Mystery Shopper: Trowbridge travel agents sell Vietnam

The brief: A couple want a comfortable tour of Vietnam that takes in all the major sights. They don’t want to spend more than £7,000.

The verdict: Tough scoring from Mystery Shopper this week reflects the non-mainstream request, but the fact that Howard Travel was the only agency to do a thorough consultation is reflected in its higher mark.

First Choice

36A The Shires
Score: 30%

This was a very well presented shop. There were five desks, one of which was occupied by a consultant with customers and there was another consultant behind foreign exchange, but no other staff were visible.

I browsed brochures for at least five minutes before a consultant approached me. Although she was pleasant and friendly, she did not ask me about my holiday requirements and didn’t offer me a seat or take details.

She didn’t appear to have much product knowledge. She went to the storeroom to get a Kuoni brochure, but didn’t expand on what it contained in relation to the destination. There was a lack enthusiasm.

Thomson

50 Fore Street
Score: 44%

The consultant approached me saying ‘Can I help you?’. When I asked about holidays to Vietnam, she picked up a Thomson brochure. A colleague told her that they might have other brochures in the stockroom. She returned with a Kuoni brochure.

I wasn’t offerd a seat while she was away. Other than asking whether I was looking for a tour, she didn’t ask about my needs, and the only research was flipping through the brochures.

She gave me a standard Thomson business card, with her name written on it. I was there less than 10 minutes and, while friendly, the consultant did nothing to encourage me to further the booking process with Thomson.

Thomas Cook

21 Fore Street
Score: 44%

The consultant was polite and amicable, but didn’t really engage with me. She had personal knowledge of the destination, but didn’t take advantage of this and use it to create a selling opportunity.

During the consultation I was not offered a seat or encouraged to discuss the details of the holiday I had in mind, this was a missed opportunity as there were no other customers waiting and I had already said I wanted to go to Vietnam.

She simply pointed to the map of the tour in the Kuoni brochure. She also suggested I tag on a visit to Hong Kong at the beginning or end of the holiday. No attempt was made to take my personal contact details.

Howard Travel

12-13 Church Walk
Score: 68%

This shop was almost immaculate in terms of appearance and the staff looked smart and professional. I was immediately greeted, but the consultant didn’t initially get up from his seat or offer me one, so I chose to sit at the desk.

The consultant’s experience and knowledge was strong, giving sound professional advice. He was a good conversationalist, without being pushy, and was confident and articulate, obviously having a lot of experience in selling specialist holidays, but I volunteered information about budget and number of people travelling, rather than being asked.

The quote was from a Collette Worlwide brochure for £7,552 for a Smithsonian Journeys and Travel Adventures tour. He added that home-to-airport transfers could be arranged as an add on.

To achieve a higher mark, the consultant could have used more ‘soft selling’ skills and cemented a customer relationship to secure any booking and take my personal details.

Winning agent

Rod Mitchell

“I have been selling Vietnam for years. I asked whether she wanted to take in as much as possible on the holiday, which is why I went down the route of an all-inclusive tour. In terms of cementing the relationship, I wonder if she gave the impression that it was just an initial enquiry.”

Top 5 tips

1. Vietnam is a good product to sell to clients who have already experienced a Far East destination and are looking for a new experience. You could suggest it to clients who have enjoyed Thailand and are looking to visit a less developed tourist destination.
   
2. Increase the value of the booking by suggesting a cruise on the 142 River or a visit to neighbouring Cambodia.
   
3. Operators are now offering more specialist activity holidays to Vietnam, such as a culinary tour with Wendy Wu or a cycling tour
   with Exodus.
   
4. According to Gazetteers.com the southern region has a tropical climate, while the northern region is sub-tropical. The rainy season is from May to August in the north but lasts until November in the south.
   
5. For more information on hotels in Vietnam and tour operators covering the destination, visit Gazetteers.com.