Secret Agent – reporting from the frontline of travel sales

Before l tell you about my week, l feel l must address some of the comments left after my last TravelMole piece.

At no point did l mention that l was unhappy with the company that l work for, far from it.

They are probably one of the best companies l have worked for.  Motivation and support are in abundance.  At the time it was simply the lack of calls.

My sales techniques and customer service skills are also not an issue, and my large repeat client base is proof of that. You can only convert calls if you are receiving them.

The last few weeks have definitely put a smile back on my face.  The phone isn’t ringing off the hook but it’s definitely ringing.

Lots of lovely repeat customers too, which is all extra commission earned for me.
The general flow of calls have been for last minute breaks, which l love, as its instant commission.

It has been all the usual requests for this time of year – Canaries, Egypt or Caribbean.

Egypt is still a big seller for me, as the country is such good value for money. You can get some really good prices if you dynamically package Egypt.  It can at times be up £100pp cheaper than standard packages.

We all love dynamic packaging, it generally means more commission, has more flexibility with durations and also allows you to secure a booking because the prices are normally cheaper than packages.

As long as the customers are fully aware of what is being booked, it’s a win-win situation.

My most amusing call this week has got to be a regular whom l haven’t heard from for a couple of months.

He called to enquire about a break to Turkey. Very unusual l thought, as his wife would not normally go anywhere but the Canaries.

As we are chatting away l ask after the wife, only to be informed that he has left her. After being together for 35 years, he had run off with one of his friend’s wives.  I then get told the whole saga which is something worthy of a Jeremy Kyle show. After a good laugh and joke about it all, he and his new lady are off to Turkey.

I still have my ongoing love to hate affair with Thomas Cook. I have just lost out on yet another booking to Cuba with them this evening.

Even if l had taken all my commission off l still could not have beaten the price client had been offered. I could not even switch-sell as it was only Thomas Cook that offered this particular property. But the customer has my number and maybe l will get her next booking.

I am loving Olympic Holidays and Kosmar at the moment. If you have a customer that is on a low budget they have some amazing deals in May and June. All my Greek bookings this month have been through one or the other.

I am lucky enough to be joining the new EasyCruise ship ‘Life’ on April 19. I will be reporting back daily for the first few days of the cruise.

I am both excited and apprehensive. I do not have great sea legs. I must be the only person who can get sick just looking at the cross channel ferry.

But l am eager to see what this new ship has to offer.  My thoughts are in orange at the moment, will l be pleasantly surprised? I’ll let you know.