By Jesus Repetto, Co-Founder and CEO of Titanium Tours
Books can be written about how to sell luxury, but I have distilled here decades of experience selling luxury to affluent clients into 5 key elements that you can follow. One could say in general terms that it’s all about attention to detail and exceeding their expectations. However, these 5 keys are much more practical and will arm you to succeed in the luxury market.
1. Know Your Customers
The biggest secret to selling luxury is knowing your clients. Whether you know them from the past or they just called you for the first time, get to know them as travelers. What did they love about their last trip? What did they hate? What did they wish they had done that they didn’t do?
Our job at this stage of the process is to act as profilers. This will give you all the great information that will set your proposal apart from the rest.
2. Wow Them with Your Proposal
Your proposal should have a lot of pictures and descriptions. The proposal is not a road map of where they are traveling to. It’s your chance to create emotional expectations for what they are going to experience. It’s a glimpse to how much fun they are going to have if you plan their trip for them.
Many times, when we have been to a location, we forget that others may not know why it is important to go there. Always describe with excitement why that destination matters or why they absolutely “can’t miss” a certain activity. Sell them on the why, sell them on the dream.
3. The Secret Ingredient
Our job is not to give them only the ingredients they asked for. Our job when we sell luxury is to add some spice to their trip. So, if you see on their social media that they love hot air balloons, add that to the itinerary even if they didn’t specifically ask for it.
4. Be Flexible
Make sure the itinerary you planned meets all their requirements. If you think something is missing or they are only 90% happy, keep revising and reworking it.
5. Follow Through
If you’ve ever played golf, you know that a good shot doesn’t end when your club hits the ball; it’s really all about your follow through, what you do after you hit the ball that determines a great result.
Likewise, once your clients have accepted your proposal, your job is not done. Nice touches spaced regularly from deposit until after their trip will guarantee they will be happy and book again with you. It’s all about building momentum before and during their trip.
Some ideas might be to send them a cookbook featuring the destination, send them quick emails before their trip with interesting information about the sites they are going to see, send them a welcome text when they land, send their favorite drink to their room, stay in touch while they are traveling, send them a thank you note or gift when they get back, etc.
If you follow these 5 principles, not only will you have turned a client into a client for life, but you will also get referrals from them. Wowed customers become fans, and fans love talking about their incredible travel counselor.
