What Travel Advisors Can Learn from the Art of Improvisation to Boost Sales and Build Stronger Client Relationships
Contributed By: Scott Koepf, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)– Cruise Planners
Selling travel—like selling anything—requires a range of skills. I’ve explored many of them in this article series. To explain them, I often use theatre as a metaphor.
There are valuable lessons to learn from specific shows and even songs. However, some of the most powerful insights into sales success come from a special form of theatre.
Improvisational Theatre means there is no preset script and the ‘show’ flows from the input of others on the stage or in the audience. You may be familiar with groups such as Chicago’s Second City or LA’s Groundlings who have produced masters of Improv. Or the television show “Who’s Line is it Anyway?” which features brilliant performers who can speak about anything spontaneously. While their skills may seem intimidating, it is important to learn from them, as all sales involve improvisational skills.
By definition, selling does not have a preset script. However, there should be a system that you follow as to the flow of the conversation and the steps to the sales process. And there should be some basic scripting of some of your opening sentences. However, from that point forward the conversation you have with each customer is spontaneous.
There are three basic rules for successful Improvisational Theatre, and they are one hundred percent applicable to selling travel.
The First Rule…
First, listen intensely. Try not to be thinking about what you want to say next but focus on exactly what your customer is saying. What they say is sometimes referred to as the ‘offer’ and it is important to know what your customer is offering you in terms of information, a question or an objection. Keith Johnstone, a renowned Improv teacher and coach said, “Good improvisers seem telepathic; everything looks prearranged. This is because they accept all offers made.“
The Second Rule…
The second rule of good improv is to always accept an ‘offer’ with “Yes, and…” This means you follow the path set by the customer and make sure it gets fully covered or resolved. In Improv Theatre this means you run with an idea until you realize it has been covered as well as possible before moving on to a different subject. In selling, you always want to lead to the next step in the sales process but not before you take each ‘offer’ to completion and not be in a hurry.
The Third Rule…
The third rule is to make your partner look good.
A successful Travel Advisor should have one primary goal: a very happy client!
You may close the deal using slick techniques or manipulation. But if that’s the case, your client won’t truly look good in the end.
Yes, it’s your job to guide them through the sales process. You should ask the right questions and gather the right information.
However, your focus must always be on building a strong relationship. That’s what creates lifelong, raving fans of you and your service.
When your client shines, your sales will shine even brighter.