The naked Agent
THIS month our mystery
shopper contacted three
travel agencies in East
London with a request for a
holiday in Asia in early January.
She had been to Malaysia
before, enjoyed the sightseeing
and culture and would like to
do something similar. She was
not looking for a beach holiday.
She would like to stop over in
Bangkok for two nights and
tour Vietnam for seven nights.
The budget was R40 000.
Sales tip of the month
As an industry, we should
be rightfully proud of
the engaging agents
we employ. However, is
that enough to close a
sale? Leisure travel is an
impulsive purchase. It’s
a want, a desire, not a
necessity. A great sales
person can create and
generate the impulse
to book by making
customers believe they
absolutely must travel
on the holiday they have
been dreaming about.
They can bring it to life,
tell the customer how it
ticks all their boxes and
change the need to a
‘must have’. All it takes is
a little more effort.
Taka note!
The purpose of the Naked Agent in this series of ‘Sell more…’ features
is to assess the experience from only a sales skills perspective and not
the effectiveness of the travel agency. TNW believes that sales skills are
increasingly important to travel agents and, in many cases, improvement
in selling skills is the easiest way to increase the prosperity of the agency
and its consultants. The Naked Agent is designed to raise awareness of
the opportunity and build awareness of the need.
Melanie Sizer
Harvey World Travel, Devereux Avenue
This consultation ticked
all the boxes and left me
on tenterhooks waiting
for quotes. Melanie Sizer
got to know my needs
in full and was brimming
with advice, information,
personality and passion.
I learned so much, not
just about Vietnam but
also about Cambodia and
the difference between
a scheduled and a tailormade
tour. I agreed to
opt for the scheduled
tour to meet my budget.
She brought to life the
packages and tours,
saying the Far East was
her favourite destination
and Asia was very close to
her heart. Her knowledge
was outstanding. I was
very excited to hear back
from her, hoping that her
sales pitch would be just
as good as her consulting.
I received a number of
tour options from her
over the following days
but no phone calls. In
each case I was provided
with the quote but with
very little selling of the
holiday. However, these
quotes exactly matched
what I had asked for. I
was encouraged to provide
feedback and every email
was answered promptly
with a great sense of
interest. Out of all of the
agents I consulted this
time, Melanie hooked me
the most because of her
passion at the start of the
conversation.
Did you know?
On its current south-east Asia sailings, from December 2014
to April 2015, Regent Seven Seas Cruises is giving guests
sailing in Concierge Suites and higher grades a three-night
pre-cruise or post-cruise land programme. It is included in the
cruise fare.
Travellers flying Singapore Airlines or SilkAir and transiting
Changi Airport are entitled to SGD340 (R2 966) Changi Dollar
Vouchers, to be used for shopping, dining or access to the
transit lounge.
The Naked Agent
XL Aloe Travel, Frere Road
A lovely, friendly greeting
from this agent made her
approach very engaging. She
advised me that Vietnam
was becoming very popular.
She asked about our travel
dates and, as we were
flexible to leave any time in
January, she said she would
look at the middle of the
month, as the flights would
be better. She offered to
mail some tours to me but
didn’t ask where we had
been to before or what we
wanted to see and do in
Vietnam. I explained our
previous travels and asked
for a Bangkok addition.
Three options were received
by email with a request for
me to select one so that
she could work out flights.
It would have been nice to
receive a call alongside the
options. I nevertheless made
a choice and advised her.
The following day I received
a flight quote and the
agent advised that she had
provisionally booked the tour
to ensure I was guaranteed
a place. This created a nice
sense of urgency, together
with a deposit request,
booking forms and visa
information. However, the
holiday wasn’t ‘sold’ to me
and she didn’t phone me. I
was left, unaided, to ensure
it was the right tour for me.
I told the agent that I was
awaiting other quotes and
would get back to her. The
following day I received a
further competitive quote but
no real selling of the holiday.
The itinerary was in the body
of the email and I assume it
was expected that this would
do the selling on her behalf.
Sure Travel, Devereux Avenue
An extremely efficient-sounding
agent greeted my request.
She had some knowledge
of the destination and when
she wasn’t sure, she checked
for me. She got to know my
needs well and integrated into
the conversation some tours
that other customers had
enjoyed. She also provided
the temperatures for me when
I asked if it was a good time
to travel. When I mentioned
Bangkok, she agreed that it
would be a good inclusion
but said she would quote it
separately so that I could
decide if I wanted to include
it or not. She explained about
passports and visas and set
the scene for what would
happen next. I ended the call
feeling that my holiday was
in good hands. Next day the
agent emailed, advising that
she was awaiting quotes and
the following day a quote
arrived from her colleague with
a costing in the body of the
email and a detailed itinerary
attached. No reference
was made to our original
discussion and neither was
a quote included for Bangkok
as expected. I thanked the
agent and told her that I was
awaiting additional quotes and
would revert to her.
