Travel advisors face professional adversity all the time, from growing their book of business to having to tell a client that their top hotel choice is fully booked.
Another challenge? What to do if a client-advisor relationship has soured. Of course, advisors are better prepared to tackle these challenges over time and with plenty of firsthand practice.
To dig a little deeper into the process of dealing with troublesome clients, we talked to two industry veterans about the subject. Below are their top strategies for keeping a relationship sailing smoothly — and how to abandon ship when necessary.
Tip 1: Take Pre-emptive Action at the Start of the Relationship
Steven Gould has been in the travel industry since 2010. He owns Gould’s Travel, is co-founder of luxury agency Luxera Travel, and is the founder of Travel Advisor Resource Center, where fellow advisors will find everything from travel industry attorneys and marketing companies to a calendar of pertinent professional events.
For Gould, a top strategy related to maneuvering difficult conversations is to act pre-emptively — i.e., take specific action, even before a relationship begins, that will likely keep obstacles at bay. For example, if a new client wants to book a trip type or destination you’re not familiar with, it’s likely best to acknowledge this disconnect and pass the client to a better-fitting advisor.
In his “naiver” years, Gould says he would have probably worked with such a client — but not anymore.
Gould also points to travel insurance waivers as a solid pre-emptive strategy.
“I really recommend advisors lean on travel insurance waivers,” Gould said. “People say they'll travel no matter what happens, but then something serious happens, and we are put in a difficult place. So, I say have that conversation at the start.”
Jennifer Jacob, founder of digital platform and advisor community Tique, believes that client inquiry forms — which are commonly filled out before you’ve even met a client or chatted with them at length — work very well as a type of gate-keeping system. She specifically points to “I understand” statements, such as “I understand that all proposal pricing will be provided as a bundled rate, and I will not be privy to component pricing,” as an effective way to qualify clients, because these statements define your process and set a tone.
Some new clients receive an inquiry from and simply never submit it, Jacob says.
The inquiry form is an intentional obstacle. It’s just like a job interview — if someone doesn’t want to upload a resume, they don’t care enough about the job.
“The inquiry form is an intentional obstacle,” she said. “It’s just like a job interview — if someone doesn’t want to upload a resume, they don’t care enough about the job. If someone values you as an advisor and a professional, they’re going to do the things you ask. If they don't think an inquiry form is worth their time, they’re telling you, in a subtle and nonverbal way, that their time is more valuable than yours.”
Once a client-advisor relationship begins, Jacob also recommends regularly explaining your process, throughout nearly every step of a booking.
“We now go so far as to have a ‘How We Work’ guide that we share with clients,” she said. “At every step of the process, you should be priming the client to understand how you work. Because as soon as someone doesn't know what’s coming, there starts to be mistrust.”
Tip 2: Don’t Ignore Red Flags
Gould says he sometimes connects with a prospective client who says something along the lines of, “I was working with a travel advisor, and it didn’t work out.” While this isn’t a definite red flag, it certainly raises questions. Gould recommends asking the client why that previous relationship ended, and use your gut instinct to know if this is maybe a troublesome client.
Another red flag? A client who’s stretching you thin well into the planning process.
“If you’ve been working with a client for six months, giving them thousands of quotes, you may need to tell them you’re charging a fee moving forward,” Gould said.
Jacob of Tique comes back to that vital inquiry form. If your fees and your process are meticulously outlined and communicated at the start of a relationship, and a client is still pushing against that process, they may not be a good fit for you.
It doesn’t benefit you to woo a client who’s not a good fit … Every wrong client is taking you away from a right client.
Tip 3: “Fire a Client” if You Need To
If a client-advisor relationship is feeling strained, Jacob advises troubleshooting from a place of empathy first. Said another way, she suggests acknowledging that our human instinct is to be defensive when someone questions us, rather than to have a conversation or explain something a client might be confused about.
“We can’t assume that Joe Smith down the street, who has never worked with a travel agent before, will understand the value of working with a travel agent,” Jacob said. “It’s fair for him to ask questions, and we should be so confident as professionals to articulate our value in a non-defensive way.”
Jacob suggests using reflective language, too. Try non-confrontational phrases such as, “I can sense you’re uncomfortable with this, what can I do to ease your mind?” or “What can I share that will make you feel more comfortable?”
It’s fair for [a client] to ask questions. We should be so confident as professionals to articulate our value in a non-defensive way.
If these types of conversations do not improve the relationship, Jacob moves to phase two: making a clean break. She suggests using statements like, “I understand this may not be the right fit for you, and that’s OK,” or “At this juncture, I don’t think moving forward is mutually beneficial.”
Though she generally follows a no-refund policy, Jacob will refund a planning fee when she feels like it allows her to close the door on a toxic client — they can’t say you’ve taken anything from them if their payment is being returned. And, as an added bonus, the advisor is now free of that client.
“It doesn’t benefit you to woo a client who’s not a good fit,” Jacob said. “Then, your big-fish client comes by, and they get a lesser experience because you're babysitting this other person, who zaps you of your energy. Every wrong client is taking you away from a right client.”
