IC TRAVEL AGENT April 2014 | Page 10

You Can’t Sizzle if you… That’s right. No sale no sizzle. No sizzle no sale. If you’re not sizzling then is might just be down to lead generation plus the question of what your marketing is doing to drive the leads you need. You can’t sizzle if no leads are being generated. You have three lead generators based on the marketing activities of yourself, your host agency and your preferred suppliers. Those are the three sources that shake the world around you – then it’s up to you to secure those leads and waltz them to a sizzlin’ close. Let’s take a closer look: There’s your three sources of lead generation and they should be on fire each day every day. Of course you’ll have your own marketing plan and before you commit to it, make sure you have made notes as to when your host agency has their marketing planned. Then review your suppliers to see what they are doing, followed by any collaboration between your host agency and those same preferred suppliers. That is a lot of marketing activity and your job is to channel every lead you can to your email, phone or website which in turn will route your prospects and leads back to your email or phone. You can sizzle if you have those incoming leads. The main thing you can do is to put yourself in the way of the prospect and in your own marketing promote: “Hey… over here! I’m the best travel agent in town! I can get you there from here!” Whenever you see a supplier’s promotion that you like and it’s a product you sell, then that’s when you market yourself as the main booking engine, the place where that promotion can be discussed and booked. You cannot propose to be or represent that supplier, but you can sell it as an agent of record. To sell and sizzle at the same time means to turn every marketing opportunity in your direction. Pitch yourself, join in on host agency marketing and support your preferred supplier marketing and you will indeed attract some sizzlin’ leads to close. 