You can listen directly here. 

Short term sales promotions can come up when you least expect it, or as you have planned. Either way, they are a great way to get bookings. Especially if you are looking at your sales funnel in the long term. 

 

This week, not only is Thanksgiving being celebrated in the USA, but the American specials also kick in for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In Australia we don’t celebrate these, however, specials and deals have been flooding my desk all week and I think the Australian market is becoming more accustomed to these sorts of promotions. So we are jumping on the bandwagon too. 

 

A short term promotion - like these, this week can have an impact on your sales if you are prepared or know how to get them out to your clients in a non-sleazy and fast way. This week I discuss 3 strategies we use in our business to get the most out of these deals and add to our sales funnel for the next 6-12 months. 

 

I believe in always offering value to our clients. We are the authority and keeper of the most information when it comes to being the expert for our clients. I want our clients to naturally come to us, instead of Google or the internet. We know because we go. We know because we study, we know because of the client feedback we listen to. We know our clients, their likes, dislikes and what they want. We also attract clients that like things we do. 

 

This week I want you to gather the promotions and specials that speak best to you and your clients. What do your clients like to hear about and what do you like to sell? We have so much to choose from, so get specific and real and reach out to your clients with things they will like. Attract your ideal client for your business. It will help build and shape your business and where you want to go. 

 

Don’t forget to download the 5 free captions to help increase engagement and promote these deals. I know I can get stuck sometimes thinking of what to say, so use these as a tool to help you add content to the images you chose to go with your specials for this weekend. 

 

Be grateful and guide your audience. 

And on that note… thank you for listening and being part of such a supportive and growing community. You are AMAZING! 

 

Much love

Ros

Show Transcription: 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

 

Roslyn Ranse: Hello there everybody welcome back to another episode of Travel Agent Achievers! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving... Thank you so much, everybody. Firstly, for being part of this community, We’re all here for your travel business growth and support.  

 

I am just so appreciative and grateful for you guys reaching out and sending me messages and emails letting know how you are going and that you have been able to implement strategies that I talk about and share on this podcast. Thank you so much. 

 

This week, we're talking about taking advantage of a last-minute offer. 

 

It's that time of the year. Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

 

I have to say it really feels like I’ve been bombarded by specials over the last couple of months. Are you with me? 

 

You know the early bird airfares to Europe, October’s cruise month and now I know this week you're getting swamped with supply deals for Black Friday specials and Cyber Monday deals. 

 

I have felt like I almost needed to start a new folder in my email inbox to keep them all together. 

 

I honestly don't know where to start sometimes. By filing them away, it sometimes just feels like it's the easiest thing to do. 

This morning I was driving Jackson to daycare and these “Special Deal” signs were just everywhere, Black Friday, Cyber Monday. And it's not only us in travel that is getting bombarded by these special deals. 

 

It's the general public that is getting them for everything. 

 

I know in America, it's a lot bigger than here in Australia. But I really feel that we need to take advantage of this if we can and jump on the bandwagon. 

 

I rarely say that sort of thing,  but in this instance, we probably need to as the general public are looking out for all of these deals, and it's what they also want. 

 

So are you taking advantage and running any campaigns to get new business this week? If you aren’t then you need to, as this week is the perfect opportunity to grab some new clients and bookings which can lead to your sales funnel or pipeline for the near future. 

 

If you think long term and the sales funnel, you can often work with these sorts of campaigns. And when I say these sorts of campaigns, what I mean is that when the promotions come out and the deals come out for things like Cyber Monday or Black Friday, then clients can pay the deposit for booking. 

 

Then in the future, say in 6 to 10 months’ time, you'll funnel your sales funnel is still going to be full and you will be finalising bookings and reaping the commission from them. 

 

The deal usually is: Pay a deposit now to lock in the special and then pay it off. 

 

This is what the suppliers are also looking at doing, filling their sales funnel. They also want to keep it full to pay off in the long run. You are just able to capitalise on this for your own business now.  

 

You may be thinking - ROS - I really need the money right now. 

I get it. I've been there too. When you know you need to keep the doors open. 

