« He gave me the best proposal. »
Yes, that's what all your customers should say when talking about you.
They should also feel some excitement and satisfaction long before they leave with you!
So, how do you write an effective sales proposal to better sell your trip? 👀
On the other hand, one cannot count the number of documents published in the wind ... of proposals lost in advance ...
The proposal you will send to your prospect will be decisive for your agency's brand.
It is worth paying attention to it, so we will see how to put all the chances on your side!
1/ What is a travel proposal 🎯
The critical moment in the sale is the signing.
The writing of a commercial proposal is a necessary step to validate the customer's need and allow him to project himself with your services.
The commercial proposal is almost indispensable in the acquisition of customers. It is not a quote, which only mentions the budgetary and contractual aspect.
The commercial proposal will be read, compared with your competitors and shared internally who do not yet have an opinion of your company.
How does it look in the Tourism industry?
We are talking about selling dreams, so the proposal must stick to it! ✨
This commercial support will give a foretaste of the type of trips you propose, the values you convey, the care you take in your services and the identity of your company.
And since we buy the expertise of the Professional Organizer whether it is a traditional Travel Agency, a specialized Tour Operator, a Destination Receptive (DMC), an Event Agency, it must therefore be reflected in your proposal.
➡️ In summary, the proposal is :
- Specific to each of your customers (summary of needs, context...) ;
- An accessible and shared support ;
- The identity, know-how of your Agency: your difference ;
- The realization of your sale.
2/ How to write an effective travel proposal? 🚦
As a general rule, therefore, the proposal should be detailed, personalized, in line with your company's image, but some formats are better suited to the type of Travel you are selling & your target audience.
Depending on the type of Travel :
Tours
Selling a Tour is selling a detailed itinerary and program including transportation, accommodation, food & beverage and specific activities.
Presenting a good Tour proposal is:
- Describe the recommended program on a daily basis ;
- Include an interactive map with the itinerary of the trip ;
- Include a summary table of contents ;
- Highlight several Destinations at the same time ;
- Specify what is included and what is not included.
📜 Recommended format :
In order to properly describe the course of the trip, a Portrait document will be privileged by presenting, with a minimum of text and images, each step of the trip.
If the stay is of short duration then a document in Landscape will favor images to text.
💡The plus:
Following the example of Voyageurs du monde the first, more and more software solutions allow to share the trip in a digital format (like Ezus, Tourwriter or others).
Private Trips
Selling a Private Travel is above all to sell a destination, a travel theme coupled with Agency services.
We address ourselves mainly to BtoC with individuals, groups of friends, families or couples with a more or less large budget:
- Adapt your visual to your target and your brand ;
- Include quality photos/video ;
- Write short paragraphs for a better memorization ;
- Include services included ;
- Propose different options ;
- Highlight your Partners & Service Providers on site ;
- Personalize the offer according to the Qualification Brief ;
- Avoid a too voluminous proposal: about ten pages are enough. Your prospect lacks time and wants to get to the point ;
- Accompany the proposal with documents in appendices if necessary.
📜 Recommended format :
In order to impress and project your client on his journey, form is sometimes worth more than substance. So adopt a landscape format with a minimum of text and a quality design.
💡The plus :
Save time for your customer: already edit a quote, offer him plane tickets, make it easier for him to sign his registration form / sales contract. And don't forget to play on the agency's values & services which sometimes resemble concierge services!
Business Travel, Conventions and Incentives
To sell Business Travel is to present a commercial proposal of quality, precise and specific to the needs of the company. The final customer is looking for a return on investment with HR, commercial or communication objectives.
In general we are talking about the MICE sector (Meetings, Incentive, Conference, Exhibitions) with the possibility to address both Groups of all sizes (SMEs, ETIs and/or Large Groups) often on the themes of Reward Travel, Teambuilding, Seminars, Gala or Product Promotion; and both individual workers in the case of Travel Management / Business Trip.
The best way to present a Business Travel proposal is :
- Customize the substance of the proposal according to the client's needs ;
- Demonstrate adaptability, creativity and having the 'solution to everything ;
- Respect a provided budget while presenting a Return on Investment: "your teams will come out more united"; "boost your sales forces with this seminar" ...
- Include a table of contents to quickly and easily navigate through your games ;
- Highlight your specialty, your competitive advantage.
📜 Recommended format :
The traditional tool is Powerpoint and therefore the Landscape format will be the standard. Indeed it is advisable to follow the codes of the company by adopting a presentation support shareable within the team of the customer, accessible on various supports (computer, projectors, shelves...).
The form of your document should be more structured than in the case of a BtoC travel proposal.
💡The plus :
Be responsive and available to go back and forth on your proposal during negotiation/validation. And take an interest in your client's corporate culture in order to stick to it as much as possible.
Honeymoon Trips
Selling a honeymoon is selling exceptional, unforgettable experiences for the happy designated couple!
