As I mentioned on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sellingtravel travel agents will need to be on their toes as to how they handle any local fallout from the recent Costa tragedy. Fact is, there are circumstances beyond your control and that is one of the fundamental areas of the travel industry that few travel agents are ever trained to manage.
So how do you manage the unexpected? You've heard it before, "Expect The Unexpected" is the phrase used.
Combine this with the famous quote by scientist Louie Pasteur (his quote had nothing to do with surviving travel traumas however so many people have turned it to suit their needs) "Chance favours the prepared mind" and you'll be on your way to understanding your role in preparing your clients for their travel adventure.
Survival is also a personal thing. The act of being prepared falls on the shoulders of the customer, the client, the traveller. You can serve as their guide and advise them to do this, study that, read these instructions.
The latest news about the Costa tragedy, if it's true, is that the Captain took the ship off course. Unexpected. Beyond chance. If true then it was dliberate and in today's world would be an act of terrorism and murderous. Unexpected and beyond chance.
Survival Rests On The Client Being Prepared
So how do you turn this crisis into opportunity? A couple of things you can do:
1. Make sure you are fully aware of what situations the travel insurance you are selling, covers. Study it. Sell it. You now have a globally known tragedy to push your clients into purchasing travel insurance coverage to protect themselves and their family. If your clients are well-to-do and a potential threat could be kidnapping then be sure you are aware of Kidnap and Ransom insurance programs, too.
2. Look for information online about escaping hotel fires, car accidents (the biggest killer of tourists overseas) and even hostage situations.
3. Engage your client in a generic, informational session and chat about their preparedness. No need to go over the top and lose the booking here. Just do the job of making sure your clients are aware for instance to attend the cruise line emergency drills. All of them. And to check the exits in hotels too. To review the exits when flying and also when travelling by coach.
4. It is well known that this type of repetitive thinking and visualization stays locked away in a persons mind and as soon as the panic button is hit, this information and actions seem to work automatically. The brain works in mysterious ways! Make sure your clients know how to use the one they have!
5. There are hand-wipes and sprays to reduce viral infections, there are small travel sized oxygen masks and canisters for surviving smoke, and of course many mobile phone Apps that are SOS related and every client should have that downloaded - a suggestion that should be made to each client regardless. You could also mention that a client carry their mobile phone everywhere they go.
6. Sometime ago when I was flying corporately I was advised to always wear leather soled shoes. The reason: they do not melt. In times of fire onboard an aircraft, flipflops and rubber soled shoes and sneakers would melt, causing the passenger to be stuck or having to walk on without footwear. Could this happen to anyone soon? Expect the unexpected and be prepared.
There is an expression, "From crisis comes opportunity" - here's your chance to add another service, to upgrade your insurance sales, to study how your client can be better prepared and confident to continue travelling.
So how do you manage the unexpected? You've heard it before, "Expect The Unexpected" is the phrase used.
Combine this with the famous quote by scientist Louie Pasteur (his quote had nothing to do with surviving travel traumas however so many people have turned it to suit their needs) "Chance favours the prepared mind" and you'll be on your way to understanding your role in preparing your clients for their travel adventure.
Survival is also a personal thing. The act of being prepared falls on the shoulders of the customer, the client, the traveller. You can serve as their guide and advise them to do this, study that, read these instructions.
The latest news about the Costa tragedy, if it's true, is that the Captain took the ship off course. Unexpected. Beyond chance. If true then it was dliberate and in today's world would be an act of terrorism and murderous. Unexpected and beyond chance.
Survival Rests On The Client Being Prepared
So how do you turn this crisis into opportunity? A couple of things you can do:
1. Make sure you are fully aware of what situations the travel insurance you are selling, covers. Study it. Sell it. You now have a globally known tragedy to push your clients into purchasing travel insurance coverage to protect themselves and their family. If your clients are well-to-do and a potential threat could be kidnapping then be sure you are aware of Kidnap and Ransom insurance programs, too.
2. Look for information online about escaping hotel fires, car accidents (the biggest killer of tourists overseas) and even hostage situations.
3. Engage your client in a generic, informational session and chat about their preparedness. No need to go over the top and lose the booking here. Just do the job of making sure your clients are aware for instance to attend the cruise line emergency drills. All of them. And to check the exits in hotels too. To review the exits when flying and also when travelling by coach.
4. It is well known that this type of repetitive thinking and visualization stays locked away in a persons mind and as soon as the panic button is hit, this information and actions seem to work automatically. The brain works in mysterious ways! Make sure your clients know how to use the one they have!
5. There are hand-wipes and sprays to reduce viral infections, there are small travel sized oxygen masks and canisters for surviving smoke, and of course many mobile phone Apps that are SOS related and every client should have that downloaded - a suggestion that should be made to each client regardless. You could also mention that a client carry their mobile phone everywhere they go.
6. Sometime ago when I was flying corporately I was advised to always wear leather soled shoes. The reason: they do not melt. In times of fire onboard an aircraft, flipflops and rubber soled shoes and sneakers would melt, causing the passenger to be stuck or having to walk on without footwear. Could this happen to anyone soon? Expect the unexpected and be prepared.
There is an expression, "From crisis comes opportunity" - here's your chance to add another service, to upgrade your insurance sales, to study how your client can be better prepared and confident to continue travelling.
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