VIKTORIIA HNATIUK / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
PEOPLE IMAGE STUDIO / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
INCORPORATE FEES There ’ s no better time than now to incorporate fees into your business . If there ’ s one positive that came from the past few years , it ’ s that people realized the importance of working with a travel advisor , and most travelers will be happy to pay a fee for those services . Your years of travel experience , in depth training and growing meaningful supplier relationships are extremely valuable to clients , and charging a fee to share these insights is a no brainer .
It ’ s not always easy to ask current clients to start paying a fee if they haven ’ t done so in the past . But witnessing the turmoil agents went through has allowed them to understand why you ’ re doing it . If you look at other industries , it ’ s hard to find other services people can utilize without first paying a fee . If you ’ re not comfortable fully jumping into charging fees , consider first incorporating a “ plan to go ” deposit . Before you begin working with a client , charge them a non-refundable deposit that can go towards their vacation payment if they do in fact book the trip — if they don ’ t book with you , it becomes a fee that covers the time you spent with them .
BE FLEXIBLE , BUT NOT TOO FLEXIBLE It ’ s nice to see travel companies have gotten more flexible . For example , airlines dropped change fees , and some cruise lines and tour operators are offering $ 0 deposits . But while this allows your clients to book early and change plans , what does it mean for you ? It could mean you ’ re spending more time rebooking clients since there isn ’ t anything at stake , and it ’ s important to not allow it to happen continually .
Be flexible , but not overly flexible . One option is joining the larger travel companies in offering one free change but after that charging a fee for changes made . Cancelling a trip is different . If someone cancels , you ’ ve already made money from the initial fee you charged and you might even still get a portion of the commission . However , the time spent on changing a vacation completely is almost equivalent to booking a new trip , which means you should be compensated properly .
WINTER 2022 / THE COMPASS / 21