New clients, leads, are the life blood of any business. A lead could be defined as “any person or organization who may be interested in purchasing your product or service.” You’ve spent the time and money to acquire some leads, what should you do next.?
If you’ve attended a marketplace or trade show, you were probably talking face-to-face with tour operators. While your conversations will tell you how to proceed, it can be helpful to determine if you have a solid lead for new business. Susan Heino, past Executive Director of the Ashtabula County CVB, developed what she called the Salsa Factor. Is the lead Hot, Medium, or Mild, based on the potential for business. Got a Hot lead – follow-up immediately and keep in touch over the next few weeks or months.
What’s a follow-up? First enter the information in your database including how you acquired the lead and rate it according to your Salsa Factor. You can use this information for tracking sales success this year and for marketing next year. If the lead is already in your database, update the record. Next, If you have not provided all leads with your Profile Sheet or other promotional information, send it out. For a Hot lead, you may want to add additional information such as detailed information on packages, menus, schedule of events, new programs, etc. Don’t forget to respect the operator’s request – if they asked for a Profile Sheet, send only the Profile Sheet. Anything else will most probably be discarded. At some time after the mailing you may want to call the operator to see if they have questions or would like to book. Follow-up for Medium or Mild leads could be as simple as mailing the Profile Sheet. Phone follow-up for these leads are based on your assessment of the potential for business.
Acquiring tour operator or other potential client name, address, and phone is easy. Join American Bus Association or National Tour Association; buy an ad in Group Tour Magazine to receive a list from their reader reply cards, work with your Visitors Bureau, etc. You can surf the web, exchange client lists with other organizations, read industry and local publications.
To receive the most from your effort to acquire new business through leads, go beyond the basic name, address, and phone. Who are the operator’s clients – senior citizens, youth, mixed adults, veterans, church groups, etc.? What type of tours do they offer and how long do they stay? What are the client interests – history, culture, sports, museums, casino, dinner cruises, Broadway shows, etc. What times of the year does the operator travel? When do they plan tours and send out their catalogues? This information can help you better understand individual tour operators and plan future marketing and programs.
Other areas you may want to address includes “hot button” items. What closes the sale for the tour operator: price, no deposit, last minute additions, location of your business close to interstate highways, complimentary breakfast, step-on greeting, arrival reception, comp policy, free coach parking, on-site meals, marketing aids, etc. All these factors can also determine if an operator books with you.
All businesses new needs new business. Only by qualifying and understanding a potential client can a sales rep effectively spend their sales time and budget generating business short-term and long-term.