Getting travel agents to think about offering car hire used to be an uphill battle. But now that ‘dynamic packaging’ is part of the trade’s vocabulary, renting a vehicle is just one of a range of add-ons that are available to help push up the margin.
It’s not just about margin, though. Successful travel agents will tell you that it’s about finding the best holiday for the customer at the best price, because that’s what will keep the customer coming back. It seems many agents have now crossed the divide from order-takers to travel professionals.
Superbreak sales director Ian Mounser says: “Agents have definitely demonstrated a more open attitude generally to the various components that can be pre-booked on a UK break.
“London must be the biggest dynamic packaging destination in the world, agents just need to substitute rail travel for flights. We regularly make London bookings with five or more pre-booked components, all fully commissionable.”
The growth of the internet has contributed to the change in attitude making everything much more transparent for consumers. This year, the economy is also forcing agents to focus more on the bottom line.
Travel Counsellors managing director Steve Byrne says: “All agents have to become more proactive in today’s market. You have to be able to provide more value to your customer, and by discussing additional items with them, it shows you care, and that you are trying your best to enhance their overall holiday experience.”
Attraction World sales and marketing director Tony Seaman has seen more from the multiples in recent months in terms of selling add-ons. “Multiples are doing incredibly well,” he says. “There are good independents, but multiples tend to be more sales driven – they have a sales checklist and they have targets with someone looking over their shoulder.”
However, most agree that more of the agency community is now dynamically packaging in some shape or form.
On Holiday Group chief executive Steve Endacott says: “Most independents that are not dynamically packaging by now are bust, and the education process is over.”
However, that said, Endacott notes that ancillary sales are still weak and, although agents are seeing the benefits of putting accommodation, flights and transfers together, the other elements have been left behind.
“Not many people have integrated the other elements, and as an industry, we have not linked the technology up yet, and that has got to come.”
Selling tips
- Make a mental list of the add-ons a customer might need or those they might be interested in.
- Consider the right time to offer additional products – immediately after the sale, in an e mail/phone call just before they depart, or as a text message while they are on holiday.
- Keep up to date with competitors’ prices, current affairs and travel industry and destination trends, so you’re one step ahead of the customer.
- Try to think in terms of lots of small gains to the bottom line as opposed to one huge boost.
- Don’t be afraid to remind customers why they should be booking with you – knowledge, experience, protection reassurance, product depth and technology.