询问顾问:客户为什么要付我的费用而不是去其他地方?
经过丹尼尔·麦卡锡(Daniel McCarthy)/这是TMR新的Ask Advisor系列中的第一个,这是一个常规专栏,其中一组旅行顾问团队可以解决该行业中其他人的问题。该系列的所有问题均由TMR读者提交,并由TMR编辑团队审查。第一个问题来自一位匿名读者,他仍在围栏上收取服务费。问题和面板的答案如下:
亲爱的问顾问,
我从事业务已有二十年了。我很幸运地建立了一个强大的忠实客户群,这使我不仅可以在行业中最艰难的时期成功,而且可以蓬勃发展。我真的很喜欢我所做的事情,并为能够转移自己的业务方式以保持业务的最新状态而感到自豪。但是,我并不总是成功。
过去三年左右的行业变化之一是采用旅行社费用。我从未收取过费用 - 自从我开始以来,我一直在供应商委员会的收入中幸存下来。但是,随着越来越多的代理商收取费用,我感到自己开始这样做的压力是要与行业的同事保持最新。
我的问题是,当有人可以去我所在地区其他未收取费用的代理商的其他代理商时,为什么有人会付我的费用?当行业中有这么多其他人这样做并强烈鼓励这种做法时,我是否应该为不收取费用感到难过吗?
- Anonymous
Richard “Rick" Carlson, Cruise Planners
您的问题并不是什么新鲜事物,因为代理商在我22年的经验中记得的是,代理商已经讨论了这个话题。您依靠赔偿您为创建度假提案所做的工作的补偿,没有什么比在工作数小时后提出建议的建议更糟糕的了他们与其他人预订,甚至更糟的是,他们采取了您的计划并预订了自己。
Now, this does not happen often to me, especially with repeat customers, but when it does, it stings! I think that with COVID and the number of cancellations that occurred, only to lose commission, it makes us look at the topic again. (Thank you to the major cruise lines that protected commission for cruises that were canceled during COVID).
The choice to charge fees for planning is an individual choice, and you should not be pressured to charge fees because others do. In fact, not charging fees sets you apart from others. Our business model, from the day we started with Cruise Planners, is that we do not charge fees. We never will. Yes, there are times that we are disappointed that a booking did not occur after hours of work, but I also look at the number of referrals we get because we provide excellent service and do not charge fees. These far outweigh the reservations we have lost.
我知道大型团体或目的地婚礼可能是不同的情况,因此您可能需要在小组合同中包含有关取消的信息。
在思考费用时,您需要考虑几点,并且可以向新客户和回头客表达出来。想到的一些问题是:您只会为新客户收取费用吗?这是计划服务的费用吗?当他们预订拟议假期时,费用将退还?您是在一开始就收取咨询的费用,还是免费进行一小时的咨询开始?
看来您过去已经建立了坚实的业务,而没有收取费用。我们从事关系业务,很难说如果收取费用会让人们去不收取费用的代理商。但是,如果您有牢固的关系,您会预计客户仍然会来找您,并且不太可能取消或不接受您的度假建议。
A邮轮计划者的骄傲经纪人已有23年了。理查德·里克(Richard)k“卡尔森总是有人们相信帮助他人,并提供洞察力和改进建议,以便他人可以建立自己的业务。
Scott&Thomas Travel导演Kyle Stewart个性化
Your long history in this industry is laudable, and I am sure that's why your clients have chosen to stay with you through the good times and the bad. The way we approach service fees is really in two different fashions: 1) mandatory for all business bookings, and 2) works as a mini-deposit toward a future trip if they book.
对于商业预订,发生了太多的变化,企业不想成为镍和昏迷。当Covid击中时,我们正在与航空公司似乎每次旅行进行更改时在电话上花费数小时,我们计算出我们的代理商在某些预订中的价格少于2美元。我们提出了一个复杂的费用结构,我们认为这对客户有帮助,那里的一些变化比其他变化便宜 - 他们绝大多数不喜欢复杂的模型。他们很高兴能与我们一起以每次预订的50美元的简化陪同,因为我们知道我们将绝对照顾这次旅行需要处理的任何事情。
对于周围购物的休闲客户,我们希望他们像我们一样投资。我们不想成为他们购物的3-4个代理商之一;我们希望成为他们的旅行社,并向我们展示3-4个选择。
您的问题的一部分确实源于两件事:您想与所有人竞争吗?您是否为客户的体验增加价值?我们选择了我们不想与所有人竞争。
我们不会追逐这项业务,您也不应该。如果您要竞争成本,则有一个客户将您的产品视为商品。您是汉堡王,另一个代理机构是麦当劳,其他人是温迪的,虽然可能有些偏爱,但最接近您的人。客户为五个家伙支付了更多费用,因为它更好,不需要更好的客户不要拜访五个家伙。
收取计划费的现实是,它几乎从未真正收费,因为客户要么走路(他们正在寻找价格,而且不珍惜我们的时间,经验或服务),要么将其应用于选定的预订。无论哪种方式,计划费对我们来说都是净阳性的,因为它会使客户不认真地浪费别人的时间,而对于那些留下来的人来说,我们可以因为投资而给他们留下深刻的印象并赢得终身。
凯尔·斯图尔特(Kyle Stewart)在旅行,里程和点世界中担任多个角色。他是Boardingarea.com(和Freddie Awards)的合作伙伴经理,Liveandletsfly.com的作家,也是几本出版物的自由作家。他还是Scott&Thomas Travel个性化。
Annie Jones, Owner & Luxury Travel Advisor, Telos Travel
我认为使我们的行业如此令人兴奋的是,每个人的业务经营略有不同,并且可以以许多不同的方式取得成功。如果您在不收取服务费并在每天工作的情况下找到快乐的业务成功,那真是太好了!不要为成功的业务感到内gui,尤其是当您找到一个对您有效的模型时。但是,这么多顾问收取费用的原因有很大,正如我们在大流行中看到的那样,仅委员会并不总是是可靠的收入来源。
作为一个顾问,你提供一个专业rvice with your time and expertise. Charging a fee to your client demonstrates that you are dedicated to providing them with personalized service to fit their needs, even if that means booking an experience or hotel that offers less or no commission at all. If you're struggling with the decision of charging a fee, I encourage you to write down all the different ways that you bring value to your clients. When you remove the items that make you a commission, I think you'll still have a pretty hefty list. You deserve to be compensated for all the time, effort, and value you bring!
You mentioned that you've been in the business for over two decades and have a strong, loyal client base. If your clients value the service you provide and their relationship with you, they won't want to go find someone else to work with. That's a lot of effort for them! If presented appropriately, most will be glad to compensate and transition with you. There are so many different ways to build fees into your business. You don't need to start charging them a planning fee outright on new trips if that's something you're not comfortable with. Maybe give returning clients a discounted rate, or only charge for more time-consuming concierge-type services and booking air. If you don't want to charge returning clients at all, maybe start with fees for new incoming clients only! There is no wrong answer, and don't be afraid to change things around if you find it's not working (even if that means removing fees altogether!). The most important thing is that you are communicating your value to your clients in a way that works best for you.
安妮·琼斯(Annie Jones)于2021年创建了Telos Travel,以与客户分享对可持续豪华冒险旅行的深刻热情。Telos是第二大道旅行的会员,位于大费城地区,与世界各地的客户和合作伙伴合作。