The Sales Strategy

The sales strategy is now, quite simply, to:

Build agency business by selling whatever components of the Travel Plan are most relevant and impactful to a specific prospect – be it an individual, business, or association, be it for corporate or leisure or any other kind of travel – and to do so faster and better than our competitors.

Selling as a Process

Selling is a dynamic activity and cannot easily be contained in rules and formulas and timelines. Rather, it occurs in response to a myriad of influences and circumstances – not the least of which are the reactions and preferences of the prospect.

Nonetheless, it is possible to map out the steps that typically reflect the selling process and can be used as guidelines for how selling occurs. Of course, there are many ways of mapping out the sales process, and most of them – including the following – are somewhat arbitrary:

Step 1: Generating Leads

Step 2: Approaching Prospects

Step 3: Managing the Sale

Step 4: Asking for the Business

Step 5: Following Up

Step 6: Tracking Sales Performance

Variations on the Sales Process

Any understanding of the sales process must accommodate the variations that are inevitable with anything as dynamic as selling.

Is the Prospect a Client or a New Contact?

The sales process will vary depending on whether we are selling to an individual or organization who has no prior experience with our agency or to an existing client who represents additional prospective business.

What is the Prospective New Business?

The sales process will vary depending on what prospective new business we are trying to land. The process for landing a large corporate account is somewhat more complex and protracted than it is for landing the vacation booking of a corporate account employee.

How does the Prospect Want to be Sold?

The sales process will vary depending on what the prospect wants to have happen. We decide how to “manage the sale” almost entirely in response to the prospect’s needs, reactions, and preferences.