The 10% Rule -- Put Your Future in the Bank!
by Anita Pagliasso-Balamane
Author of "How I Made A Small Fortune as a Home-Based Travel
Agent"
(www.redticketproductions.com)
President, Ticket To Travel (www.aticket2travel.com)
OSSN Western Regional Manager
Email: sanjoseca@ossn.com
Phone: 408-531-9228
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I will plan to set aside this $40 for client investment, which will be returned to my clients through various gifts, vouchers, or certificates related to their vacation package.
In this case, the $40 would be my budget that I will allow as an expenditure for gifts for my clients. This can come in many forms -- a shipboard credit, shore excursions, dinner in the ship's specialty restaurant, or a fun travel basket that I present to them when I deliver their documents.
Dazzling Deliveries
Make every travel document you give a client a special presentation. Remember, the idea is to go beyond what is expected. This can be anything from a customized luggage tag for an airline ticket to a basket filled to the brim with goodies that relate to the client's destination.
Any items that you give to a client should have your business name on them. You can use a custom stamp made from your logo, custom stickers, or business cards. Then, each time they look at one of your gifts, they will be reminded of you and your services.
If you have had brochures made for your company, always include a couple along with extra business cards that they can pass around to friends and family.
Here are just a few other ideas that I have used for gifts when using the 10 Percent Rule:
Cruises
Take an inexpensive plain covered photo album and personalize it with their names, dates of travel, and destination by using a metallic gold or silver pen. On the inside cover, glue a postcard of their ship (provided by the cruise line). On the back inside cover, glue your business and write a personal note, such as "I hope you had a wonderful cruise." Put the album in a gift basket and include a disposable camera with a note "for your album." For honeymoons and anniversaries, include a bottle of Champagne (or non-alcoholic sparkling beverage) and two glasses. Wrap the basket in cellophane and tie with a gold wire ribbon. For a cruise to Alaska, include binoculars and rain ponchos. When I tie up a basket for cruising, I always like to tie a couple of blowout party favors in the colorful ribbon to give it a festive "Bon Voyage" look.
Latin destinations
For under $20, I have packed tickets inside a colorful piņata, cut the top open, and filled it with bright matching-color tissue paper. Include items such as sun tan lotion, disposable camera, and foreign language book.
Trip to Italy
For about $40, I once put together a basket that included the video on Italy. I also included some nice pasta, pasta sauce, and a bottle of red wine with a note that said "A little something to get you in the mood before your trip to Italy."
Gambling trips
There are so many "FREE" things that you can get from tourist and visitors bureaus. When I called the Las Vegas CVB, they sent me a box filled with gaming rules, maps to casino, show guides, and hotel brochures. For a bachelor party, I contacted the hotel that they were staying at and asked if they could send me some of their coin buckets and used decks of cards for my group. I put the cards, guides and maps inside of the coin buckets. I then added a roll of nickels with a note "To get you started" and stuck toy money everywhere in and around the tissue paper. I then put it all in a cellophane bag and tied it with black and red ribbon. The guys loved it, and I only spent a few dollars on the nickels and wrapping.
I know what you are thinking: This all takes a lot of time, effort and expense. I am always amazed when travel agents tell me that they don't make much and can't afford to do this. However, if you want to be successful and see your business grow, you can't afford not to do this!
(Note: This article was published previously in Agent@Home Magazine.)
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