iTravelInsured::Accessorizing Your Travel Sale

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10.17.2007 - Accessorizing Your Travel Sale (Back to News)
By Bill Dismore, Executive Vice President, iTravelInsured®, Inc.

As a travel agent, you work hard to get referrals. To me, a referral is an interested, prospective customer who has approached you to obtain ideas and pricing for a future trip. Getting a referral is a direct result of your advertising, marketing and networking efforts.

Your first objective is to convert a referral into a customer by selling them a trip. But should you stop there? A good salesperson will "accessorize" that purchase. You experience accessorizing in your every day life. For some examples, just think back to some of your recent purchases:

New automobile: Did your salesperson offer you cruise control, six CD player, air conditioning, leather interior, or a moon roof for an extra fee?
New home: Did your builder offer upgraded flooring, kitchen appliances, landscaping, fireplace, or brick exterior at extra cost?
New clothes: Did your salesperson suggest shoes, pocketbook, scarf, jacket, or a sweater to go along with an article of clothing you just purchased?
Beauty salon/spa: When you got your hair done, were you also offered a manicure, pedicure or hair care products?

A successful travel agent will include the word "accessorize" as a part of their travel sales routine. Not only will accessories enhance the customer’s travel enjoyment, you will realize an increase in sales income.

The travel industry has a wide variety of accessories and some of the following should be considered for most every leisure trip.

Travel insurance: This product not only helps protect your customer’s vacation investment from non-refundable cancellation penalties or expenses from unforeseeable travel and medical emergencies, but it also pays one of the highest compensation percentages of any travel product.
Pre/Post hotel stay: A vacation should be relaxing, not a stressful, mad scramble from one destination to the next. You can help your clients relax by getting them to their destination early so they don’t have to worry about airline delays caused by bad weather, mechanical problems or other factors.
Limousine services for air or cruise departures: Parking fees and gas prices are sky high. This accessory can save both money and time. As an added bonus, it allows your customer to be dropped off at the front door rather than in some far away airport parking lot.
Shore excursions, sight seeing day trips, event tickets: Accessorize your customer’s travel and enjoyment by providing variety.

Accessorizing enhances your client’s travel experience and your bottom line.