I am optimistic enough to believe
that there are still unexplored business models out there, just
waiting for the right mix of business skills and entrepreneurship.
Other segments of
the industry are constantly trying to find new ways to reach the
purchaser. They wonder why agents arent more proactive when it
comes to going to the consumer.
While the
traditional agency model implodes and the home-based revolution
continues to be far more than a fad, the industry seems to have
finally discovered that saying youre a travel agent is like saying
youre a doctor: Yeah, but what do you do?
I find that heart
surgeons and proctologists generally work in different areas. And
so do agents. Specialization is in, and boomers demand convenience.
They want to deal with a specialist, but on their terms.
Make house
calls
While agents are
working out of their homes and loving the flexibility it gives
them, their clients are wishing agents would be flexible enough to
come see them in their homes. Yes, there are security issues. But
there are ways to qualify clients for this service.
The insurance and
real estate industries have long seen the value in at-home services
for high-ticket purchases. This is an opportunity. Tour operators,
resorts and cruise lines might do well to assist agents with this
kind of face-to-face marketing.
Go where
your clients shop
Agents need to be
the cheerleaders for magic. Then they need to make magic. Thats a
tall order if youre sitting in an office and no one comes in,
perhaps worse if youre at home and no one calls.
But we know where
your clients are. Theyre shopping high-end furniture stores,
sipping lattes while their Lexus is being repaired and stopping at
their favorite bookstore to see if the new John Grisham is in.
These are travelers, and an in-store office location will put you
face-to-face with these folks.
This one is
difficult, and rejection is likely. But there are stores in great
locations that would love help with the rent while co-existing with
a high-end, clean business such as that of a Purveyor of
Dreams.
Dinner and
a booking
The best selling
environment is one-on-one, face-to-face. Perhaps the next step will
be a mobile agency that includes a meal in a fine restaurant with
every appointment. Smart suppliers would fund this because, if
properly qualified, the percentage of leads that would book after a
nice dinner is going to hover around 90%.
With the
destruction of the traditional agency network and an increasing
dependence on purchase by click, you can bet there will be a
backlash from clients who yearn for the days when they could sit
down with good ol Mr. Foster to discuss their trip.
Those trying to
reach the purchaser, particularly the upscale purchaser, over a
glass of cabernet may find the rewards intriguing.
Industry
consultant Richard Turen owns vacation-planning firm Churchill and
Turen in Naperville, Ill.