loom. Basically you pre-record the video and you send it over to the clients and then they tell you what they think. I think this is the biggest mistake you can make. This is not the biggest mistake. There's lots of mistakes you can make but I think this is a giant mistake and I think it's a giant mistake because you're missing the whole point of the video. The whole point of doing a video with somebody is to see their reaction. And if I can't see when I put this resort up on screen and your wife gets this big giant smile on her face and the very next uh resort I put up all of a sudden it's kind of like a ho-hum kind of reaction to her facial expression, then I'm I'm missing out, right? If I'm watching her as I'm giving that proposal, I'm immediately pivoting how I'm pitching this and what I'm leaning into. I'm immediately building up that first one because she thought it was so great and I'm justifying the fact that I put the second one on there but I'm like this probably isn't the one right guys? Nope. All right let's move on right like I'm watching her while I pitch. So if you're doing this as a pre-recorded video you I think in your head a lot of people are like why I'm doing the video you're missing the point of the video if you're not watching their reaction. Is that fair, Haley?

SPEAKER_00

Is that too aggressive? It is and I think some advisors again this comes back to like the imposter syndrome feeling nervous or anxious about messing up who cares? I get on Zoom calls with clients and I just make a joke with them like hey guys I'm sorry I've been in meetings all day my head's a little mushy if I mess up ha ha ha like I just try to be real about it instead of it has to be so perfect and professional. I feel like if I recorded a loom I would literally do it a hundred times and drive myself crazy re-watching it until I sent it and I don't want anything I'm doing being recorded because now they have a real I don't know that's just me. So I definitely prefer getting on a live call. I also call my proposals a workshop bird. So when I present this to a client I tell them we're doing a workshop right we're hopping on a call I'm going to be doing screen sharing we're going to go over logistics. I'm going to show you the map of where you're staying so you can understand each location. I'm going to present to you two properties or whatever that looks like per you know city that you're in and we're going to do a process of elimination. You're going to tell me right then and there which hotel you prefer and I'm going to take it out and we're going to go from there. So if there's a tour you don't like, I'm immediately deleting it from what we have and I'm coming up with the alternative for you. I can't do this on a Loom recording. I just can't do it. And now how much time is it going to go by that your sales cycle's going to probably increase and the time from you closing the sale is going to take a lot longer. For me I did try it I I'm not going to lie I tried Loom about two and a half years ago I got so busy I'm like this is worth it and it was it was just not it for me.

SPEAKER_01

So I will also say Haley the other thing that you're preventing with the way that you're pitching it is this is a workshop. We're going to make decisions is you're also pitching all decision makers need to be there. And here's what this prevents this prevents all your time and effort. You do this beautiful proposal call and then at the end she goes okay I'll talk to my husband about it tonight and get back to you and then they don't get back to you for three weeks. Yeah. It stops that in its tracks. Like it's not an option if we're making decisions together on the call. Well then the husband knows he needs to find a time that also works for him. I'm giving husbands a lot of shit on this episode.

SPEAKER_00

Husbands you're great I promise well I just had I just had a client reach out to me yesterday um it was a referral from a client and she was it's her and her sister they want to go to Italy for two weeks in November. And I'm like oh perfect yeah I'm I'm excited and she told me she's like yeah I'm going to be the point of contact until we kind of have a plan then I'll loop in my sister and I'm like no no you're not and I sent her back an email I said listen if your sister's paying her own way and decision making I need to have her on the consultation or it's just going to waste a lot of time but I obviously said that a little more professional and I'm still waiting for your sister's going to come in and change everything right like you and I both done it.

SPEAKER_01

I won't do it anymore right every time every time so I love that presentation workshop and we are workshopping this together. We're going to make decisions together prepare to be engaged. Do not be driving down the highway in your car and pull me up on your phone and think that this is going to work. No you need to be like ready to work with me.

SPEAKER_00

I love that um anything else you do to kind of prep for the meeting as you're going into it no like you said I try to get husband and wife group texts or whoever's traveling just to say if I'm researching a trip and I have questions I try to narrow it down before we get onto the proposal right so I try to get a clear understanding like hey are you guys afraid of heights like would you want to do zip lighting or you know we try to do it in the consultation but the reality is I I don't feel like you can always capture everything in the consultation. So yeah I yeah I definitely get them on a call just to know that they have access to me while we're planning and keep them in line of what the next step is right. And this is what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01