 

These sorts of sales often feel like a distraction. For me, I know when I plan my year in advance, if something new comes up, it can feel like a distraction and I need to make a choice. 

 

Am I going to promote something else right now that's just come in, or am I going to stick to the plan? Unfortunately, that's a question, you have to answer yourself. 

For me. When I plan out my year, Cyber Monday or Black Friday or Thanksgiving deals or Halloween specials all the early birds and cruise months -  Those are already in my calendar so that to me, they're not a distraction. 

 

Last week, I spoke about the sales tracker. This has been such an amazing, incredible tool for myself and my team. It's simple, it's easy to read. It takes less than a minute to add the details, but it's been a game-changer in my business. It's one of the steps in my 67 step guide, just to add the numbers, it isn't hard. But you know why I have this and why I keep track of these numbers? 

 

It has given me clarity.

 

It's given me clarity, because I'm able to look at what happened at this time last year, what people were booking, whether there were any major promotions that came out that helped to fill my sales funnel for 3-6-9 or even 12 months down the track, when the commission could come in with the finalised bookings. 

 

So I'm able to say what was happening with my sales funnel and what was actually filling up. Or if I had a really bad month coming up, things like these promotions can and have seriously helped. 

 

As I said earlier here in Australia, we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday, but the suppliers still give us specials. And I do think that this is a good idea. So when I talk about a short term sales promotion, the right now, sales like Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. This is what I mean. A promotion that is short-lived, super concentrated and can be super effective with your sales. 

 

So we're going to jump on this special for this week.  If you're ready to join me, I have a very special super quick ideas download for you to help create the captions you will use on your promotional posts and emails. 

 

You just need to go to www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/019/

 

if you haven't done anything like this in the past or you feel like you don't know where to start, I can guarantee when you use these promotions right you can get business from them. 

 

And I use these times in my annual promotions planner so that I can be prepared instead of doing things at the last minute. 

If you want to know how to plan out your 2020 calendar, then jump on to www.travelagentachievers.mykajabi.com/online-workshop

 

Join me on our online or in-person workshops that are going to be happening soon. The online workshop is going to be done in a few weeks from now. So that'll be in December to help you set up for 2020. 

 

I know a number of you haven't already done this, and I don't want you to leave it until next year to plan out your 2020 calendar, set your goals, set your promotions, work out what Social Media platforms you are going to focus on. In the workshop, we're going to set some goals for the year and then work towards achieving them. 

 

If you're in Australia or want to come to Sydney, Australia then I'm doing a live in-person workshop in February 2020, Thursday 6th February. 

 

If you're in the USA, don’t worry - we will be running a special live event later in the year. AS soon as details are ready, you will be the first to know. I can't wait to meet you all in person. 

 

So, back to this short term promotion. 

If you haven't started promoting these weekend specials, then I have some recommendations to jump in now and over the next few days build awareness and get some new bookings. 

 

Don't miss this opportunity. If you've done these right, you will be able to benefit from its long term, you'll be able to get new clients, increase business from your existing clients, and you'll be able to get a further reach. 

 

So, if you're up for making most of these deals in the next few days, here's what we do. These are three things that we do in order to get the most out of these promotions. 

 

Step #1 — Newsletter

 

It may sound really, simple... I know that. But guys, the amount of people that don't do it is huge. 

 

You’ve already got all your clients’ details. You need to now gather all the suppliers that you want and you like to promote, see what they offer and just do one email blast to everyone letting them know of the incredible deals that are either coming out or they already are out. Short, sweet and simple. 

If you do newsletters the right way, and in the right way, I mean you usually provide value to your client, not just a special, then you will get responses. 

 

I suggest and recommend only adding the suppliers that you like to promote. Why?  Because when you're promoting something you like, you are automatically more passionate about it, it is easier to talk about. 

 

You want to be able to send something to clients that is going to resonate with you. It makes things easier on a short term promotion like this. Remember you will always attract a client to you if you are passionate about something.  If you don't like booking cruises, then don't send out a cruise promotion. If you like selling cruises, then awesome. Gather your favorite cruise lines, see what promotions they have out this weekend and send one email with some images or the promotion details out to your clients. 

