Let's Go Shopping!

By Les-Lee Roland

As I write this, the holiday season has just ended. The decorations are being packed away. The markdown sales are beginning. TIME TO GO SHOPPING! No, not for clothes and linens — but for gifts for my clients.

A gift, a thank you for the business, a thank you for the referral, sometimes just a thank you for loyalty.
I remember when, before I was a travel consultant, I booked our first cruise — joining friends on a Mexican itinerary they had already booked. I just called my friend’s agent on the phone and said I wanted to be on the same sailing.

“How much? Oh, by the way, book me into Acapulco for a couple of days before the cruise, just like my friend did. Okay — here’s my credit card number.”
It took only 10 minutes. Easy sale...easy commission for that agent. What a pleasant surprise to have a bottle of wine brought to the table with the bon voyage note.

I was hooked on cruising. When I returned, I went into cruise withdrawal and decided to treat my daughter to her first cruise just eight weeks later. This time I made an appointment to meet the travel agent, sat down and went through all my options. Maybe took one hour. “Here’s my credit card.”

Every night of the cruise I waited for my bottle of wine, and none appeared. I had just spent $3,000 and I vowed not to use that travel agent again because I did not receive a bottle of wine.

Shallow? Yes! But it happens. And I am still embarrassed about it. I valued a bottle of wine over the 7-night cruise experience.

I can guarantee that something that minor has probably cost you a client. Being on the other side of the table now, it’s time to hit the stores. Time to stock up on unusual gifts and some mundane ones. I shop with a list of the upcoming bookings and itineraries and I always factor in the cost of a gift when I quote a cruise or tour. When I bring home bags of goodies, my husband never complains. He knows the value of stockpiling.

You have to know your clients and their likes and dislikes. It would be a big faux pas to send wine to a Friend of Bill W. cruiser, for instance. I overhear on every cruise, “Bill W. must have lots of friends cause he meets with them everyday.” For those not in the know, that is the name given to the support group for those abstaining from drinking.

Add to that, an agent told me about her horror story. She gave a bottle of wine to a couple on their cruise. The gentleman tippled, and then he toppled. Fell down on the ship. When he returned, he sued the agent for her negligence — providing alcohol to someone walking on a moving vessel. (Her insurance covered this nuisance case).

This should not dissuade you from sending some of the bubbly — but give thought about who you send it to.

So what am I shopping for at the after-Christmas sales?
Picture frames. I give them to clients with their final documents, along with a certificate for a photo session on board.

Photo albums. Many companies provide them customized for your clients, or you can shop for something on your own. It’s a great gift for a first time cruiser.

Body lotions, creams and perfumed soaps. Sometimes I find beautiful travel containers for them, as well.

I stock up on CDs for genres of music that appeal to my clients. Josh Groban and Rod Stewart’s Songbook are going over good with certain age groups. And if you’re booking Crystal or Windstar, the CD players are in all the cabins.

Another gift people like is the combo travel alarm clock, calculator and currency converter. This small sleek, incentive gift — with my logo — has become so popular, that people have asked me about buying more of them.

Leather bound travel document or passport holders. This can have your imprint on it, but keep the print small and concise. More and more people frown about using things advertising a company. And the clients to whom you give this pricey gift will remember you.

Perhaps a small umbrella, particularly for Alaska. Ketchikan almost always has drizzles. Or if you’re Seattle based, this can be an often used gift. Have them made with fabric picturing luggage or something else travel related. And, big bright luggage tags go over well, too.

Calendars — available for all scenic destinations.

Beautiful bound journals — something the traveler can use to write about the experience. Encourage them to jot down a few notes everyday, it’s an everlasting gift.

Personalized stationery or note cards. Remind them to send their friends or family a message while they’re away.

In my many visits to Caribbean islands, I buy a few of the jeweled globes, paperweights or even the key chains. Some clients have gone to the same shops and bought more for their family.

Some of the cruise lines offer a kiddie pack, but I find creative things and bundle them together for the younger generation. Just make sure they are not too bulky to pack. If the family is flying, you can find things to keep the kids occupied on the plane.

Meetings and group travel are the easiest. You can have T-shirts or hats made up. Then there are tote bags and fanny packs. Clients enjoy them more if your logo is NOT on them. Use the group name and date — make it a great memento. You can even add a tag line, “Jones Reunion 2005...next one 2008.”

Books, Books, Books!
There is a wealth of books on destinations — something to perk up a client’s interest in the days leading up to the departure.

My new favorite book — I buy dozens of them — is “1,000 Places I Want to See Before I Die” by Patricia Schultz.

This book names hotels or sights not to be missed. It makes you dream about seeing, for instance, La Mamounia in Morocco. The descriptions of Alaska are better than any cruise brochure.

The book is like mental telepathy. People who read it start asking about a future trip. It’s magnetic. And I don’t even get a royalty for recommending it.

Don’t forget welcome home gifts
Sometimes a homecoming gift is more appropriate. If your clients like cuisine, perhaps give them a book on recipes from Tuscany or Greece.

It makes a great welcome home gift. And it continues their experience.

How about a bottle of wine from Portugal or Australia, after their visit there?

When clients return, how about sending flowers? If they have returned from Hawaii or Tahiti, you can send flowers that represent that destination. It will keep their trip lingering.

Scented candles are wonderful (but a no-no on a cruise ship). Try to select a fragrance from one of the islands they visited.

Referral gifts
What about referrals? Don’t ever let a referral go unacknowledged. You can always call and give a verbal thank you. But why not send a person who regularly refers you a dinner certificate at a local eatery?

Gift cards are also good. You can get them from all the national companies, from Starbucks to Outback to whatever your budget allows. It is such a simple gesture, and actions do speak louder than words. You know that the recipient will tell someone who will tell someone. Keep a track of your increase in new clients.
Word of mouth — in this case, gift in hand — can be a lucrative form of advertising.

Speaking of gifts: We have Secretaries Day, Grandparents Day, Bosses Day, and, if you’re from Michigan, Sweetest Day. But one day neglected on the calendar is “HONEY DO Day.”

My spouse is the King of HONEY DO’s. Every day I say, “HONEY, can you DO this, deliver that, go to the post office, stamp the brochures, carry this to the garage?”

If you are home based, you may also have a HONEY around to DO the necessary tasks to give you more time on the phone or with clients.

These spouses, kids and/or parents may not be on the payroll. Their only compensation is traveling with you on a trip, or to a travel show — and then your Honey has to help carry your luggage.

Many HONEY DO’s have a CLIA card, but never sell. Many HONEY DO’s don’t know how to work on a GDS, but answer the phone and take messages. Whatever your HONEY DOES, their contribution is very important to your success.
So DO remember your HONEY when you’re shopping. Have fun!

Les-Lee Roland is a writer, motivational speaker and has been Home Based for over 10 years. Her company, The Package Deal, is in Sarasota FL. Contact Les-Lee at packagedeals@comcast.net