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talking shop
WISE COUNSEL
Time to challenge review sites Barbara Charlton
DODGY REVIEWS Anyone can look on
review sites and think they have found the perfect hotel, but as we all know the reviews are only really useful if every guest at that hotel wants the same thing from their holiday. Put a young couple wanting to party in a quiet romantic and peaceful location and you instantly get a negative review of a beautiful hotel. It is not our job any longer to
just book a holiday; we're here to share our personal knowledge and, more than ever, match the right destination to the right person. At the end of the day we are the
professionals, the clients are not. I would not Google how to repair a leaking roof and then try and do it myself, I would get a professional in to do it. Travel is the same!
MEATY REWARDS The lates season arrived with force in my offi ce with the younger end of my client base asking me to hunt down bargains for them. Luckily, these are clients who really don’t mind if they have less choice because their budget is more important than where they go. Thankfully, I don’t have too many
of these – although they are useful for the late cash fl ow – but I really do prefer the more meaty bookings
FOR A QUIRKY UK BREAK,
CHECK OUT THE OLD RAILWAY STATION IN PETWORTH, SUSSEX, WHERE GUESTS STAY IN SUITES CREATED FROM RESTORED PULLMAN COACHES AND BREAKFAST CAN BE SERVED ON THE
PLATFORM
OLD-STATION.CO.UK
involving multiple destinations. They may take longer and require more work and research but they are defi nitely more enjoyable to do than a quick sun, sea and sand late booking. The fact that they also earn me a larger chunk of commission is by the by!
SELL WITH CONFIDENCE These complex bookings would not be as interesting or doable without keeping up-to-date with hotel and destination training. I recently attended an evening
hosted by the lovely people at Caribtours, for example, and as usual found myself drooling at all the lovely properties that they use. Training makes enquiries easier and it really instils confi dence in the client when I can make positive recommendations to them based on my own knowledge or personal experience. It goes without saying that educational trips are far and above the best way to really get a feel for a destination, so long live the fam trip!
FRESH IDEAS When I'm away, a fellow TC covers for me and has full access to my current bookings and quotes. Likewise I do the same for him, and it was whilst
Barbara takes a break from jet-setting to check out quirky railway accommodation closer to home
"IT'S NOT OUR
JOB ANY LONGER TO JUST BOOK A HOLIDAY; WE'RE HERE TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE"
doing this recently that I got involved in one of his honeymoon enquiries. Combining Madagascar and Mauritius was a new one for me. I’ve been selling Mauritius for over 21 years but Madagascar had slipped under my radar. Even though it was not my booking, I thoroughly enjoyed the enquiry because it taught me so much about the destination and which specialists to use. It just shows there is always more to learn.
LAST BLAST OF SUMMER Make the most of what’s left of our summer and get your clients away. Let them know you're ready and waiting to help them, no matter what their holiday requirements.
“The best months to climb Kilimanjaro are January, February and September when it's
dry and warm” JUDITH BAKER, TRAVEL WRITER
Barbara.Charltontravelcounsellors.com 0845 0587 290
CHECK ONLINE FOR DAILY TIPS AT
SELLINGTRAVEL.CO.UK
Hot tips galore!
“Short tours to South Korea work really well when combining them with either China or Japan”
HELEN LI, OWNER, CHINA LINKS TRAVEL
“Malta is amazing value and feels like home from home for many clients. It is
steeped in history” ALAN HUGHES, EXPERT IN TRAVEL
sellingtravel.co.uk
Be inspired!
BARBARA SAYS
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