One of the areas of primary focus for Reservation Sales Agents is the need to increase bookings by increasing conversion rates. Increasing conversion rates is one way that we can measure whether Reservation Sales Agents are increasing their bookings. But really, the overall objective is -- “How do we increase bookings” or more specifically “How can we convert more phone calls into bookings?”
There are many factors involved with convincing someone to book. Being friendly, and showing them what’s available are some of the factors that come into play. These particular things are important but unfortunately, being friendly and showing the caller what’s available isn’t going to be quite enough to actually close the deal.
This short tutorial is designed to give you the basic tools to boost the number of bookings that you produce as a Reservation Sales Agent. It will give you practical examples and techniques that will help you to ‘Seal the Deal’ when someone is inquiring about a reservation.
Part 1-Selling the Experience
It’s important we understand that as a Reservation Sales Agent, you hold a role that requires you to be good at sales….and rightfully so. After all, we are selling a product with a price tag on it.
In the reservation sales industry, we are indeed selling a product, but it’s actually much bigger than that. We are selling an overall experience for someone to have, and cherish for the rest of their lives. We know this, because most of the properties we present have relatively the same amenities.
When talking with the caller, it’s important to keep this in mind because the majority of their decision of whether or not they buy from you is based on how good of a job you do at conveying this experience, and connecting it to their needs. In other words, the experience that you describe has to be in line with what their needs are.
Many times we do just the opposite and use what we call the “shot gun” approach. We get their stay dates, the number of people in their party and then we blast them with whatever comes up from the search. The industry term for this is called “feature flooding”. I’ll give you an example. “Well sir, let’s see….I have 37 properties that meet your requirements let me just tell you about the first one on the list….it has a hot tub, dishwasher, 2 flat screen TV’s, 2 DVD’s, a washer AND dryer, 4 bikes, a deck, a lawn, lawn furniture, a barbeque, fenced yard, water heater, electricity, and extra light bulbs!”
Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t use some of these features to spark interest. There’s just a proper way to do so in order to help with the sale. For example, if the vacation is a romantic getaway for a married couple then tell them “I can recommend a wonderful property for your vacation. This home has a hot tub, and it actually is right on the deck off the master bedroom so you and your wife will be able to stare at the stars as you share a bottle of wine together.”
Or, if the vacation is a family getaway and they have kids, you can say, “You said you were bringing your two kids. I recommend {property name}. This home actually comes equipped with 4 bikes (normally you have to rent them) so during your stay, you can take your family on bike rides around the lake together in the evenings and watch the sunset.”
The only way we can respond in this manner is if we ask questions. If we ask good questions up front we will know exactly what best fits their needs so our response is “tailored” to their overall desired experience. If we don’t do this, they really won’t be interested in much of anything we have to say.
Basic questions like, “What brings you to the area?”....or, “Have you stayed with us before?” are just a couple things you should always ask to open up a dialogue with the caller. This will lead you into identifying what exactly it is that will heighten their overall vacation experience and position you to close the deal when the opportunity presents itself. This part is important because you always want to be two steps ahead of the caller.
As you ask questions it’s important to identify what their emotional “hot buttons” are. Find it, and you will be amazed at how effective they can be in closing. Also, responding to them with genuine interest will help them feel good about themselves and therefore, feel good about buying from you.
Identifying specific “value added” reasons customers choose to book with you at this point is a good technique to “sweeten the deal” so to speak, showing them the overall value of what they may be potentially buying. Again, use the ones that particularly pertain to them and their personal needs and/or wants. Remember, we are selling an experience, not just a unit, so it’s important to give them a picture of the overall benefits of staying with you.
Part 2 -Closing the Deal
After spending a few minutes finding out their needs, narrowing down the property and identifying their “hot buttons”, it’s time to “close the deal”. The key to closing any deal is fully connecting what they are about to purchase, directly to their feelings and emotions. When you are successful at doing this, the person begins to envision themselves already there having a great time. Once you sense this has happened, this is the perfect time to ask for the booking. This part isn’t easy, so this is where your self-confidence, charm and sometimes even wit will be required in order to “close the deal”. This will take some practice but after a while you will get to be very comfortable with asking for the booking in any scenario.
There are several reasons why people hesitate when it comes time to book. Here are just a few of the most common ones with a recommended response to each:
Scenario 1
You’ve presented several options/properties and they need to run it by their spouse.
Response: “Well, I understand that you would want to run it by your wife but based on your needs and what this property has to offer, I think your wife will be very pleased. Have you thought about maybe surprising her? Since I have everything up I can easily reserve this one for you now”.
Scenario 2
You’ve presented several options/properties and they need to run it by the rest of their party first.
Response: “I understand you’ll need to go over it with the rest of the folks in your party, that makes sense, but since I already have you on the line and everything is ready to go, I would love to be able to secure this particular one for you now and get it all taken care of while this one is still available”.
Scenario 3
You’ve presented several options/properties and they say they are just comparing prices right now.
Response: “Well, that’s understandable. But I can tell you most of the properties in the area are relatively the same price based on what your needs are but renting with us gives you (add benefit statement here) which in turn, gives you more value for what you’re paying. Are you sure you don’t want me to secure this one for you now?”
Scenario 4
You’ve presented several options/properties and none of them fit within their budget.
Response: “Well, I know this property is a bit more than what you have budgeted but it certainly has everything you’re looking for including (insert hot button here) that is really priceless when you think about it. Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to secure this one for you now?” When you use these examples be sure to use your personality when responding.
These responses are not intended to be scripted by any means, feel free to tweak the words a bit to match your own style.
Conclusion
Now these practices don’t work 100% of the time in all scenarios. But what we can guarantee is that if you work hard at training yourself to apply these practices to each of your calls, your bookings will increase. The amount of increase will depend on how proficient you become with applying these practices. Overall, be confident in yourself, listen to the callers needs, take good notes and be quick on your feet as you connect the experience with the caller’s needs and emotions. Remember the things that your company offers that add value to the experience.