Have you ever shopped at IKEA?

When you want a new piece of furniture, for example, a book shelf, do you call IKEA and say:

1. ✅ I need it to have this many shelves
2. ✅ Made out of this type of wood
3. ✅ It needs to be this color
4. ✅ But it needs to be shorter than 5 feet tall and
5. ✅ Less than 2 feet wide

NO!

You buy a product that comes in a box that's very close to what you really want.

IKEA has generalized what you, I, and what every one else wants. They put it into 1 product that mostly meets what we're after. This streamlines the production, packaging, marketing, etc. of that bookshelf, as it's a single product instead of a customized piece of furniture that's built to every single customer's specs.

As a travel agent, you can do the SAME with what you sell!

Your goal is to make your business and life less stressful and bring more value to your travel business.

Most people online are searching for specific travel packages and deals. They may have a general idea of the location, brand, experience they are after, and are looking for a passionate travel professional to help guide them.

They are searching for things like:

1. 🧭 Maui vacation package
2. 🧭 Virgin Voyages deal
3. 🧭 Disney World packages
4. 🧭 Cancun wedding package

As a travel agent, you want to make the most of your time and bring in the highest value.

Let's STOP and THINK

1. 🤔 Think about what you do best
2. 🤔 What are you most passionate about
3. 🤔 What do you ABSOLUTELY love doing
4. 🤔 Are there things you already sell a lot of and that your customers really love the most?

Think about things you are already doing that you can polish up, that will bring more value and make your travel business operate more efficiently.

This is an opportunity to feature all of those things in one package. You are putting everything together in a really neat, nice and organized way.

Messy one off trip requests can really slow your service based travel business down.

You want a few great streamlined offers that get straight to the sale and you can demonstrate you are an expert over them easily.

Every client trip you create, you are having to reinvent the wheel and it takes a lot of time.

🚀 Instead, offer clients three or a few choices of your best selling, most passionate creations.

Focus on what people want the most, and what you can do the best - What you are most passionate about.

Packaging what you do best means you can take more clients and trip requests because you have the process down pat.

Packaging your services = This is the productized service model

The package sold is so well defined, it’s almost as if your travel clients are buying the product in a box.

The process of delivering the service is easily repeatable.

✈️ Everything is streamlined.

It says to your new and existing clients: Here are my best and major specialties. Which one do you want to buy?

If everyone has their own demands and customized options each time, It’s going to be very difficult to do this for every client every time.

This allows us to get away from demonstrating all the different things you can do, for example: asking clients, what do you want me to build for you today? This eats up immeasurable time.

Instead, this is you taking charge and telling everyone, these are my products. Which one do you want to buy?

It makes everything flow so much easier and more efficiently.

It allows you to focus on what you do best and what is the most in demand for customers.

You will get better at it over time and this will make you MORE in demand.

1. ➡️ Being in demand means people begin to see you as the expert in what you sell
2. ➡️ When demand goes up, it will allow you to raise your prices
3. ➡️ It eliminates your competition, as they most likely don't offer packages
4. ➡️ Packages are easier to market

This helps you dive into the work faster because you don’t know what crazy demand the client will have when they don’t use or select from your existing packages.

Online search trends show us that clients like it too, as this is what they are already searching! Clients will know what to expect and already have selected from your available options.

Going into it, they know what they’re going to get.

The idea is that closing a sale goes from long drawn out back-and-forth conversations, to more of a simple click of a button.

The scope of what is included, it’s always the same from client to client.

The same process, the same contacts, the same emails, the same basic itineraries.

Overtime, you can charge more and close more, because it’s going to be faster. You can get to the close sooner.

This eliminates waste of time, building out custom proposals for each and every client.

Even if they stray off the package, "I need additional customization," the package is what got them to you in the first place, to enable them to reach out and want to use you and your services. The package you created can provide the foundation of what they are needing.

Doing this, you have the right kind of clients coming in that you want to work with, booking the types of trips that you are passionate about, and that makes the most sense for both parties.

Having a more streamlined package means everything around it, like email drip campaigns, the content needed, etc. this is already going to be available with that package information.

Think about what type of clients you want to attract with your packages.

Show that you have worked with this exact client before and the results they received when working with you. This is why we have reviews, testimonials, and case studies.

You want the exact client you are attracting to your packages to see themselves in your existing 5-star reviews.

To transition from custom, one-off trip creations to predefined travel packages, such as a standardized "travel package to Maui", this will offer so many benefits to you as a travel agent.

Here's how this shift enhances your role, client satisfaction, and overall business efficiency:

1. Efficiency in Planning and Execution: By standardizing travel packages, you can leverage your expertise and experience with specific destinations (like Maui), products (like cruises), experiences (like Disney parks), to create compelling, well-thought-out itineraries. This reduces the time spent on each booking since the foundation of the trip is already established, allowing you to serve more clients effectively.

2. Streamlined Sales Process: A predefined package can be easily marketed and presented to potential clients. Instead of lengthy consultations to understand each client's unique desires, agents can direct them to their profile to explore detailed, ready-to-book packages. This simplifies the decision-making process for clients, making it easier for them to understand what they're getting and reducing the back-and-forth typically required to finalize custom plans.

3. Expertise and Specialization: By focusing on creating and refining specific travel packages, you can deepen your expertise in particular destinations or types of travel experiences. This specialization not only improves the quality of the packages, but also positions you as an expert in that niche, attracting clients specifically interested in those experiences.

4. Predictability and Scalability: Standardized packages allow for more predictable workload management and resource allocation. You can better anticipate the demands of each package, including the time commitment and costs involved. This predictability makes it easier to scale operations, whether by accommodating more bookings or by offering a wider range of packages.

5. Enhanced Client Satisfaction: Clients appreciate clarity and ease of decision-making. A well-presented, easy-to-understand package that they can select and book directly, or easily contact you for more information, adds value to their experience. It reduces the stress of planning and decision-making, leading to higher satisfaction rates. Clients also benefit from the expertise and insights that go into the curated packages, ensuring a high-quality travel experience.

6. Increased Revenue Potential: With predefined packages, you can more easily upsell or cross-sell additional services and experiences. Since the basic itinerary is set, you can focus on enhancing the client's trip with unique add-ons or experiences, increasing the overall value of the booking.

7. Marketing and Visibility: Predefined travel packages are easier to market. They can be showcased on your website profile, social media channels, and through email marketing, reaching a wider audience. Effective marketing of these packages can attract new clients looking for the specific experiences you offer.

Shifting towards creating predefined travel packages, like a signature Maui trip, benefits you as a travel agent by making the planning and booking process more efficient, enhancing your expertise and specialization, improving client satisfaction through clarity and ease of booking, and opening new revenue opportunities through effective marketing and upselling.

This aligns with the evolving expectations of travelers and positions you as a forward-thinking, client-focused entity in the competitive travel industry!

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To learn more techniques and how to grow your travel business, read more on our Pathfinder Series.