A Million a Month in Sales: Elliot Finkelman Shares His Formula for Travel Success
经过谢丽尔·罗森(Cheryl Rosen)/
Elliot Finkelman describes himself as a serial entrepreneur and a devoted cruiser. Seven years in the travel business, with over 40 independent contractors (ICs) and “multimillions in sales a year,” he has just opened his third brick-and-mortar agency — and credits a love for travel, radio and TV, along with a great franchise partner, for making his wildest dreams come true.
当他听说一家Expedia CruiseshipCenters系列在加拿大渥太华出售时,他似乎不可避免地是第一个购买它的地方。“我们现在在一个月内卖出我梦dream以求的一年卖出的东西,在我们最好的月份中超过一百万,”他在迫切的数字时告诉旅行市场报告。beplay客服
当然,多年来,许多行业和他的悠久工作历史上的许多工作都有帮助。他的最后工作是担任Expedia CruiseshipCenters的独立顾问,在那里他了解了旅游业。他的业务背景帮助他提出了正确的问题。当他听说有特许经营权是出售的时,他通过呼吁“他能找到的加拿大每条邮轮的BDMS的许多BDM”来进行尽职调查。
然后是他的广播节目,在加拿大首都的580 CFRA和Iheartradio的网络上,他拥有多年的时间,有10,000名听众,这是促进自己作为旅行专家的理想工具。他说,他的旅行节目“一直是该业务的大力支持,因为当我谈论旅行时,人们会认识我和Expedia CruiseshipCenters。”“我们为供应商和独立承包商提供介绍,我们倡导旅行社 - 我说我希望人们使用我们,但是只要他们使用旅行社,我就很高兴。”
And of course, having the Expedia CruiseShipCenters name, so well-known by consumers, helped. “People are fed up with being put on hold and 1-800 numbers,” he said. “I tell them, ‘You might think it’s cheaper to book a trip yourself, but it’s not. When you book yourself, you don’t get a commission, you don’t get a discount and you are your own backup. We are part of the largest online travel company; if you don’t believe me, book your cruise, put it on hold, and the cruise line will switch to us and then we will take care of you from there.”
他也成为旅行专家当地的CTV早上表演,每月大约出现一次。
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When he first started, Finkelman grew his business using local marketing in community newspapers. But now he gets good results from targeted Facebook ads; more than 50 percent of sales come from the “amazing IC team” the ads have helped him build up. To find his squadron of ICs, Finkelman turned largely to Expedia’s Discovery Nights. But he also finds that many of his best consultants are, like him, former customers who love to cruise. He is always looking to add to the team.
“I woke up one morning and took my money and gambled it — and so far, we are winning,” he said. “The hard thing about this business is that you don’t start seeing money for a year, but Expedia agencies are well-respected, we get a lot of support from suppliers, and when I call, I get action. Without being part of a consortium of some kind, I couldn’t possibly have done what I did.”
In his first year, he sold about $300,000 in travel himself; the team, as a whole, sold more than $2 million, marketing through street signage, “a lot of cruise nights and events,” and the radio.
“只要我可以免费弄清楚如何免费销售,我就做到了。当地媒体一直在寻找内容,”他说。他每隔几周就会参加他的朋友的广播节目,持续15分钟,然后进行30分钟,然后进行自己的表演。他为当地报纸写了一篇专栏。他加入了Facebook团体 - 他也确保他的IC也做到了。
现在更舒服,他仍然犹豫地称自己为成功。他说:“问我什么时候退休,因为整个过程都有起伏。总有夜晚,您说“天哪,发生了什么事?”只记得一个月不是一个趋势 - 您有一个很棒的一个月,然后在下个月,什么都没有。我有一点注册说“记住第一天”,以使我想起我开设了第一个Expedia CruiseshipCenters专营权的那一天。我工作了22个小时,销售量为零,但我很兴奋。两年后不要被拖出。如果我很兴奋,那我为什么不现在就不应该成为?”