Selling Like It's 1985
As a nation, we are a jaded lot. From Willy Loman to the used-auto hucksters in countless movies, the public in general holds sales people rather low on the scale of esteem. Indeed, most of the people you encounter are so afraid of being “sold” something that they refuse to speak with sales people when they enter a store or walk onto a car lot. “I’m just looking” is used as the warding spell against the sales person, and woe to the one who persists beyond that point.
Most travel consultants share this cultural bias against “sales.” Ironic, isn’t it? Because of the image most people have of the sales process, they enter into any sales transaction very cautiously. Intellectually, the buyer wants a very clear and demonstrable congruence between what they want or need, and what they receive. In addition, they want to pay as little as possible for the product or service in the process. If they accomplish these buying objectives, they feel they have made a good purchasing decision. Their fear is that instead of making a good buying decision, they will be “sold” something other than what they wanted or at a price greater than the value they received. In short, your clients are scared and you aren’t helping matters because you don’t like sales people either. |
Yikes. Such is the psychological swampland into which you first wade with every new client. Something has to change for a sale to take place, and you, the travel consultant, are the only one who can make that happen. So let’s investigate the psychology of the sales process. All of the factors in the process need to be re-aligned with a new paradigm, because the schema of the one above is hardly conducive to a good relationship with your clients.
The sales techniques that gave birth to the prototype of the pushy sales person and their irksome behavior are as old as time itself. Before the advent of the internet, however, sales people had a near monopoly on key information about their product. There were very few retail outlets, so choice was limited. Comparing cars across a wide range of consumers, options, safety and other factors was a matter of intensive, time consuming research. Buying any consumable good meant relying on the few retailers in your neighborhood who sold the product. If you wanted an airline ticket, a cruise or a trip to Europe, you almost had to begin with a travel agent. The transactional nature of a purchase meant that most purchasers were deemed “customers”.
Sales people twenty and thirty years ago were schooled in sales “techniques” and “marketing” meant a collection of gimmicks to lure people closer, mechanisms something like a Venus flytrap might employ. Smart consumers were skeptical, but nevertheless largely reliant and therefore vulnerable to the machinations of unscrupulous and manipulative sales approaches. Is it any wonder that people so mistrusted the transactional, retail model of sales?
Times have changed, you know that very well. The question, then, is are you still selling like it’s 1985?
Relationship Sales
For a travel consultant trying to consistently grow their client base, the retail transactional model is not only antiquated, but it’s also disastrous. With so much information available to consumers, and with the proliferation of distribution channels for travel, the hard sell, retail techniques of years before are both useless and even laughable. The customer won on price, will be lost on price. The consumer who receives a rebate will use it to purchase their next trip elsewhere. The smart “travel agent” has become a “travel consultant” or a “travel counselor” and the “customers” have become “clients”. The business of being a travel professional is no longer about transactions – selling travel. Instead, being a travel consultant is about a relationship built on trust.
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Resolve to put away your concern over price, outdated notions that you sell travel and every vestige of the old retail model. Approach clients with the idea of establishing a relationship. Engage clients in conversations that personalize you and your company. Speak to the client about their needs, their desires and ambitions. Where have they been in the past, where do they want to go “some day”? What are their hobbies, what do they like to do on vacation? The 4th of July is coming up, along with the summer solstice, Father’s Day and Memorial Day. Do they have plans? How did the kid’s school year go? What are they doing this summer?
You get the picture. Modern sales is about relationships. People do business with people and companies they like, companies that demonstrate an interest in them. That is the basis of modern sales, and that is the opportunity you have in front of you now.
The most important element in the sales process is the sales person. A long term relationship is built on trust. People trust authentic people who say what they mean, speak in a straight-forward manner and who demonstrate a keen insight into the needs and desires of the buyer.
To create an atmosphere of trust and authenticity, the travel agent must first believe, with no shadow of a doubt, in the value of what they offer as a consultant. The travel consultant must believe whole-heartedly, that the client is better off booking their travel through the agent than direct with a supplier, or online or with the agent down the street. The travel consultant must believe in his or her inherent willingness to address every need and want of the client and then to go the extra mile. In short, the perspective of an authentic sales person is client-centric: the needs and desires of the client are at the heart of every transaction. You must manifest the client-centric attitude inwardly so it shines forth in your outward demeanor.
One of the best ways of crafting an appropriate outward demeanor is to remind yourself what you don’t like about inauthentic sales people: the too-strong “come on”, the phony smile, the too-vigorous handshake and the lilting voice that sounds more like a motivational speaker than a trusted advisor. Not one of these attributes moves you to trust the sales person. Instead, you have the very distinct impression that he is going to “try and sell you something.” In your own practice, strive to make the client feel at ease and comfortable. Review our previous discussions on creating the appropriate environment for the buying process.
A calm environment, a confident demeanor and an assurance that your concerns are with the client all make up the best possible environment for the buying process to take place. And therein is the second psychological shift that must take place. Your client does not want to be involved in a “sales process.” The client is in the process of buying something. Be empathetic. Again, it is your responsibility to make an internal psychological shift and come around to your client’s side of the table. Assist them with buying their travel, not with selling anything. You are not a retail store and you are not selling travel. You do not own a cruise ship, a commercial airplane or a resort. If the client perceives you as assisting them in making an intelligent buying decision, they will be on-board with you for a long, healthy relationship.
One of the best ways of crafting an appropriate outward demeanor is to remind yourself what you don’t like about inauthentic sales people: the too-strong “come on”, the phony smile, the too-vigorous handshake and the lilting voice that sounds more like a motivational speaker than a trusted advisor. Not one of these attributes moves you to trust the sales person. Instead, you have the very distinct impression that he is going to “try and sell you something.” In your own practice, strive to make the client feel at ease and comfortable. Review our previous discussions on creating the appropriate environment for the buying process.
A calm environment, a confident demeanor and an assurance that your concerns are with the client all make up the best possible environment for the buying process to take place. And therein is the second psychological shift that must take place. Your client does not want to be involved in a “sales process.” The client is in the process of buying something. Be empathetic. Again, it is your responsibility to make an internal psychological shift and come around to your client’s side of the table. Assist them with buying their travel, not with selling anything. You are not a retail store and you are not selling travel. You do not own a cruise ship, a commercial airplane or a resort. If the client perceives you as assisting them in making an intelligent buying decision, they will be on-board with you for a long, healthy relationship.