Story Telling

Life is about our stories. We all have one to share. Why not share yours? Recently we started doing zoom meetings with our agents to brainstorm and help with goals. Through doing this, I have gained a new respect for stories. I realized that many of the people who decide to join my agency do so because of my story. If my story resonates with someone, they are more likely to want to be a part of my agency. This is true for any business. It is not just about the sales you promote. It is not only about the price of a vacation. It is also about you and what type of travel advisor you are. It is about how you take care of your customers. It is all about your “why” – the reason you started selling travel to begin with. Sharing that story is the best way to gain that new customer.

Some of you might be thinking, how can my story sell anything? During one of my recent meetings I learned that one of our agents met her spouse on a cruise. She has a love for cruising due to this. Her story is about a difficult break-up that made her decide to get on a cruise by herself, where she ended up meeting the man she married. She can sell the fact that on a cruise, you never know what might happen! It was a great story, and here I am writing about it. This is her “why” story to share, and it can mean that someone who might be looking for this type of romantic experience may be more likely to book a cruise with her, since they connected with her story and are hoping to create a sweet story of their own. I also now have a better understanding of why she loves cruising so much.

When you can tell a story that allows people to get to know you, you make a connection. This connection allows a relationship to grow. Our business is all about the relationship. It is all about getting to know your customer and your customer getting to know you. Your passion for something can help someone else find passion also. A cruise being sold by someone who has no real connection or interest in cruises might not have the same meaning as booking a cruise from someone who found the love of her life on a cruise ship. Taking a sale that could be so unemotional and turning it into an emotional one is a way to create a lifelong customer.

If you are wondering about how you use storytelling to sell a vacation, think back to your favorite trip. If you could tell someone your personal experience with that trip, do you think that would help sell it? Absolutely, because it transforms the travel destination from just a fun idea into something people can actually connect with through your personal story. If you are selling a trip to Walt Disney World and you talk about one of the best experiences you have had, that customer is going to envision themselves in that place because your story brings a vision to life for them. If you have not been where your customer wants to travel, find a relevant story about it that made you feel something. It could be something to do with the culture, a past client’s story, or anything that is not about the boring stuff like how many beds are in the hotel room. Those boring details do not ultimately sell the customer. Storytelling shows passion. It allows you to paint a picture.

What ways can you tell the story?

• Videos
• Pictures with captions
• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Interviews

It does not have to be visual if it is a good story. However, having visuals does help the customer picture themselves in the story. Your story about why you are a travel advisor is one to share. If you have been in the industry for some time, speak about the evolution of your business. Maybe you started out selling to those with young children when your children were young. If you are now selling to older customers because your customers have aged, tell that story. It could be that you got started just to sell one destination and found a love for something else. Often agents change their specialty because they went on a vacation and found themselves discovering a new love of someplace completely different than the one they had been selling. That is a story worth telling.

If your customers get to know you, they are more likely to come back the next time. They are also more apt to tell you if they had any issues and be honest with you. They will give you reviews. They will tell others about your business. Tell your story. Build that relationship. Immerse your customers in the vision and feeling of that dream vacation. Become the storyteller who your customers will come back to year after year.