One of my goals at the Home-Based Travel Agent Forum in Boston (which was a lot
of fun, by the way!) was to educate travel agents on the value of remembering
clients with inexpensive gifts, either as bon voyage presents or as holiday or
birthday gifts.
I don’t know if there are any studies to back me up on this, but I’d be willing to
bet that travel agents get more positive results from giving small, thoughtful
gifts than they do by rebating (kicking back some of their commission in the hope
of competing on price, which is never a good idea).
On a fam I took with OSSN a few months ago our group leader proved to be an
expert in this ploy. I still remember how she swooped into a shop in Juneau (it
was an Alaskan cruise) and, because ours was the last ship the port would see
t hat season, cut a deal to buy the entire remaining stock of dish towels. They
were dirt cheap, but because they had an Alaskan motif they made excellent
(and useful) gifts for her frequent cruisers while promoting Alaska as a
destination!
My company, the same one that publishes the Home-Based Travel Agent Success Course,
also publishes a range of travel books, some of which are “naturals” for travel agents
to use as promotional gifts, bon voyage presents, or holiday remembrances.
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