p16 comment nov28 26/11/08 20:29 Page 16
news comment
ttglive.com
Amanda Wills Virgin Holidays
“We did such a good job on
the late sell that customers
will find early booking wrong,
like a scratchy new jumper”
I
t has been a summer of upheaval in our So how do we sell early-bird options to last-
industry, and as we take a look at the new minute man? We should try these for starters:
landscape, I see an education job on the ■ Buy now to avoid disappointment. Simple but
horizon for us all. true: availability may run out.
With significantly reduced capacity, a conse- ■ Peace of mind. Booking now means a specific
quence of the past few weeks’ events is that the flight and resort is booked – and fully protected.
“lates” market will contract considerably. Mr Last Minute should now realise how
The problem is that in the days of abundant important that is.
availability, we all championed the “last-minute” ■ Leaving it late doesn’t guarantee a lower
traveller. It worked for us, and so this buying price. But it may guarantee a smaller choice of
pattern is now considered a right among a large product. Price is the key driver in the last-
portion of the travelling public. Oops. minute mentality, so this will be a strong
The late-deal mentality was something tool in encouraging advanced booking.
taught by our industry, and so the task of ■ Choice. A chance to tailor a sale to a
re-educating the consumer to consider customer’s preference.
advance booking now falls upon us. It is our communal responsibility and
But every challenge is really an oppor- to our collective advantage to encourage
tunity by another name. This chance for the customer to acknowledge the changes
us to pull together and adjust buying in the market.
behaviour gives agents the opportu- To drive the shift back to an earlier
nity to claim back some commercial booking pattern, we need to open a new
peace of mind. Wouldn’t it be great dialogue with the customer. We did such a
for them to be less reliant on book- good job on the last-minute sell that many
ings made within last 12 weeks? customers will find it, well, wrong at first –
In these tough trading condi- like a jumper that’s new and scratchy.
tions, a bigger window in which to We need to be clear that the old one’s
forecast brings back at least some sense comfort is a false one: there are holes in it.
of control over the books and the ability to It is our job to outline the benefits of
plan with a timeline that is less stressful. advance bookings. The early bird catches
And what about the upsell opportunities? The the flight. We have shown that we influence
agent experience, at its best, is about expertise, buying patterns. Now it’s time to undo our
but also in suggesting possible add-ons to the work and replace it with another way that
holiday purchase. It’s a great platform to offer suits the industry’s reduced capacity.
the customer a holiday experience with
trimmings, rather than a standard “trip abroad”, Amanda Wills is managing director
while increasing commission possibilities. of Virgin Holidays
16 28.11.2008
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