Panel urges agents to be ‘more selective’ to build deeper connections with clients

Luxury sellers should be prepared to “disconnect” from clients who don’t add value to their business, delegates at the annual Carrier Retreat were told. 

 

Carrier’s head of trade partnerships, Lee Marshall, urged agents to prioritise their time and know their worth. He said: “So many of us have got clients that devalue what we’re about and eat into our time. You have to have the difficult conversations.”

 

His comments were supported during an agent panel session where Nici Davies of London based agency Travelwise said the company’s move from the high street to a homeworking model had made it “a lot easier to disconnect from clients you don’t want to work with”.

 

She said the move off the high street meant the team at Travelwise could “reinvent themselves” and focus on the most valuable client relationships. 

 

"We have the luxury of being able to pick and choose which inquiries we take,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to disconnect from clients you don’t want to work with when you do it remotely.”

 

Davies referenced a phone call or politely worded email saying: “Thank you so much for thinking of us. However, on this occasion, we feel we’re not quite the right agency for you as we tend to specialise in tailored, long-haul travel.

 

“If and when you need assistance with more complicated arrangements, please do remember us.”

 

Different Planet Travel owner Clare Levy urged delegates to “listen to earn trust” and form deeper connections with clients.

 

Levy cited a high-value customer that often calls her simply to reconnect.

 

“We’ve made this lovely connection,” she said. “She knows if she’s feeling a bit low, she can call me - it’s like a counselling service via travel. You can make clients feel happy just by talking about travel.”

 

She added: “[Clients are] spending their money, they’re placing their trust in you. You have to earn it, and to do that you have to listen.

 

“I’ve worked really hard at understanding what each client wants [from our relationship].”

 

The Carrier Boutique’s Claire Ashton said that being more selective led her to work with a celebrity client making five or six £300,000 to £500,000 booking per year. 

 

Ashton connected with the client via referral from a former colleague, and did “extensive research” and “really listened” to ensure she understood their needs before planning any trips. 

 

She said: “I spoke to them like there were anybody else, took away the element of who they were, and a trusting relationship started to bond.”

 

As part of this relationship-building, Ashton hosted a lunch with the client and their PA for which she was “really nervous”, but she discovered they were “very similar and the conversation flowed”, helping trust develop.

 

She added that for high-profile customers, “the relationship is really with the PA, rather than the celebrity”, so connecting with them is equally as important. 

 

During the first trip Ashton booked for the client, she added unexpected extras such as airport meet and greets and delivery of their favourite drinks, creating an experience “they had never had before”.

 

Since then, the client has made multiple further bookings, with Ashton saying: “He trusts me so much that he’s now referred other people to me.”

 

When asked if bookings for high-profile individuals are more high maintenance and time-consuming, she said: “Absolutely not. In fact, I think sometimes the bigger spenders are the easiest ones.”