Refer Them to the Internet First!
by Ken Hall

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“They are going to check the Internet or do comparison shopping anyway,” she said, “and by showing them I am not afraid of this, it increases their confidence in me. It is often very difficult to get their ideas of what they want to do on vacation. New clients in particular think that, if they give me too much information, I will sell them something they don’t want. But if they come to me with notes and ideas of what they have found on the Internet -- and prices, too -- it saves me a lot of time and I know what my competition has shown them. It saves me hours.”

Think about her idea -- the psychology behind it is irrefutable. Most people are going to either check your prices against what they see on the Internet or they are going to go there first to get ideas of what to do and what the costs will be. By encouraging clients to do it, you show them you have the confidence in your skills and professionalism and you know you will do a better job for them. That is a powerful reason for them to buy from you.

And, knowing what the clients have found and are using as benchmarks also puts you at a great advantage. You can work for a lower price or make small changes so your package is different, negating price comparisons on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

For instance, say they have shown you a package tour to Europe they found on the Internet. You now know the itinerary and pricing your competition is selling. You can look for the same thing with better pricing, or you can suggest something slightly different. Karen told me of one instance in which her clients had found an escorted tour they thought was just perfect. She took the same tour, changed the only date on their return flights, and gave them two extra days in England to do some genealogy research on their own. The total cost was actually slightly less because she used a consolidator for the airfares, and the clients were ecstatic.

Karen told me she came up with this approach after an experience she and her husband had when buying a new car. He had gone online to get baseline costs and as much information as he could. Then, they started going to dealers. The third salesperson they met gave them a tip sheet and suggested several Web sites they should look at for pricing information. He told them to get their very best price and then come back and see him because he knew he could beat it.

When they returned with their research done, he took their numbers and after studying them gave them two options: the same make and model at a price that was $25 less than what they had found, or the same make and model with an upgraded sound system for just slightly more. Their shopping was done, and they bought the car on the spot. (The one with the upgraded sound system, by the way.)

“My husband and I are both salespeople,” Karen told me. “We came away with the feeling we had made a really good buying decision and this salesperson had really helped us. That night, it hit both of us that this is a concept we can use in our business, and since then it has been nothing short of fantastic! We don’t wake up at night fearing our clients will find a lower price on the Internet. Instead, we sleep well knowing they are going to give us a chance to show them what we can do.”

Which would you prefer: worrying or sleeping well?

Ken Hall is president of HomeBasedPros.com, a weekly newsletter for home-based travel professionals. You can learn more about him and sign up for his newsletter at www.HomeBasedPros.com.