By Sherrie Funk

I’m a child of the ‘60s. The Beatles were the hottest thing going then. I even remember their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” (Now, I’m telling you my age, aren’t I?). At any rate, one of their songs was “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Which brings me to this question: Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “What are my customers really buying when they do business with our agency?”
While it may seem like a dumb question at first, I can assure you that it’s one of the most important questions that you can answer. And, the answer is not as obvious as you may think. You see, clients don’t buy what your agency sells. Instead, they buy what your services do for them.

Consider the following from an anonymous customer:
• Don’t sell me clothes. Sell me a sharp appearance, style and attractiveness.
• Don’t sell me toothpaste. Sell me Prince Charming on his white horse.
• Don’t sell me insurance. Sell me peace of mind and a great future for my family and me.
• Don’t sell me hair coloring. Sell me a sexy appearance and great hair all the time.
• Don’t sell me a house. Sell me comfort, contentment, a good investment and pride of ownership.
• Don’t sell me toys. Sell my children and grandchildren happy moments.
• Don’t sell me a vacation. Sell me wonderful memories, rest and relaxation with my family and friends.
• Don’t sell me things. Sell me feelings, self-respect, and happiness.
Our customers will exchange their hard-earned money for only two things:

1. Good feelings

2. Solutions to problems

If our clients buy good feelings and solutions, then it’s our job to know how to provide them. And that, in turn, means understanding more about the feelings customers have and how they go about making a decision to buy. People are ruled by their emotions, and emotions are contagious.
People buy emotionally and justify logically. They buy what they want and wants are based on feelings. For example, Charlie, my husband, was looking for a new car. He said he needed a van for work so we could haul brochures and other things in it, but he wanted that silver Corvette. Once he decided that he really wanted that Corvette, he thought up all sorts of logical reasons for buying it. It gets great gas mileage. It’s easy to park. It handles great on the road. So he bought it and convinced himself that it was a sound, logical business decision. But that’s not the real reason that he bought it. He bought it because it makes him feel like a free spirit, a younger man, a “hottie.” He bought it because he feels great when he gets admiring looks as he drives around town with the top down. He bought it because all the gauges and high-tech bells and whistles at his command make him feel good. Feelings and not logic cause people to buy the overwhelming majority of the time.
The main point to remember is: Customers only buy when they are feeling glad about you and your services. People spend money when and where they feel good. It’s just that simple. Walt Disney realized that years ago and that’s the main reason Disney World and Disneyland have been such huge financial successes. We just returned from Disneyworld with our five-year-old granddaughter. All the magic and wonder in her eyes as she experienced Disney for the first time gave us all those good feelings.
Every client you have has a different emotional makeup and different problems that need to be solved. You win and keep customers by giving them what they want and not what you think they should want. Just remember, what you like and what your customers want are two very different things. However, after qualifying a client, and making him an offer on a great vacation, he may still want to buy that cheap cruise he saw on the Internet although you know it would be a terrible fit for him. If you feel a customer is making a decision that he may later regret, politely tell him, explain your reasons and then back off. It’s his money, and ultimately, his choice.
Stanley Marcus, that famous retail giant, put it this way, “If you pay attention to the customers, they come back, and if you pay attention to the goods, they don’t come back.” That one idea is worth more than any item in the Neiman-Marcus catalog. Put it to work, and you’ll see what I mean.

Sherrie Funk and husband Charlie own Just Cruisin! Plus, Nashville. They founded the Travel Agent Management Academy to educate owners and managers about the techniques that have been instrumental to their agency’s success.