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Triton conference special: Agents told to make themselves famous
Travel agents need to make themselves ‘locally famous’ for something, to stand out from the crowd, said Pursers and Didsbury Travel managing director and Triton director Helen Burgess.
In a trade panel session at Palma, Burgess told agents to work their local markets to win over customers.
“We won the ‘agent of the year’ award, largely because we entered it,†she said.
“I’m not under any illusion that we’re the best agent in the country, but we got a plaque and received a lot of local press, which did wonders for our business. Enter competitions, because you just might win and be able to market that.â€
She told agents to stay close to their best customers.
“It is the old 80/20 rule. Keep in touch with the 20 per cent of people who give you 80 per cent of your business.â€
Kuoni sales director Manuel Mascarenhas said that in difficult times, agents needed to focus on serving the customer.
“The market is difficult and disposable income is under pressure,†said Mascarenhas. “We’re in an industry where travel is somewhat resilient, but everyone is fighting for that pound and customers are very wary of spending money and they want value for money.
Silversea UK senior vice president and managing director said cruising was not as affected as some other sectors by changes in the economy.
“We know that cruising is pretty resilient. People will forego other basic commodities to make sure they can have a holiday because they feel they deserve it.
“The three most important things are appearance, skill set and service. If you deliver all those, people will feel confident about booking with you.â€
Gold Medal head of travel industry sales Lee Marshall said it was important for operators to work closely with agents.
“That’s why we’ve introducing the 0800 number for agents,†he said.
by Jeremy Skidmore [www.jeremyskidmore.com]
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