Are you in a sales position? Does your role consist of helping others make money ( The Business to Business or B-B model) or do you spend your time convincing travelers of the benefits of visiting your business or destination?(Business to Consumer or B-C) Either way, those of us in sales help others by solving problems and providing solutions.
There are many people in the tourism industry who are new to the industry or to sales positions. Since I remember what that was like I thought I would provide some information on Sales Funnels, a concept that I didn’t understand until I was years into my career. Let me shorten the learning curve for you today!
The Stages of a Funnel.
Not every person you come in contact with will purchase from you. In fact, most of the people you reach out to will not buy from you, at least not right away. And that’s ok. The important step is to keep your funnel full because the more people in the funnel, the more buyers you will ultimately reach. Let’s see how to keep that sales funnel brimming with new prospects.
Attention
This is where marketing comes in. You need to create awareness in your prospect’s mind. Conventional wisdom says a consumer has to see a reference at least 7 times before they pay attention. And noticing the product can come through advertising, social media, word of mouth, or even a mention in an article.
Think about it- when you first heard of a new restaurant, did you drive over there right away? Probably not. You saw a few ads and then a friend told you they went there and had a great meal. That’s when you started thinking about trying it out.
So don’t be discouraged when you run one ad and customers don’t start booking right away. Having a plan for attracting attention, and watching to see what works is the key to success here. Here are ways to attract more attention – i.e. get more eyeballs on your product.
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Are you a Tour Operator?
Your current customers probably love you! And you want more clients just like them. One way to do it is to have a referral program. If they get a friend to sign up for your trips, they get a bonus. Do you send out emails? Ask them to forward it to at least three friends and BCC ( blind copy) you when they forward it. Have a contest to see who forwards the most and give them a gift certificate on their next trip. This will help fill your funnel!
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Are you a DMO (Destination Marketing Organization)?
You actually have two funnels to keep filled. One is your partners and their participation. For membership-based organizations, you need to talk to others to get new leads and consider partners that might not be traditional tourism businesses. Start a referral program. Your other funnel needs to be full of tour operators, meeting planners, travel writers and social media influencers, and anyone who can bring visitors to your area. Many of you have multiple staff to manage these diverse markets.
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Are you a Supplier (hotel, attraction, retail outlet, etc)?
You have multiple funnels as well and those are each a market segment. Do you host weddings? Tour Groups? Corporate meetings and events? Leisure visitors from all over the world? Each market needs a unique way to reach them. If you have limited staff, time and resources currently, I suggest you look at which segment is bringing in the most revenue and concentrate on that. Longtime readers know I often mention the 80/20 Rule (read more here) and this is a perfect place to employ it.
One way I fill my sales Funnel
I am just like you and am always working to keep my sales funnel full. Over the last two years, I have been offering a free webinar “Group Tour Tactics for our New Reality”.
In 2021 I reached out to many DMOs- both regional and state offices. I offered the free webinar in exchange for gathering the email addresses of the attendees. I was able to grow my mailing list. Many of you became subscribers that way!
In 2022 I tried it with a different spin. I partnered with Groups Today, a great publication from Serendipity Media. They promote their webinars to their huge mailing list and my funnel is staying full!
P.S. – The next free webinar Groups Tour Tactics for our New Reality will take place on Thursday, February 16th at 1 pm EST/10 am PST. Click here to register and share the link with others!
Final Thoughts
This started out as one post describing sales funnels but I realized I could be more helpful to everyone if I took the time to write separately about each step in the funnel. So keep an eye out for more posts on building your sales skills!
How can I help you in 2023?
TourismProAcademy.com
Have you checked out my online course platform yet? Click here and you will have access to free resources and some of my most popular content. My goal is to help Tourism Pros like you be successful. My paid courses are available on-demand to watch whenever is convenient for you.
Popular courses so far this year include:
Fill Your Parking Lot: Secrets to Getting more Group Tours
Time Management for Tourism Pros
Linkedin By Lunch (a partner program with my friend Louise Brogan, Linkedin Expert)
Free Webinar – Group Sales Tactics for our New Reality
Sign up now for a FREE webinar where I will discuss Group Tour Tactics for our New Reality. Our industry has changed drastically in the last few years and I will share some insights and strategies for finding success.
This free webinar is perfect for suppliers who work with tour operators and have less than 5 years of experience, or anyone who wants to gain some new insights into the Group Tour world in 2023 and beyond.
Group Tour Tactics for Our New Reality Free Webinar- sign up here! Our next webinar is February 16th at 1pm EST/10 am PST.
Please share this post with anyone who could benefit! Thank you! (See what I just did?!😊). And thank you for being a member of this community. 2023 marks the 7th year I have been writing my blog for Tourism Pros just like you and it continues to be an honor.