I love it. Okay so here's how the proposal workshop goes. Before you log in I do it this way there's lots of ways to do it but I think this is the best way to do it is I have the full itinerary we use Access Travel app as our itinerary builder Turn has a great one Travify has a beautiful one there's lots of options out there but whatever you've built the itinerary out build it out into the in and have it up and show the client then what I do is I have a different tab for every piece of the story I want to tell. So let's say that we're doing a you know two week trip across Italy and we're going to do Rome, Florence, Venice. Beautiful. I'm going to have a map up of Rome and I'm going to have the the hotel on the map and I'm going to have it start on the map. So I could show them hey this is the location of your hotel it's smack dab dab in the middle of the tourist center. You're going to be able to walk to the Coliseum and walk to the Vatican well you probably can't walk to the Vatican but you go walk to the things and I'm going to show them all of that right and then the next tab will be and here's the hotel itself. Let me go through the gallery and I'm going to already have the gallery pulled up here's the beautiful rooftop patio and here's the swimming pool they have yada yada. And then the next one's going to be the actual room itself here's the room it's a beautiful king bed. Here's the little balcony great here's option number two this hotel is going to be around I usually try to do them where they're like the exact same price. I think it's important to give options to clients because here's the thing they want to feel in control, but they don't want to be in control. They don't want to have to make all the decisions but they do want to make some decisions. If you just give them a proposal and it's just one of everything and you're like what do you think? They're going to be left a little bit like they didn't quite feel like they got there. I have found that if you can allow them to make decisions just a handful throughout the proposal call that they're way more likely to say yep that's it. That's what I want let's do this. So I try to give them the easiest decision is hotels. I try to find hotels that are in the same ballpark and say option one, option two, which one of those do you feel like really fit your vibe a lot more? Let them say cool we'll take the other one out. And then you continue on. For the activities I still have a tab pulled up so I may Google Coliseum and then I'm going to open a tab with a picture of the Coliseum and nothing else and I'm going to explain okay now this morning you're going to take a private tour of the Coliseum. It's going to be just your family you're going to get to see the underground whatever you get the point. And the idea is you're kind of telling a story and I tell it through the tabs of my computer. So I will typically have anywhere from 10 to 15 tabs open as I'm going through that story with them. And I'm just clicking one by one through the process right as as I get through the story. And as much as you can create it a make it into a story please do so. So for instance okay on a Wednesday morning you guys are going to wake up be picked up by a private transfer and we're going to go out into the vineyards and we're finally going to get to see Tuscany and it's going to be fantastic because you're going to have all these different wine tastings. Do you guys like red wine? Right? Like kind of try to make it into a story make it romantic as much as you can help them get excited and if you can repeat their why over and over. So if they told you in the consultation their why was I really just need some time to reconnect with my husband. The kids have been really overwhelming. We're so excited for this trip of just the two of us every piece of your story needs to repeat that why. And this is going to be great time for you guys to really reconnect and just get to be with each other, you know? Like that piece has to be in every single part of your story. Haley what's your spin on that? Do you do anything differently?

SPEAKER_00

No, it's exactly right I tell the story and I'm tying into exactly what they're looking for. If it's their anniversary we're staying at this villa because the spa is unbelievable and and you're just making it personalized because the reality is if you don't and you're just sending over this quote to Italy for 20 grand, the client's going to sit there and be like, okay, so I need to look up this hotel. I need to look up this and they're going to spend so much time on it where if you just took 45 minutes on this in-depth call and did it with them, they're going to get off that call feeling like they don't have to do anything more, right? They're educated now on where their money's going, what the experience is going to look like you've showed them the hotel websites and the properties why are they going to have to go do it on themselves now. Yeah yeah so no you nailed it. That's exactly how I do it.

SPEAKER_01

That's a really great point is you're taking that work off of them. And there's there's one really big piece that I missed. When you start this proposal you want to reiterate what it is that they asked for. So just a quick headline of all right we're trying to go to Italy. We're spending two full weeks we really want to have some adventure but the main focus is just reconnecting with each other and we want to see the sites but again always bringing it back to that reconnection piece. So I'm excited to show you what I found. I have been doing a ton of research you've got to have those words in there. And here's why they want to know that someone else is working really hard on them. So right now I can tell you that I could do an Italy proposal right now with zero research and it's going to take me zero time and I could easily pitch a $20,000 trip to Italy. No problem right I've got that story down pat at this point. So is it authentic to say I've done a ton of research no but in the past I have so it is authentic in that sense. But you want them to hear that you worked really hard putting this together. I think that part of the human mentality part of the way our brain works is I reached out to a professional because I believe a professional knows everything. So I need to know that that professional put a lot of time and effort into my special trip and it's just for me. That's what they want to hear. So let them hear it because that's going to frame the rest of your conversation and let them be really excited. Your enthusiasm will absolutely rub off on them. But if you get on the call and you're just like okay so I've got the proposal for our trip to Italy and this is a hotel in Rome and it's got a king bed like you asked for and then we're going to take the train it's a bullet train to Florida right like that's so different of an experience. So you have to be enthusiastic and you want to actually say the words that you worked really hard and did a ton of research so they understand what they're about to see is really special.

