There's busy. Then there's too busy.
Busy is finishing a call and immediately dialing a new client. Too busy is juggling a phone call, while typing data into your calendar and scheduling a post on Facebook to (hopefully) reach out to new potential clients, all at the same time.
Sound like a lot? We've got great news – there's an easier way to streamline your business to find new clients. So how can you work smarter and run your independent travel business more efficiently, without working harder? The solution: lead generation programs.
Lead vs. Customer: What's the Difference?
In simple terms, a lead is an individual or organization with an interest in what you're selling but may not be ready to buy with credit card in hand. For travel professionals, a lead is a travel-seeker who indicates interest in your service. Fresh leads are a key ingredient to success for any business to grow sales.
On the other hand, a customer is someone who has done their research, knows what they want and is eager to book, credit card at the ready. As with any sales process, leads are gathered first, then qualified and moved through your sales funnel to eventually become a customer.
While some leads may be easier to convert into customers than others, it's ultimately up to you as a travel seller to make the booking happen by utilizing your product expertise, sales skills and unbeatable customer service.
Do Lead Programs Really Work?
While the tools of the trade may have changed, the goal remains the same: provide an easy way for a potential customer to connect with the right travel professional who can help turn their vacation dreams into reality. This is where a lead program steps up to help.
For entrepreneurs looking to expand their business into the travel industry, it can take time to build a strong book of business. A lead program can help supplement your sales while you get started.
Using a leads program, experienced travel professionals can generate business in a slow market or during a dry spell, or take their business to even greater heights, while also adding to their own customer database with a steady stream of new customer leads.
Why a Lead Program?
Whether your independent business is struggling to source customers, or you're ready to expand your business and sell more, a travel leads program may be just the ticket.
It may sound too good to be true, but a quality lead generation program can not only free up time you may spend marketing to potential clients, but they can use their resources to vet through to find the highest-quality leads on your behalf, speeding up the sales funnel process.
Here are four benefits of a lead program that can help your independent business thrive:
1. Free Up Time to Focus on Selling
Lead sourcing takes a lot of time, which could otherwise be spent on increasing your sales and growing your business. Small businesses spend an average of 20 hours per week on marketing, via Small Business Trends. That's half a full-time work week – let that sink in and consider everything else you could be doing for your business' long-term growth in that time.
2. Save Money on Marketing
Utilize your business' cashflow more thoughtfully rather than paying out of pocket for a lead that might not book. The average small business spends $400 a month on marketing, via BrightLocal. Don't invest your own time or money into marketing resources if you don't have to.
3. Focus on Nurturing Relationships
36% of travelers said they would be likely to pay more for their services if a travel brand tailored its information based on personal preferences or past behavior, according to Google and Phocuswright. That's a large pool left untapped, and lead generation programs help you free up more time to curate content specific to your individual leads, rather than spending all your time searching for them (but not having the time to get to know their wants).
4. Access a Wider Pool of Potential Customers
Travel lead generation programs typically have more marketing resources for sourcing travel-seekers, which allows you to gain access to potential customers that you wouldn't be able to reach on your own.
The Industry's #1 Lead Program
Avoya goes above and beyond, spending millions of dollars annually sourcing leads for your business, so you don't have to spend your own time and money looking for customers.
Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network™ gain exclusive access to Avoya Live Leads™, an innovative, one-of-a-kind program that sends new customer leads directly to you, accessible 24/7 via phone, web and mobile app through Avoya's patented technology.
Unlike other lead programs that distribute leads at random, Avoya's Live Leads are strategically connected to an Independent Agency specialized in the vacation the potential customer is looking for in order to increase the chances of closing the sale. Additionally, you'll never compete with your peers in the Avoya Network, because only one Independent Agency is offered a lead at any given time. Plus, once that lead becomes your client, they'll always be sent back to you for any repeat bookings they make – ensuring you're able to continually nurture that relationship and provide a more personalized experience.
The best part? This optional program is available at no additional cost to you. So, you can enjoy more business success, without the worry of where to find your next customer.
What's the Catch?
With countless lead generating programs, many have become skeptical of their capabilities. But the proof of Avoya Live Leads is in the numbers. Many Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network – some with no travel sales experience - have booked more than $1,000,000 in their first year!
Unlike some other programs, Avoya does not charge a fee for leads; instead we share in the commissions of that sale, so you'll never have to pay for a lead that doesn't book. Our Shared Success™ model means we only succeed when you do.
The Numbers Don't Lie
This program helps to create a more personalized vacation planning experience for travelers, resulting in more bookings, income and success for participating Network members. Through enhanced marketing strategies, Avoya continues to source more Live Leads for the Avoya Network than ever before, already generating over 245,000 leads for the Network this year!.
At Avoya, we've been spearheading digital performance marketing for decades, and we know how to generate and distribute high-intent, high-quality leads to help you continue to grow your book of business (and your sales). Along with spending millions of dollars sourcing new clients for you, we also have a large database of high value past passengers and prospects.
Not only do we focus on finding new clients for you, but we emphasize generating leads across a vast array of different vacation types and specialties to help you expand your sales niches and reach even more clients. We follow market trends to see where passengers are interested in booking travel, which helps us to continue to diversify our portfolio mix, including focusing on land-vacation leads.
But don't just take our word for it: The average commission per booking for Avoya Network members has increased by 25% since 2019!
If you're interested in working smarter, not harder, fill out the form below or give us a call. Our friendly team of Affiliation Specialists are standing by to help you achieve (and exceed) your goals in 2023 and beyond! Is Live Leads right for your business? Call us to schedule a demo and find out how the industry's #1 lead program can help you start living a lifestyle of success today.