超级特工菲利斯·斯托勒(Phyllis Stoller)建立了一个忠实的独奏女性旅行部落
by理查德·德·安布罗西奥(Richard D’Ambrosio)/
Travel can be intimidating for certain demographics, especially women who want to travel, but don’t have someone they can explore with on a regular basis.
Phyllis Stoller, a travel advisor who has journeyed extensively far and wide on her own, has tapped into her personal and professional experiences to develop a thriving group business that helps women overcome their fears, and nurture their travel aspirations.
“这真的让我感到惊讶,想再次旅行的有成就的女性人数,但是有些东西阻止了她们,”在该行业工作了27年的Stoller说。
今天,她拥有纽约市妇女旅行小组,为传统和异国情调的地方提供固定的出发旅行。她的套餐包括四星级和更高的住宿,转会,餐点以及参加“不寻常的活动和色彩缤纷的节日”。Stoller市场,每年销售约25组,规模从8-16人不等。
“我们两年前去了伊朗,并卖光了这次旅行。我们亲自挑选了当地的场所和指南。我们在东欧,克罗地亚和波斯尼亚等国家也做得很好。”斯托勒说。
斯托勒说,她的客户来自美国各地,包括大城市和小镇,尽管最大的集中在人口更大的州,其中大型枢纽机场。
她还为偶尔想适应她的包裹之一的小组服务。“我会接到电话或电子邮件,有人问,‘如果我有六个朋友,您会为我定价吗?’我们也会做。”要求进行常规合身旅行的人被转交给她的许多旅行顾问朋友,专注于这些类型的旅行。
在她的网站上,Stoller将她的公司描述为“保证小组旅行的轻松和舒适性”。我们喜欢聪明的行程,避免了旅游陷阱和公共汽车旅游餐厅。我们喜欢发人深省的演讲者和有见地的经历。我们想结交旅行朋友,每次旅行后经常保持联系。”
Half of the trips that Stoller markets now are through a partnership she has developed with Encino, California-based SITA World Tours. Stoller likes SITA for their willingness to handhold her clients, the variety of exotic locations they already offer, and the ability for them to customize local experiences based on the group’s interests.
她的主要联系人和首席合作者是玛丽·巴内特(Mary Barnett),她曾在SITA的集团销售部门工作。“一些客户需要大量的手持。他们还没有准备好在巡回演出中成为陌生人的第一个飞跃。”巴内特说。“我们帮助他们说服他们,一半的人不认识彼此,当他们回家时,他们将有新朋友。”
Stoller的一位客户是一位成功的科学家,他在退休之前曾在世界各地旅行。当她的丈夫去世时,她停止旅行,直到她有兴趣前往加拉帕戈斯群岛时加入Stoller的客户。
“For this woman, it was a big step for her personally to embark with us,” Stoller said. “Sometimes, you just have to be patient. Don’t do the hard sell. They might be looking for the safety net you offer, to talk about their fears, and ask the questions that get them to purchase.”
Stoller在其行程制作中保留了这种“手持”策略。例如,为了帮助团体适应和建立纽带,Stoller的旅行总是在到达的第一晚中进行“混合和混合”活动。“有些人比其他人更害羞,而其他女性则更外向。我们希望他们有机会在行程开始之前团结一致。”她说。
独奏旅行者自己
大量Stoller的商业模式和产品是基于她自己作为顾问和公司银行家在海外生活和旅行的经验。
Stoller lived for ten years in London before moving to Miami in the mid-80s. There, she and her husband had to manage the fact that his vacation time dropped from the 5 ½ weeks he received overseas, to only two weeks in the U.S.
As a result, “he would say ‘take a trip back to London. I know you miss your friends.’ So, I would go off on my own, and have these fun, learning experiences. After my first few trips, I knew at some point I was going to do this for a career.”
斯托尔继续说:“有一天,我看到我可以在泛美的野生动物园中获得一个常见的传单座椅,但找不到任何人和我一起去。所以,我带了9岁的儿子。”在旅途中,一个女人走近斯托尔,并告诉她:“我没有和孩子一起吃饭。我们不会和你一起吃饭。”
斯托尔回忆说:“我对她的方法并不满意,但我也知道有一个女性旅行者的利基市场,我对自己说,‘我要为我开展业务。’”
Stoller started selling her first group trip for solo females in 1991, jetting off to London in January 1992. While a success, the trip occurred the same year that Hurricane Andrew ravaged the Miami area, forcing the relocation of about half of Stoller’s subscribers to a newsletter she had created for women. She thought her budding business might be done.
但是随后,一位当地教授与她联系,以帮助填补中国的巡回演出,询问Stoller是否会在新闻通讯中宣传这次旅行。她回到了比赛中,并开始以女子旅行俱乐部的公司名称预订常规行程。
Stoller在2007年将她的公司卖给了ABC俱乐部之旅,并享受了一些停机时间。但是,当该公司关门时,Stoller可以自由重新开始她作为女性旅行集团的业务。
“我坚持同样的人群,但将其更新给我想与之一起旅行的女性:已经退休或仍在工作的女性,想要漂亮的酒店,想要友谊,想要学习的东西。”
Barnett, who has extensive expertise in Asia and Italy, described how, for a group heading to Burma in 2020, “we discovered that a number of the travelers belonged to a garden club. So, we are adding a visit to the garden by the bay in Singapore.”
巴内特说:“在某些情况下,玛丽会在我们的投资组合中看到一些东西,并告诉我她想要更多的时间,或与当地妇女见面,或者与该小组访问。”“借助我们所有的资源,我们可以这样养活她的经验。”
手持式方法培养客户的勇气
Stoller专注于她理想的客户,并在现代工具和老式的个人风格之间取得了平衡。
首先,她相信营销人为与众不同,包括电话和面对面的参与。她说:“对于我的人口统计,声音比电子邮件或短信更令人安慰。”当使用电子邮件时,她倾向于编写更长,更详细的通信,并试图在她的所有数字说明中“非常清楚”。
“Part of the problem today for many of my clients is that they find it hard to ask questions. Some operators will respond to questions with an email that says, ‘Here are our FAQs at our website.’ That isn’t enough to make our clients feel comfortable and in control,” Stoller said.
With decades of experience, SITA’s Barnett regularly fields inquiries over the phone about specific personal requirements, or destination knowledge. “I’ll answer questions about terms and conditions, or specific details about activities, like how easy is it to get in and out of a jeep for safari.”
Stoller also sustains engagement with her clients through book and film lists related to tour destinations. She sends these out prior to departure, building anticipation and excitement.
“These women are so fabulous. I have met hundreds of them personally. Some have become friends, and stop in to see me when they’re visiting New York,” Stoller said. “I have women who say, ‘I never had so much fun. I don’t have time for friends because I am a lawyer, a partner at my firm.’ These are the connections that keep us going.”