In today’s competitive marketplace, there is no better way for agencies to survive and thrive than by carving new markets for themselves and by creating distinctive identities through special interest travel.
In 2021 and beyond, being specialized is a key differentiator to success in this industry. In fact, survey findings from The Changing Face of Travel Agents, published in 2018, revealed these average salaries:
- Travel Institute destination & niche specialists $37,534
- Supplier/other destination-niche specialists $31,645
- Those with no certification or specialist training $19,428
The dramatic gap in salary between those who specialize and those who don’t prompted us to devote the entire month of August to focus on special interest travel. Today, we are spotlighting the very popular Golf specialization with information from our Golf Travel Specialist Course. All Travel Institute specialist courses are available individually, or you may subscribe to our Unlimited Learning Library and access ALL specialist courses and hundreds of hours of ongoing education.
Golf travel is a unique niche that continues to grow and be very lucrative. Golf is a $70 billion global industry, and golf hospitality/tourism represents about 30% of the total golf economy. It’s an ideal time to tap into the potential of this popular specialty. So, what are you waiting for?
Like any other potential customers, when golf clients contact you, they want information and assistance with travel arrangements. They may have a destination in mind, or they may have only a general notion, such as a warm-weather getaway. However, the key to providing spectacular service to your clients is to really understand their needs and offer in-depth expertise that comes only with knowledge gained through experience, education, and immersion of the niche.
Qualifying Your Golf Clients Effectively
Starting with a fluid qualifying conversation will help you understand your clients while giving you the opportunity to demonstrate that you are a knowledgeable consultant who takes your business seriously.
Here are some suggested qualifying questions you might want to incorporate into your conversation:
- When do you plan to travel? Once you know the travel dates, you can suggest possible destinations appropriate to the season.
- Are you traveling with anyone else? (If so, do they play golf?) These are key questions in determining what type of golf travelers your clients may be.
- What are you trying to get out of this trip? Of course, they want to play golf, but, many times, they also want to do activities, have downtime, go to the pool or engage in sightseeing.
- What other kinds of activities are you looking for: spa or other wellness-related activity, tennis, swimming, horseback riding, sightseeing, or something else? This question will help you with choosing the right destination, course, and resort.
- Have you taken any golf trips recently? Where and what courses did you play? This question will help you understand their budget, as well as the type of golf interest.
- What did you most like and dislike? Listen carefully to the answer so you can avoid the pitfalls of the last trip: for example, “Doral was beautiful, but everything was so expensive—a hamburger was 20 bucks!” or “I liked Myrtle Beach, but my wife hated it.”
- Have you ever been to Pinehurst? Pebble Beach? Scotland? (Only ask this question if the client seems well traveled) A strong interest in these venues tells you that this person appreciates the history of golf. It also gives you an idea of budget.
- What is your home course? (Where do you usually play?)
- Do you have a handicap? (What do you shoot?)
- Will you be bringing your own clubs? This will let you know if you need to provide extra services, like golf shipping services.
As the conversation progresses, you will get a picture of which types of golf traveler the clients are, and what they are trying to achieve. For example, if they tell you the last trip was to Pinehurst, they really enjoyed playing the Number 2 course, and their handicaps are each less than 10, you can be fairly certain they are Elite Golf Travelers or Golf Purists. If, on the other hand, they describe a 10-day blitz of Hawaii in which they played 10 courses, and their handicaps are over 23, they might be Golf Junkies or Golfer/Sightseers.
Having this type of conversation not only demonstrates your understanding of golf travel but also helps you determine what kind of travel package the clients will enjoy.
The combination of understanding your clients’ needs and being fully familiar with golf destinations, resorts, and special offerings from your preferred suppliers will help you make the best recommendations that will match your client’s preferences in terms of interest, budget, and intensity of golf, as well as matching the preferences of any traveling companions.
So, is golf travel going to be your next specialty? Continue to learn about this lucrative niche by enrolling in the Golf Specialist Course individually or by accessing it through our Unlimited Learning Library.
