Customer-Focused Selling

Question 1

Acknowledge

Answer 1

Listening technique used to show customers that you value what they are saying.

Question 2

Benefits

Answer 2

The positive results provided by travel products, as perceived by the customer.

Question 3

Clarify

Answer 3

Listening technique used to get more information about your customers’ needs.

Question 4

Close the sale

Answer 4

Successfully lead a customer to a buying decision.

Question 5

Closed questions

Answer 5

Questions that invite precise, brief answers, usually in the form of “Yes” or “No,” such as “Have you been to this destination before?”

Question 6

Confirm

Answer 6

Listening technique used to check your understanding of the customer’s needs.

Question 7

Cross-selling

Answer 7

Offering extra products and services that go beyond a core product, such as a rental car with an air ticket.

Question 8

Customer-focused selling

Answer 8

The sales approach in which salespeople act as consultants whose knowledge, skill, and motivation will lead buyers to purchase decisions that best suit their needs.

Question 9

Features

Answer 9

The inherent characteristics of a product or service.

Question 10

Jargon

Answer 10

Specialized terminology used by people who share a similar profession, such as travel.

Question 11

Lead

Answer 11

The initial point of contact that directs you to new prospects.

Question 12

Open questions

Answer 12

Questions that encourage people to talk, such as “What did you have in mind?” or “How have you enjoyed traveling in the past?”

Question 13

Preferred Suppliers

Answer 13

Travel providers that have negotiated extra commission rates with your agency based on attainment of sales objectives.

Question 14

Probing

Answer 14

Asking questions to delve deeper for more information.

Question 15

Prospecting

Answer 15

The process of finding new customers or identifying prospective purchasers.

Question 16

Qualifying

Answer 16

The process of asking thoughtful questions and listening for key responses to determine the customer’s travel needs.

Question 17

Sales cycle

Answer 17

A series of interrelated steps that describes the sales process.

Question 18

Situational selling

Answer 18

The sales technique that requires skilled sales professionals to adapt the steps of the sales cycle appropriately to both satisfy the customer’s needs and keep the process moving toward a buying decision.

Question 19

Trial closing

Answer 19

The technique of asking questions like “How does that sound?” or “Will that work for you?” throughout the sales process in an attempt to gain your customers’ agreement and moving them closer to the close of the sale.

Question 20

Upselling

Answer 20

Upgrading or converting the client to a more expensive or inclusive version of a product or service, for example, an outside rather than an inside cruise stateroom.

Question 21

Value

Answer 21

The relationship between the price your clients pay and the benefits they receive; it reflects the client’s perception of the degree to which the benefits exceed the costs.

Question 22

Value-added

Answer 22

Additional services or products that support or enhance the travel experience to make it more convenient for the customer.