SPEAKER_00

Agreed. I think that enthusiasm definitely goes back to the consultation as well right just remind the clients how excited you are to get to work on this. You love planning Italy you can't wait and they're going to get excited right so you keep showing that enthusiasm they're going to get excited they're finally going to lock it in. You're going to get the sale and off they go I love it.

SPEAKER_01

I love it. Okay. So wrapping up their proposal is the piece that I think most travel agents struggle with heavily. Tell me how you wrap it up before I dive into don't forget all these other things. How do you kind of make sure you know other than hey Visa or MasterCard that's probably not the right way no so towards the end is when I go through you know what's included with everything that I've just presented to them, right?

SPEAKER_00

So from start to finish the transfers, the trains, the hotels, the tours all of this is included and this is how much your trip is going to be that's when I present the price. At this point I know the price aligns with what they want to spend because we've already had a discussion about it. And yeah from there I either do give them I try to give some upsell opportunities right I don't think it's necessarily in changing a hotel unless they have like high expectations of some crazy five star property. But I think upgrading the room is a great potential to upgrade. So I always ask them do you want me to look at a suite or something a little you know above your standard or deluxe whatever I pitch to you. And then I go back from there of how much do we need to change and what does that look like or are you ready to get this locked in right away? I'm going to be honest probably eight out of 10 times there it's exactly the way they want it and they're ready to pay for it. And I go over a deposit amount exactly what this is going to look like and and that's it.

SPEAKER_01

I go over costs and $2,000 and here we are right the only tweak I make is I usually don't have an exact price for the proposal. I don't take the time to price out transfers or train tickets before an FIT proposal ever. What I do is I simply ballpark they're going to be 150 for transfers, 150 per person for train. And so I've got it in there and then I always have some like cushion so I will typically pitch it as it's going to be right around 25,000. As soon as you tell me this is exactly what you're looking for I'm going to price out every single thing perfectly for you and we're going to lock this in today I'll be texting you the exact deposit amount within the hour. Are we good? Right. Does anything need to be changed I also like to ask the simple question of like so what are you most excited about? And they'll say like oh my God I can't wait to do that private dinner in a vineyard. That's incredible. I can't believe you thought of that very standard thing and they're going to be all excited which means that they're more likely to say yes. You got them to say yes to a piece of it. So if they say yes to a piece they're more likely to say yes to the trip as a whole and then ask you know do you have any questions? No, no questions no changes amazing let's uh let's go ahead and lock that in. Now Haley always pitches the fee on the consultation. So she's already got the credit card information. She's got the traveler's details and all of that. If you didn't pitch a fee you should but if you didn't pitch a fee this is your time to make sure to say I'm sending over all the paperwork. I need you to fill this out right now. And if you even slightly think that they may be hesitating on locking it in today that's where you need to set urgency. Haley how do you best go about setting urgency with these clients?

SPEAKER_00

I just so one of my favorite things to say is my supplier has this on hold until end of day. So we're confirmed pricing we we have everything good to go. If we wait a few more days then pricing may fluctuate and that's kind of what I go off of and I basically say I've done a lot of work and put this on hold so damn it pay your deposit um so that's kind of how I do that. I hope you don't say damn it pay your deposit of course not right but it's I think I've already set the expectations I you know we've told them that a deposit's coming they know what to expect unless there's like you know here's the other thing if you're working with the DMC you're working with a tour operator like Europe Express sometimes the back and forth like if you have to go in and change something the reality is that could take a day or two. So depending on how you're actually putting together your trip and researching it and selling it I think that's important to consider as well right sometimes just changing out a tour could take 24 hours with Europe Express. So depending on the supplier right if I know I'm booking a Europe Express package then I'll tell them by if it's a three o'clock you know proposal I'll tell them by end of day tomorrow we'll be good to go with all the updates that will be made for you and I'll touch base and send over authorization then. So I think it really truly depends on the type of trip that you're booking too.

