Thursday, 30 November 2017
At our recent Annual Global Conference, Cork-based Travel Counsellor Mary Foyle took to the stage to tell fellow franchisees how our partnerships with Destination Management Companies [DMCs] have had such a huge impact on her business, and her pocket. By fully embracing our dynamic packaging system, Phenix, and taking full advantage of DMCs, Mary has achieved over €1million sales. As a result her phenomenal business growth, along with her loyal client base and high level of customer service, she won the prestigious top title of 'Top Performing Travel Counsellor' in Ireland at our star-studded awards ceremony.
Mary tells us more about how DMCs have benefitted her business…
I am one of the pioneers of Travel Counsellors Ireland; I’ve been here since the very beginning and joined Travel Counsellors 2-3 weeks after it launched in Ireland 12 years ago and this year I celebrate 40 years in travel. Forty years ago, we didn’t have computers and when I joined Travel Counsellors, we didn’t have Phenix [our in-house booking system], we didn’t have direct contracts with any hotels, and we’d certainly never heard of Destination Management Companies (DMCs). So, I’m here to tell you how DMCs have made such a huge impact on my business and how they’ve become such an intricate part of my business.
I made my first booking with a DMC back in 2012. It was for a couple heading to Vietnam and I booked it with E-Asia and to this day, I’m still benefiting from the referrals from that one booking. Looking at my business now, 40% of my bookings have a DMC element in them - that element could be something small like inter-island ferry’s in Indonesia or Thailand, but for the most part, they consist of a full-blown itinerary of adventure, excitement and authentic experiences.
“There is so much help available to us in becoming a tour operator and fulfilling our clients’ dreams.”
There is so much help available to us in becoming a tour operator and fulfilling our clients’ dreams. The intranet [our internal system] is full of amazing itineraries from all the DMCs; websites such as EXO and global encounters are an absolute mine of information for us; and of course, we have the wonderful TC Coach [our e-learning platform].
Our innovative e-learning COACH gives Travel Counsellors to invaluable training to help them grow their businesses
I sell a lot of honeymoons and I think everyone knows that in this day and age, honeymooners are looking for a little bit more than just two weeks lying on a beach. But I tend to pitch to the clients in the mid 50-s to early 70’s age group – these are the people with maybe a little bit more disposable income, the kids have properly left college, left home, and many of them are coming up to retirement or recently retired. So, what these people are trying to do now is starting to tick that bucket list and just explore, immerse themselves in the local culture, experience adventure and create memories.
“We sit down and chat about what we can add extra to this trip to make it especially ‘Wow’.”
So, when I get an enquiry for a special trip, I chat about the various itineraries that we can offer to the clients. I probably send one or two sample itineraries to them to make sure we’re singing from the same hymn sheet, and then we sit down and chat about what we can add extra to this trip to make it especially “Wow”.
An example of personalising an itinerary for my clients was when I had a couple going to India and they’re really interested in trekking. So, they’re actually doing a trek with a guide in Punjab for a full-day. Another example would be a honeymoon couple I had going to Sri Lanka and they wanted a little bit more than just the cultural sights; they wanted to have a little bit of adventure, so they are going canyoning, white water rafting and they’re climbing Adam’s Peak at sunrise with a guide as well. So, there are so many different things we can bring to the table.
How DMCs benefit my customers and my business
Booking through DMCs is getting easier all the time. We now deal directly with most DMCs, so we can load everything into the quote and book system [our in-house booking system] ourselves, making our lives so much easier and saving us so many hours. When we get an enquiry, we can keep tweaking ourselves until we get it absolutely right for the client– so we have the right hotels, for the right clients, at the right price. This just saves so much work, because beforehand, we’d get the quote back and have to keep going back and forth, and every time you sent it back, you’d be losing valuable time. By using DMCs, we’re also ensuring continuity of service for our clients.
“I get very happy clients – they cannot wait to come home and tell me all about it. And of course, happy clients lead to brilliant referrals.”
So, what do I get when I book with a DMC? First and foremost, I get very happy clients – they cannot wait to come home to tell me all about it. I had a conversation with a client the other day which lasted 45 minutes and at the end of the day, even though I didn’t have 45 minutes to spare, I learned so much from my client after her holiday; so now I have so many more places to add to my portfolio – so that call when they return is always really important. And of course, happy clients lead to brilliant referrals.
“Booking via DMC has had a huge impact on my pocket…”
Booking via a DMCs has had a huge impact on my pocket. My margin has increased by 1.4% this year and this is primarily associated with an increase in DMC bookings – for me, this is work in progress, so watch this space for 2018!
“My job is so much more interesting and exciting than it would be if I was just booking a hotel and a flight…”
So, the last thing I get out of booking with a DMC is excitement! My job is so much more interesting and exciting than it would be if I was just booking a hotel and a flight. I get so excited when I know we’ve cracked the itinerary and I could ring clients at 10-11 o’ clock at night saying, “I’ve got it, I’ve got it, this is what you need to book”. So, I get great excitement out of my job.
“They [DMCs] are our future without limits, and dare I say, they are our margin without limits…”
In summary, our future lies with our Destination Management Companies – they are our future without limits and dare I say, they are our margin without limits. When you outsource the care of your customers to another company, you lose the security, you lose the comfort and you lose the personal touch.
If you want to learn more about how DMCs are key to authentic tailor-made experiences as a Travel Counsellor, take a look at this blog.