The best way to present a honeymoon proposal is:
- Selling dreams, giving the impression of the journey of a life that will remain engraved in the memories ;
- Propose comfort, unusual and the best standing (depending on the budget) ;
- Integrate the needs of both people in order to best personalize and satisfy both participants ;
- Highlight its history, expertise on this subject which requires certain values ;
- Offer inclusive gifts, romantic moments & impeccable organization!
📜 Recommended format :
As in a Private Travel format, the Landscape format is largely prioritized because of the emphasis of its visuals etc...
💡The plus :
Highlight the comments of your former customers. A tool like TripAdvisor, Google Reviews or Trustpilot allows you to centralize your reviews.
GIRs or departure Organized
To sell an organized departure is above all to sell an organization, an event to a group of individuals all gathered for the same passion.
Therefore, here are a few tips to ace a GIRs or Organized Departures proposition:
- Facilitate the reading of the Program and allow the participant to quickly validate his participation/registration;
- Show the advantages of the group: social network, enthusiasts etc...
- Allow everyone to have extras on demand;
- Specify what is included or not included in the conditions of sale;
- Highlight his specialty, his logistical expertise on this subject.
📜 Recommended format :
A portrait document does the trick in the case of GIRs with a detailed program. All the more so as the sale can often be made through particular distribution networks: associations, communities, already constituted groups, etc...
💡The plus :
Allow easy sharing of travel documents (so that one participant can invite another, all the more viral if a discount is then applied). Manage the registration directly on its website.
Associative Travel
To sell an associative trip is to sell a trip of Groups on a topic or a particular need with generally an interlocutor having already identified the ins and outs of his trip.
To present well a proposal of Associative Trips, it is thus :
- Customize as much as possible according to the needs and the chosen theme;
- Reassuring in terms of logistics and included services;
- Introduce the providers on site;
- Identify what belongs to the management team and accompany them in their tasks.
📜 Recommended format :
Depending on the target group, choose a landscape format for professional or student associations, or rather a portrait format for thematic associations (sports, cultural). In the first case, the visual is more important, in the second it is often the description of the steps that will matter.
💡The plus :
Keeping track of the history of exchanges and establishing a relationship of trust over time is the keystone.
According to your target:
And then especially logically, your commercial proposal of Travel will have to adapt in substance and form according to your target.
Some tips in this regard:
For Companies, know how to stand out from the competition in your services by developing specific, creative themes or an expertise of the destination.
For Associations, develop a long term relationship of trust by mastering the specificities of your client.
For Seniors, pay attention to details and include all your guarantees, services included and not included in your proposal. They will take more time to read and will put more emphasis on the support, security and seriousness of your agency.
For Families & Groups of Friends, identify who is your main contact and help them to share your trip with other participants. The financial aspect will often be a determining factor compared to your competition.
3/ The 10 Commandments of a Proposal in the Journey ⚡️
1. Respect the response time without rushing your work.
From a simple proposal, send within 24 hours. Take more time for a complex proposal. To be faster than your competitors, make sure you have simple and fast templates in place to generate business proposals.
2. Make your customer travel from the first page!
Provide a quality visual to stand out and sell the dream from the first seconds of reading.
3. Don't neglect a summary page.
If there is a page to read it is this one. The summary page summarizes all the elements, but the people who will read your proposal may not have followed the sales process from the beginning. The summary should include all of the information exchanged during the project review and allow them to easily understand the proposal. Ezus offers several templates that you can use as inspiration, or customize to your image. Book a demo!
4. Price is not enough:
Your prospect needs to assess whether you understand his or her needs. This is the most delicate part for you because it is a question of evaluating your service in the best possible way so that it is accepted by the customer, without making concessions on your prices.
5. Personalization, tailor-made and à la carte!
Try to replace your client's name with another one. If your document seems interchangeable, it is not targeted enough! Therefore you need to adapt your products and services according to your client's needs. This is the time to highlight your expertise as a project manager in order to present the right provider or the right services to your Prospect. Some of your customers already know in detail what they want for their trip, and some don't. For those, you can for example give them the opportunity to create their own personalized travel project by combining Typeform with Ezus. We tell you more in this article.
6. Project your client quickly.
The proposal must allow you to act on it quickly; it must therefore contain all the necessary elements in a single document: T&Cs, collection mandate, etc. Above all, the next steps must be clear.
7. Promote visual content.
Illustrate the travel proposal as much as possible with planning, tours, photos and videos.
To avoid adding to the content of the commercial proposal, complete it with documents in appendices.
8. Reassure your client.
Don't forget to include all the elements included and not included in your proposal. Include your background, expertise, and references to give credibility to your proposal. The terms and conditions of sale are also important.
9. Prioritize your customers.
Don't waste too much time on a client who has contacted the entire market and/or is not yet sure to leave. Always evaluate your real chances beforehand so as not to waste your time.
10. Enjoy yourself.
Share your passion!
Discover our examples of travel proposals and documents
They are easy to create, automated and reusable.
Come and discover them with a free personalized demo for you. Or be pleasantly surprised by some examples of travel documents made with Ezus on our Use Cases page.
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With our software solution, divide by 2 your document generation time and have all your customized documents and travel administration at the same place. Find out how during a demonstration.
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