Do you want to work with ideal clients who appreciate you and your travel services, and are a joy to work with? It’s definitely possible! In this blog post, we will give you five tips on how to find and win ideal clients for your travel agency. We’ll teach you how to create an elevator pitch that will help you sell your services quickly and easily. We’ll also provide some networking deep dive tips that will help you connect with potential clients that you didn’t know were right in front of you. Finally, we’ll point out what’s not necessary at the onset. Let’s get started!
Tip One: Create an elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch is a brief (30-60 seconds) description of your travel business that you can use to quickly and easily sell your services to potential ideal clients. To create an effective elevator pitch, you need to be clear about who your target client is, what problem your typical ideal client has, and the service you provide that solves the problem. An example would be “I help adrenaline junkies find exhilarating, heart-racing adventures through ultra-curated experiences geared for only thrill-seekers.” When you are more specific about what you do, you are more likely to attract clients that are ideal for you. Be sure to practice your elevator pitch so that you can deliver it confidently and effectively.
Tip Two: Network deeply.
Networking is one of the best ways to connect with potential clients. In fact, most of us have potential clients or referral sources right in front of us. Think you don’t? Neither did I, when I first started my career out of college.
Starting with who you know, think of everyone whose life you’ve touched sometime in the past. Here are some valuable people you may be overlooking: Close friends and family. Professional service providers. Community leaders. Former co-workers. And even your competition. The bottom line is that at some point in your life, you have helped someone who could benefit from your travel help or have friends who know someone who could use your services. Perhaps your very best friend may have mingled with a group of your ideal clients in a former life!
Networking isn’t just about rekindling old connections or attending events and shaking hands. It’s also important to build relationships with people online. Start by following relevant blogs, Twitter feeds, and LinkedIn groups, and then participate in discussions by sharing valuable insights and offering helpful advice. When you build a reputation as an expert in your field, potential clients will be more likely to seek you out when they need travel services.
Tip Three: Fish where they fish.
One of the best ways to find ideal clients is to fish where they fish. In other words, you need to go where your target market hangs out, both online and in person. If you’re not sure where that is, do some research! Start by looking at your current client base and see where they spend their time online. Perhaps they hang out in local art groups or attend wine events. Maybe they volunteer at your church or are involved in local politics. Expand your mind when thinking about where you can meet more ideal clients. Sure, wedding expos are great for honeymoon planners, but there are so many other ways to get in front of the right people. You simply must put your thinking cap on.
Tip Four: Get referrals.
Another great way to find ideal clients is to get referrals from current or past clients. Ask your happiest customers if they know anyone else who might be interested in your travel services. If you have a good relationship with them, they’ll be more than happy to give you a referral. And don’t forget to ask them to rate you on your social outlets and Google, or to provide a testimonial and photos of their most recent trip. If you don’t ask and make it easy for them to respond, you’re missing an opportunity.
Tip Five: Save content marketing for later.
Content marketing is a great way to attract attention from potential clients, but it’s not necessarily the best use of your time and resources when you’re first starting out. Instead of focusing on creating blog posts and social media content, spend your time networking and building relationships with potential clients. Once you have a few good clients lined up, you can start using content marketing to attract even more ideal customers.
Now that you know how to find and win ideal clients for your travel business, put these tips into action and watch your client list grow! Do you have any other tips to share? We’d love to hear them in the comments below. Looking for a step-by-step program to help you get clients and expand your agency, join TIS today and get access to our How to Find New Clients training.
Author’s Note: Feel free to link to this post if it is helpful! 🙂 Also please let me know if there are other topics related to the travel industry that you would like for me to cover in the future.