SPEAKER_01

I love it. Yeah as long as you help them understand this process is happening now not in three weeks from now that's that's the main part of it. Will you have people drag their feet? Absolutely and I don't want to set the expectation that if you do this exactly as I say, you're never going to have any problems again. That's unrealistic. However I I will be honest that that eight out of 10 is is very accurate for me as well about eight out of 10 pay for it that day lock it in that day. And I also use the line like my supplier has this on hold till midnight please let me know I like that you say end a day because midnight probably that's why I get the 10 p.m text isn't it um even though it's not completely accurate we all know we could put rooms on hold With beds online or rate hawk for the entire until final payment, right? But um, I think helping the client understand that this when the process happens faster, it's so much easier on you. So the reality is if they drag the their feet, it makes your life more difficult. So why not put that sense of urgency to them? I used to always set urgency around flights, and I would say, you know, flight prices fluctuate, but here's what I found is flight prices also go down and people know that. And so then you've got the people that are like trying to time the market perfectly, and I don't have time to deal with that. I want to get your flight booked and get it out of the way as quickly as possible. So I am hoping that um basically relying on that this is on hold kind of comment that they understand we've got to move quickly. And again, you can't set that expectation for the first time at the end of the proposal. You've got to set it a week in advance when you're on the consultation. Or I typically recommend that research and design period to be roughly two to three days. I find when it's a full week, it basically shows that you don't have a lot of urgency around the trip. So why should they have urgency to lock it in? Two to three days feels really good because you clearly took a lot of time and effort into the trip, even though it better not have taken you three days to build out. Um, you put some time and effort in the trip, right? Whereas if you say, like, oh, we could do a proposal call tomorrow, it's gonna feel like there really wasn't enough effort put into it. So I typically tell people set your proposal call about three days out. Um, that's where I see uh that's where I see clients feel like they're getting the most value and be ready to lock things in pretty quickly. If you're using a DMC, that can be a problem. You've got to find the right DMC partners that will get you a proposal back within 24 hours. And if that's not the DMC you're reaching out to, find a different one. They should be able to do that. A DMC works with typically one, maybe a couple of countries, they should have that on lock, right? If I'm only working with Italy, I can pump out some Italy proposals pretty quickly. Um, any last-minute suggestions there? Anything you think we forgot, Haley?

SPEAKER_00

No, I think, you know, now that we talk about the two out of 10 that aren't ready to kind of lock it in and how you deal with that, I think going back to the overall process and you know, you creating your process that works for you and you stick with it every single time, it's just gonna make everything clear for the client. You know, I clients are gonna say to you, like, hey, can we just lock in the hotels and not do the tours right now? That's one of my favorite questions. And I say to them, no, because what's gonna happen is, you know, through a month, two months later, they're gonna be wanting to do the tours. They're just dismantling your package and everything that you work towards. Like, you need to know what you want to work and what you don't. And that I don't recommend. Not like this didn't recently happen or something. Um, but then you're gonna have clients too who they they're good to go with. They tell you they have a deposit and they're doing a two-week trip to Asia, and all of a sudden you're like, okay, are you no? Well, we're gonna take some time and just go over it and dive in a little more in depth. And then you ask the questions like, what more do you need to be educated on so I can help you? And then a week goes by, two weeks go by, you text them, and you know, I think having a process for what happens when they don't actually close it on the call with you is important as well. How many times are you gonna follow up? How long are you gonna let let it linger? When do you talk about okay, they're risking prices going up tremendously because they're just waiting? Are they really doing this trip? I think there's, and again, that's more conversations we can have in other episodes.

SPEAKER_01

But I love it. Has anybody uh quoted somebody at the beginning of March and then actually booked it at the end of March? Tell me those prices didn't change on you. Um, so honestly, using fear tactics like that are a realistic advantage. And yeah, I think we should do a much deeper dive into um basically overcoming objections and what that looks like. Because it is really important to ask the question of why? Why do they need more time? What piece of the proposal are you still questioning or unsure about? Maybe I could give you some more direction there, right? I think that's really important. Um, all right. I love this. I would like to just make sure that you don't forget this step of there is a next step. So, however, if you're not working with an assistant, again, you should be. Um, it's one of my favorite things that we offer at Sava Travel. We charge nothing for it up front. You pay for it as a percentage of your commission once the trip is traveled. But basically, an assistant should be the next step. So after we lock this in, I'm gonna introduce you to my guest experience manager. They're gonna answer your questions, they're gonna put the icing on the cake with any dinner reservations or spa appointments, but just letting you know you're not gonna hear from us until about 60 days prior to the trip. That's when we'll start reaching out again and making sure that everything is aligned just perfectly. And then don't forget, we're also going to do a welcome home call right before you travel. Sorry, a pre-departure call right before you travel to make sure that you feel really good about what you're about to experience and you don't have any last minute questions. So making sure they understand that you're not gonna take their 10 grand and run. It's essentially what we want to do here. What is the next step after I book it in? You always, with each step of the process, make sure you just reiterate the next step so they know what's happening.

SPEAKER_00

Love it.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. Thank you guys so much. We will be talking to y'all again next week. Don't forget we drop a new episode every single Wednesday. Um, and we can't wait to see you then. Bye.