 

You just need to make sure you state the final booking dates and also how to contact you. I want you to keep it super simple. 

 

There is no need to get fancy. Use your own email list on your email service provider if you want to. Use your own database, use MailChimp if you need to. Just get it out there. I have a saying I use with a few of my business friends, called getting scrappy. There is even a wine that we all have together when we are in each other’s company called Scrappy MF. Just gold. 

 

You need to do is just get it out there. 

 

For me, I like to choose at least three or four different cruise lines, and then push out something that each of those guys is doing, whether it's a $25 deposit or extra onboard credit or an upgrade deal, I will put together my favorite promotions and put those into one email. If I like the guided holiday deals - like Contiki, Insight, Scenic for instance, then I chose a few of those. 

 

At the end of your email, make sure you ask for a reply or how to connect with you. Being a short term promotion means that you will have to be available, so if you are going away this weekend and won’t have access to your computer or phones, then this may not be the right thing for you. 

 

At the end of your email, add:  “if you have something else in mind, or would like me to investigate anything else for you, please hit reply, and the email will come directly to me.” 

As you can all listen in now, we are only a day or so away from this promotion, so you need to act fast if you want to take advantage of this. 

 

1. Gather the suppliers you want to promote
2. Prepare your newsletter with a call to action
3. Be ready to answer calls, emails, social media messages
4. Book away! 

Step #2 — Social Media

 

Now, I don't have 10,000, 20,000, even 50,000 followers on my social media. I have a small, but very niche following. I don’t actively promote to get ‘likes’ on my page. I engage with my clients and audience and build a following of highly engaged and more likely to book clients. I don’t need EVERYONE. I just need some. I recommend this to you as well. Which you know about. 

 

Vanity metrics - like how many followers you have doesn’t mean anything if they don't book with you. Simple as that. 

 

I know exactly who is on my social media pages, who they are, what they like, and I can talk directly to them. This is something that we'll talk about in the next couple of months about finding your ideal client if you are still struggling to find yours. I also have this as one part of the online workshop.  

 

So for us on social media, I promote only a few of my favorites, I put them together in a Facebook carousel post. A carousel post is where you may have two or three images in the one post and I have the call to action to contact me. 

 

You don't post these individually all at once, so people just see five different posts for me. I use this in a really smart way by just one post very clear and with a good message. I then share it across my platforms and engage with people or tag in people I know will be interested to ensure it gets seen. 

Once I pushed that one post out, and I’ve led them to a direct message to myself on Facebook or Instagram, (Side note -  you can choose if you want to do a different image or a different post on Instagram compared to Facebook, for instance. It's okay though, to do exactly the same post, especially in this circumstance. For consistency and clarity.  You don't need to feel as though you have to do something special and 20 different images and different captions and text. You don't need to get fancy. I just want you to get it out.

Now, over the next four days, I want you to post once per day. I don't want you to post individually as I said, like having 10 posts today. This is just one Post per day for the next four days. 

 

You may start off with a gratitude post and saying thank you to everybody for their support and talking about Thanksgiving and what you're thankful for. 

 

Please ensure this is on your business page, then make a business-related. 

 

Then you have the opportunity to talk about Black Friday deals or Cyber Monday deals over the coming days. Or just the most amazing specials that you have found that will resonate with your audience and your clients. 

 

It doesn’t take a lot of time, but you do need to be present to answer enquiries. The more you engage with people online. Answering questions, adding comments to their likes or comments will help have your posts seen. Being seen to all your followers is about creating engagement. 

 

Finally, the last thing we do to help push out a short term promotion is to get super focused. 

Step #3 — Personal Connections

 

We go through our files and personally start reaching out to clients. This step,  it's a little bit more intimate. 

 

Here is where you can check with any clients that haven't booked with you for a while or those that you do normally book for. 

 

You can look for other clients that haven't booked with you or have friends of clients that you know are keen on a particular supplier or provider. Then you connect with them directly. 

 

Directly via phone, email, direct message.

 

So say, for instance, you have a client that normally books a Royal Caribbean cruise, but they haven't booked one in a while, or they already have another one booked, but you found an incredible deal. 

