Read and memorize the following words

adverts (advertisement)

agency window

airfare

applications

awareness

benefit

body clock

brochure

to browse through

coach

consultant

convince

currency

flight

full-board option

to get used to

to go along

insurance

investigate

half-board option

to move on

to select

skilled

to spell

straight away

transfer

traveller's cheques

WORD STUDY

I. Match the words in the list with their definitions

A. airfare

B. brochure

C. insurance

D. transfer

E. advantage

F. benefit

G. adverts

H. consultant

I. awareness

J. browse

K. full board

L. convince

 

1. a person who gives information or advice in business

2. a useful, positive effect that something has

3. a picture, short film, song, etc. which tries to persuade people to buy a product or service

4. to move someone or something from one place, vehicle, person or group to another

5. when all your meals are provided at the hotel or rooms that you are paying to stay in

6. an agreement in which you pay a company money and they pay your costs if you have an accident, injury, etc

7. knowing about something and probably being interested in it

8. something that helps or that gives a better chance of success

9. to spend time looking at something without a clear idea of what you want

10. a type of small magazine that contains pictures and information on a product or a company

11. to succeed in making somebody believe something

12. the price of a passenger ticket for travel by aircraft

II. Use your dictionary. Find three more terms in the Vocabulary. For each one write out the definition from your dictionary.

III. Complete the sentences using the words from the box

consultant advantage benefit awareness half board browse convince insurance coach investigating

1. A good ….. does not necessarily know the answers to every question, but does know where to find the answer

2. I hope this will … you to change your mind.

3. Adverts on TV and in magazines are used to create ……. of new products.

4. The ……. of using a travel agent is that they can help you to find the best holiday.

5. … the customer's needs is also an important part of the sales process

6. The main …… of learning English is that most people in tourism speak it.

7. Expect to pay about £350 for a week's … in a three-star hotel.

8. I'll need to take out extra car … for another driver.

9. There is so much information to ……. through on the Internet that it is easy not to find what you want.

10. We're going to the airport by ….

IV. Fill in the gaps with the right word from the box. Which product or service do they want?

non-smoking booked round-the-world tickets visa accident double adventure

 

Hi. I'm taking a year off when I finish my studies and I want to go around the world. I'm told there are … (1), and I wanted a bit of information about them.
	Could you book me a … (2) somewhere central in Helsinki for next weekend I Arrive Friday midday. Depart Monday morning. Oh, and … (3).
Hello. I wonder if you can help us. We want to go to Mexico to see the Aztec rums, but we're a little nervous. We don't speak Spanish, you see. And at our age we don't want too much … (4).
	Hi. Can you tell me what I need for Kazakhstan? Will be OK with US dollars? And I suppose I need a … (5)?
Hi. We … (6) with you last week to go to Orlando – you know, Disney and all that. But we're just a bit worried about it. I mean if something happens while we're there. I'm not saying an … (7), but anybody can fall ill.

V. Look at the typical travel agency products and services. Which of them are free, and which of them does the travel agent make money from?

1. Advice on visa and passport applications

2. Airline tickets

3. Brochures for tour operators

4. Coach tours and trips

5. Foreign currency and traveller's cheques

6. Hotel bookings

7. Package holidays

8. Train tickets

9. Transport information

10. Travel insurance

READING

Six Steps To Success Selling

Your job as a travel agency sales consultant is to help your customers to choose their next holiday. This is a skilled job, and in order to do it well, you need to follow an established routine called the sales process.

Stage 1

To begin any sales process, it is important to raise your customer's awareness of the products your agency offers. Adverts in the agency window, for example, attract people's attention, and may bring them into the shop.

Stage 2

This is possibly the most important stage in sales. Many people are nervous about buying because they think that sales consultants only want to get their money. From the very first moment with a new client, you need to convince them that you are really interested in helping them find the right holiday.

Of course, sometimes people go into a travel agency just to browse through the brochures. In this case, do not stand next to them and ask questions. Let them know you are there, but leave them alone. Give them time.

Stage 3

When a customer asks for help or information, we move on to die next stage – investigating the customer's needs. This is also an important part of the sales process; it is only when you have a clear idea about where a client wants to go, when they want to travel, who with, and so on, that you can select the best products for them.

Stage 4

When you have selected the most suitable products, you need to present them in terms of:

Features — these are what a holiday has, such as the hotel facilities, transfers from the airport, excursions, etc.

Advantages – these are what make the holiday better than other similar holidays. The fact that the price of a holiday includes all the excursions, or all your bar costs, for example, would be an advantage.

Benefits – why a particular feature is good for the customer you are talking to at that moment.

At this point in the process many customers will want time to think. The best thing to do is to get their contact details and invite them to take the brochures home and browse through them. If you have done a good job of presenting the product, they will probably be back a few days later.

Stage 5

When the customer returns to your agency...

ACTIVITIES

I. Answer the following questions:

1. In which stage does a sales consultant do most of the talking?

2. In which stage does a sales consultant have to listen most carefully?

3. Can you think of any other ways of raising customer awareness?

4. If customers are looking at brochures, why should you leave them alone?

5. Features, advantages, or benefits – which is the hardest for a sales consultant to explain to a customer?