Along with Etihad, e-Travel Blackboard and Oman Tourism, last week roomsXML held travel agent development workshops in Sydney and Melbourne. The main speaker was Martin from “Business networking strategies” along with myself and Mona from Oman Tourism giving support presentations.

Martin presented that often when we do our marketing, we market to our customers what we feel is important as opposed to what they feel is important; we often take the wrong perspective.   The focus of my words was to hold up a mirror to travel agents, to give them a perspective of how a customer's senses are stimulated when they walk through the door.

For example, imagine YOU are going on a holiday.

“ You've done a bit of shopping around, a bit of research online and you walk into a number of travel agencies, one of them is actually your own. What happens when you walk in, what happens when you sit down, what happens when you begin the engagement…. “

Think about the profound effect it will have on where you spend your money.

Each one of these points there was at least one agent who responded with “oh dear…” or scribbled furiously.

Think of the five senses.

1.            Touch

You sit down in that chair.

Is it comfortable, i.e. sitting at the right height, or has someone tried to save a few cheap dollars by giving you a cheap chair. How do you feel?  Research shows a comfortable chair makes for more productive negotiations.

2.            Sound

The travel agent begins talking to you, some noise drifts in from the street, there are consultants chatting away in the background, answering phones and dealing with queries. What is the tone of voice like as they deal with the awkward customer? What is the tone of voice like as they answer your simple questions about Visa requirements (same question answered 400 times every year).  Is the tone helpful, respectful and focused?

3.            Sight

This is one of my favorites.

As the consultant is constructing your itinerary, you look over their shoulder and you see the row upon row of brochures.  What brands are you seeing? Is it the branded for the  travel agency or is it the brand of the cruise company that you are going to remember?

What happens when they give you a brochure – whose brand are you taking home?

4.            Smell

If it smells like death is probably dying, especially if that smell is rising damp. Seriously.

5.            Taste

You are offered a coffee and chocolate to nibble on as after all, it's 10:20 AM in the morning and you can treat yourself .

How did that coffee taste? Was it a nice chocolate or was it some plain brand wrapper which tells your customer exactly what you think of them?