Written By: Scott Koepf, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)– Cruise Planners
Loyalty. In some ways we all consider it the holy grail of customer relations. Many naysayers claim it no longer exists and to pursue it is as futile as pursuing..well..the Holy Grail. However, I think we should join Monty Python and any others who still believe it is an attainable prize on the quest for customer loyalty!
How do you know when you truly have the loyalty of a client? Is it when they book with you over a period of years? Is it when they refer to you as ‘My Travel Agent’? Or could we define it by an old cliché description of an extraordinary connection and relationship – ‘You and your Client are attached at the Hip!’
I am not sure of the origin of this reference but I was reminded of it when watching a musical called Side Show about conjoined twins who are truly physically attached at the hip. Side Show is a slightly dark look at the lives of these twins and their desires for relationships. In some ways those desires are what travel agents need to pursue in the quest for loyalty. Consumers today may not be sure what a travel advisor does or if they still exist. However, they are probably yearning for someone to save them hours of research time, provide expert consultation, to customize their vacations to their personal needs and be available before during and after their trip for peace of mind. You know that describes you, the most wonderful travel advisor in the world, but they don’t so like the song in the show they lament:
Who will ever call to say I love you?
Send me flowers or a telegram?
Who could proudly stand beside me?
Who will love me as I am?
This powerful ballad cries out for the right person who, in the context of this article, will not just sell travel to them but know them, guide them and yes, love them as they are! Sometimes when I hear the conversations about loyalty it tends to be infused with ‘they are not loyal’, ‘they only want price’, ‘they will go elsewhere for almost any reason’. So it seems that the lack of loyalty is because ‘they’ don’t get it. I beg to differ. Well, actually I don’t think I need to beg at all as I believe loyalty is 100% up to you! What are you doing to insure that your clients will stay with you through thick or thin? Do you provide service and knowledge so spectacular that your clients are like barkers at a Side Show bringing more customers under your tent? Are you so in tune with what your clients really want out of their vacations that they simply can’t risk leaving you? If you are a travel advisor of extraordinary value then you will earn extraordinary loyalty and you and your clients will be singing this duet:
I will never leave you
I will never go away
We were meant to share each moment
Beside you is where I will stay..
For I will never leave you!
