BARBARA CHARLTON Regular columnist Barbara was voted Most Helpful Travel Counsellor of the Year for two consecutive years.
talking shop WISE COUNSEL Sell on service only and reap the rewards I had a great response from my column
last month with several agents contacting me for more information on my networking activities. I'm happy to help anyone with any enquiries, just email me and I’ll get right back to you. April was a busy month in lots of ways:
busy getting the decks clear for the bank holidays, busy relaxing in rural Ireland for six days, busy networking, and of course, busy catching a few early summer rays in the garden! I hope that you all enjoyed the long breaks and returned to work refreshed and ready for the summer. April was also the month that Travel Counsellors held what we call our mini- conferences, one-day events held at a variety of venues, where we get updates from our directors and fantastic motivational and inspirational guidance. This year was no exception, with our
IT director Paul Speakman filling us in on our fantastic and unique IT systems, all written and developed in-house. I know from speaking to other agents from other companies that our system is so far ahead of the game that they’ll never catch us up – always good to know! We also received the latest updates on
our overall turnover, which for last year was in excess of £315 million, with our sales in the UK up by 13 per cent this year. Plus, 60 per cent of the company’s agents are actually up on last year with their sales, with 171 Travel Counsellors having had their best ever month in 2011. This just goes to show that no matter
what the competition do on price, such as cutting their margins to ridiculous levels, if you keep your nerve and sell on service you can still grow your business. As our managing director Steve Byrne
reminded us: “Price is what people pay, value is what they get from us, and it is the service that we provide that customers value the most.”
“You must stop selling on price, because clients always chasing bargain-basement prices are not loyal – you'll be repaid in the long run”
It’s all so very true. I really believe that if you want a loyal
client base you must stop selling on price, because clients always chasing bargain- basement prices are not loyal. It’s easier said than done, but hold your nerve and you’ll be repaid in the long run. As I write, we are still awaiting news of
more BA strike dates. I’m sure all agents will manage to do the very best for clients affected. It’s when the travelling public most appreciate having us, so just remember to shout out your stories by sending clients regular updates. Keeping in touch with your clients is
the single most important tip for having clients for life – not just for a booking. It’s the personal touches that make you stand out from the crowd, your reliability and accessibility also play an important role in building important relationships. It looks as though we'll have a busy
'lates' period again this year, not because of bargain hunters but because people are waiting to see how their finances cope with increased VAT and petrol prices. But I'm optimistic that cutting out the holiday will be their last resort. When this month’s Selling Long Haul
Barbara failed to conquer the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
hits your mats, I will be relaxing again, in Saint Lucia at The Body Holiday, Le Sport.! This is a prize from a Caribtours training evening. Le Sport has a mission promise of ‘Give us your body for a week and we’ll give you back your mind’. I'm
hoping that means that they will keep my decrepit old body and give me a nice shiny new one, but I won’t report them to Trading Standards if they can’t! I’m also planning to visit Cotton Bay
and Rendezvous, and am considering riding a bike there. Readers may recall when I tried, and failed, to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge a few years ago, but I had a bit of practice this year whilst in Ireland. I cycled about five (flat) miles but had aching ‘bottom bones’ for about three days, so perhaps a taxi instead! It’s been about three years since my
last visit to Saint Lucia, and I hope that the terrible hurricane last year has not left any lasting scars. After that trip I have a clear diary for
the rest of the year, and I’m looking forward to a surprise trip somewhere. I didn’t get to go on any fams last year as I had two operations, but you never know what’s around the corner if you work hard and support others. That’s the wonderful thing about our profession – and variety is indeed the spice of life!
Barbara's Contact Details
BARBARA CHARLTON Travel Counsellors UK 0845 0587 290
Barbara.charlton@
travelcounsellors.com www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/barbara. charlton
www.sellinglonghaul.com • May 2011 63
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PUBLISHING.CO.UK/MATT BONNER
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