What you do is grab the special offer information and connect with them directly. 

You'll send them either a personalized email or give them a call to reach out to them on social media, but I want you to connect with them directly and let them know that you found something that you think they would love. 

 

In your email to them for instance, or over the phone. You can say 

 

“Hi, Joe, I have received a really special deal with Royal Caribbean and I immediately thought of you. This offer is only available for the weekend. I wanted to reach out to you personally because I know this is specifically what you look for. Here are the details. If you have any questions, please contact me. I'd love to help your next dream vacation. Talk soon.” 

 

And then sign off. It's super simple. 

 

I expect that as a small business owner you are small enough to know the majority of your clients individually. I want you to use this tool because it's really personal, and the amount of feedback that you'll get will be awesome. 

 

If they don’t come back to you, it’s ok. But you know what? You have just made contact with a client that you may not have normally connected with. You have let them know you are thinking of them. They LOVE This. As I am sure you do too when someone connects personally with you. 

 

So these are the three quick ways that you connect with your clients for a really short term deal. 

 

It's super-efficient with a newsletter or social media, but it's also very personal when you are reaching out directly to a client. 

 

If you think that there are more sales coming in, in future times, then just let your clients know to keep an eye out on your social media pages. 

 

You don't have to do everything for everyone. I only want you to be specific about what you want to promote because it's the easiest and the fastest way to sell. 

 

If you are really quick at booking a cruise and you love promoting cruising, then promote that. If you are really quick booking flights and you love booking those and you've seen an incredible deal on airfare, then put that. If you love guided holidays, packages or hotels, and that's your jam, then promote it. 

I don't want you to feel as though you have to do something that you don't like, or you don't want to do, because you really don't have to. 

 

You just need to be consistent with your posts on social media. So remember, not all at once, but also not sporadic. 

One per day and have at least four posts between now and Monday to get everybody's attention. 

 

This will set you up for success on short term promotions. 

 

If you aren’t going to do anything for this week, what are a couple of promotions that you can think of 2020 that you can start preparing for now? Have you got some ideas on things that you know, always come out but you feel as though you're behind the eight ball and you're jumping to a promotion when you really shouldn't? 

 

Being prepared for these sorts of promotions and deals doesn't take a whole lot of effort. 

 

It just means you need to be organized. And you guys know that I love to be organized, which is why we have a 67 step guide, which is why I put together these freebies and extra downloads for you because it helps you get organized as well. 

 

So to set yourself up for success in 2020, so you don't have to be doing things last minute, make sure you join our live masterclass which will be happening in the next few weeks. Just go to www.travelagentachievers.mykajabi.com/online-workshop and check out what's going to be the most appropriate for you. If you join the workshop and you're unable to join live, it's okay you will get a copy of the replay. We will have a workbook that goes with it as well. 

 

By joining us, I can guarantee you'll be ready for 2020 before everybody else is in your business. 

 

If you want some ideas on what to write with your social media posts or in your emails, go over to our website and download the 5 captions FREEBIE. 

 

Grab the posts, tweak them a little bit to however you want, add in some extra details, take out some details, whatever is going to work for you. 

 

I just want to give you the ideas so that you are ready to go. 

You don't need to make this a huge deal. You don't need to spend hours graphic designing images, grab what the supplies give you. Put those on your social media, add them to the newsletter and reach out to your clients. 

 

I can guarantee you'll be able to get a couple of bookings at least to help fill your sales funnel moving forward. 

 

Guys, if you've got any questions about this, please reach out to me on Facebook Messenger or Instagram DM. Send me an email [email protected]  let me know how you go. 

 

I would love for you to use this opportunity as a really quick sales push to help you over the next few months. 

 

Alright, guys have a wonderful rest of the day. I'll talk to you soon and go get them. 

And Happy Thanksgiving. 

 

Thank you for being here for listening to being part of a community of travel agents that want to build a smarter business. 

Have a great weekend. Enjoy the break if you get one and for those here in Australia, I guess we just keep working. 

 

Alright guys, talk to you soon. Bye for now.

 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.