Sales 101: Qualifying Clients

You put all this work into a quote and then the potential client goes and books themselves or they ghost you. This month’s Sales 101 Tip will save you from wasting time on creating quotes that sit unanswered.

When we start in the industry, we think that the sales process is easy. We’ll issue a quote, and the client will book. You, especially as you grow your client base, will have some clients that email exactly what they want to book, and they deposit within a day. This tip is not for confirming those kinds of bookings. Relish in the quick turnaround and take a win with those.

While you can wish every booking could be so simple, most bookings require an important step before you ever issue a quote: qualifying.

A quote request form is not enough.

I use a quote request form, and I highly suggest you do too. The thing is, we can only ask so much on a form. To match a potential client to the best trip for them, we need more than the basics on a form.  I use the form as my springboard into asking qualifying questions. I see what they wrote (or didn’t write) and start asking them questions that will get me the details I need to create a quote that matches their needs.

Ask the client your questions by phone or email.

Meet the client where they are. Ask them if they would like to schedule a call or work over email to narrow down their options for their vacation quote. I recommend using an online scheduler (Calendly has a free version that is perfect for this) to avoid phone tag and emails back and forth trying to find a time that works for both parties. If they prefer to work over email, send them one question at a time to not overwhelm them. No one likes an essay test. It’s like a text conversation.

Narrowing down their options.

If a client is looking at an all-inclusive resort, and they just tell you, “I want the best price.” Okay. Well, the best price for what? We can't work off of just price because they need to know what is available to them. For example, if a client books the entry-level room at a resort, and they get there and see drinks being delivered to other guests at the beach, they are wondering why they’re not getting that service. Even though they say they want the best price, what is the experience they want? Your job is to present their options and let them choose, so that they don't feel like they’re missing out when at the resort. They might very well not want that level of service. However, if they do and they aren’t presented with that as an option, no one wins – they are unhappy, and you lose out on a bigger booking.

Start with the reason for the trip

Always inclined to know their travel dates and how many adults and children, agents often skip the most fundamental question … Why? Asking the client what made them pick now or the destination allows them to open up to other things that will help you customize their quote, for example, inviting others to join them.  If they're celebrating a milestone birthday, that is a great time to ask who all is going to celebrate with them on the trip. Worst case, they say it’s just them. However, if they do have plans to travel with others, you can take that opportunity right there to confirm all the rooms together. By asking them why, it opens the connection between their plans and how you can make them a reality.

About the Author

Most people know me as a travel agent and a sales coach. As a travel agent, I worked with over 800 clients and booked over $4.5M in sales over the course of a nine-year career. Now, I teach agents the processes and strategies I used to build that business through my training programs at Guts Grit Goals and in my Facebook group: Sales and Marketing Tips for Travel Agents.