FORT LAUDERDALE — Selling is 100% learnable, but it is a skill for which most travel agents rarely train for or spend time practicing, said Scott Koepf, vice president for sales at host agency Avoya Travel.
Koepf spoke to agents at Travel Weekly's CruiseWorld participatingn in a one-hour course titled “To Close or Not to Close,” Keopf outlined several keys to increasing sales.
A major step is simply to recognize that sales is a process that has discrete steps, and that agents should always be aware where they are in the sales process and what follows.
“You’ve got to know in your mind what to do next,” Koepf said.
He outlined six steps, but said there could just as easily be four or eight so long as you follow a step-by-step plan.
Closing, the last step, is usually viewed as supremely important. Koepf said it is, but only if you want a one-time transaction. He said agents should set their sights higher, on a lifelong customer relationship.
If that’s the goal, then closing is just the first step in setting the table for that relationship, Koepf said.
Independent travel agents wear at least four hats, that of CEO, travel expert, marketer and salesperson, he said. “That last hat needs a lot more attention,” Koepf said.
Too many agents think their passion for travel or their product knowledge will lead to sales, but those are just basics that customers expect to get when they engage a travel professional.
“If you’re not spending an hour a day on studying sales, you’ve got to do more,” he said. “Knowing a little bit more about the carpet isn’t going to make you more money, but what you do with a customer will."
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