Reference Guide
Tour operators
Travel Vision:
Has an extensive product
range including more than
100 000 hotels around the
world, many based in southeast
Asia.
Offers adventure tour
options throughout southeast
Asia, ranging from
cultural discovery trips to
active walking and cycling
tours. Can also assist with
cruise options in Asia.
Offers competitively priced,
wide choice of products
in popular destinations as
well as Vietnam, Cambodia,
Myanmar and Laos.
Wendy Wu Tours:
Itineraries are fully
inclusive, so all expenses
(airfares and departure
taxes, transportation,
accommodation, meals,
entrance fees, daily tours,
tipping and visa fees for
SA passport holders) are
included in the initial tour
cost.
All tours are graded to
assist clients to decide
which itinerary best suits
their ability and taste.
There are comfortably
paced, medium-paced and
actively-paced tours. The
most successful group
itineraries have been
redesigned as deluxe
holidays and cruising
packages.
Can provide agents with
detailed information on
itineraries and advice on
itinerary choice, or even
design an experience to
suit specific needs.
Has local city guides
on all tours. A national,
English-speaking guide
will accompany the group
throughout, including
the destinations where
language could be a barrier.
Airlines
Air Mauritius:
Offers excellent fares
to destinations beyond
Mauritius, with a
stopover on the island to
break travel time.
Uses an A330 or
A340 on its long-haul
routes, where business
class features a flat-bed
seat.
Singapore Airlines:
Offers daily services
from Johannesburg to
Singapore and four times
weekly from Cape Town
(via Johannesburg).
Regional arm, SilkAir,
serves the south-east
Asia region extensively,
with regular services
to more than 30
destinations. Most
recently added are
Mandalay in Myanmar
and Kalibo in the
Philippines.
Offers value-for-money
stopover packages in
Singapore starting from
R530pppn in a twin
room, with value-adds
worth more than R2 500.
Destination informatoin
Tourism Authority
of Thailand:
(info@amazingthailandsa.
co.za)
Offers information on the
diversity and variety in
culture, environment and
nature and Bangkok. It is
an ‘easy’ destination to
explore and get around in
and people are warm and
welcoming. Its affordability
makes it a great holiday
destination for South
Africans, whether young
adventurers, families,
honeymoon couples or
special-interest visitors.
Cruise lines
Cruises International:
Cruises International has
an extensive collective
of itineraries ranging
from Beijing, Tokyo, Hong
Kong and Hanoi to Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia or
Surabaya in Indonesia.
There are also countless
cruise experiences on offer,
including contemporary
family cruising, six-star allinclusive
luxury cruising,
small-ship yachting or river
cruising.
Almost all the cruise lines
in Cruises International’s
portfolio offer an array of
shore excursions, longer
stays/overnights in ports
as well as complimentary
and exclusive events
to give guests the true
essence of a destination.
Royal Caribbean
International’s newest ship,
Quantum of the Seas, will
make its home port in
Shanghai, China. On board,
guests can try simulated
skydiving, ride bumper cars
and attend circus school.
Encore Cruises:
Regent Seven Seas
Cruises offers fleet-wide
complimentary WiFi (up
to 500 minutes or the
equivalent data amount,
depending on the length
of voyage) for Concierge
Suites and higher
accommodation grades.
A luxury hotel package
is included in Concierge
Suites and higher.
Regent’s prices include
selected short excursions,
a wide range of hard and
soft beverages; in-suite
mini-bar replenished
daily; up to four gourmet
restaurants; complimentary
24-hour room service and
staff gratuities.
The award-winning ships
are the perfect size for
exploring some of the
world’s most legendary
cities and boutique ports
as they can sail in and out
without restriction.
Amadeus by Lüftner
Cruises (Austria
Connection):
Cruising the Irrawaddy or
Mekong provides a great
way to experience the
destination, especially
when combined with
the pre- and post-cruise
programmes on offer.
The Irrawaddy Explorer is
an elegant boutique ship
with 28 spacious outside
cabins that offer views of
the Irrawaddy River.
The Mekong Navigator
comprises 34 cabins
featuring two twin-size
beds that can be converted
to one queen-size on
request.
Spcial offers from tavel Visoin
TRAVEL Vision is running a number
of specials for the south-east Asia
region, including Thailand and Bali,
valid until October 31.
The Thailand All-Inclusive Offer is
priced from R24 045pps. It includes
return airfare from Johannesburg;
approximate airport taxes; an eightnight
stay in a deluxe pool access
room or premium beachfront room;
breakfast, lunch and dinner; unlimited
drinks with meals between 11h00
and 23h00; private return airport
transfers and flowers or fruit basket
in the room.
The Bali at its Best package is
priced from R16 765pps. It includes
return airfare from Johannesburg
or Cape Town on Singapore
Airlines; airport taxes; five nights’
accommodation at the five-star
Nusa Dua Beach Resort and Spa;
daily breakfast and return airport
transfers. Travellers also receive a
one-hour Balinese massage and
one themed dinner.
