TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

SALES PROCESS
FOR ENQUIRY
BASED TOURISM
PRODUCTS
Beginner’s guide for contacting potential
customers and making that booking.
 BEGINNER’S GUIDE
— WHAT TO DO WHEN
SOMEONE MAKES A
BOOKING ENQUIRY
This has been a question that has come up a lot lately, not just from our own
customers but from other tourism business owners looking for this sort of advice
online.

Although some of you reading may not believe this, the amount of potential
revenue I see being flushed down the drain is frightening. So many potential
customers are either not being contacted at all, or they only receive one form of
communication and then disregard if the that tourism business gets no response.

The excuse I hear a lot is “I just did not have the time to contact everyone who
enquires”. Let me apologise in advance if what I am about to say seems blunt
but it is absolutely essential to convert the leads generated from marketing —
especially during the pandemic. “Having no time” is something I can sympathise
with during this chaotic time. I am a business owner myself so I understand how
busy things can be, but it seems counterintuitive during this difficult time to throw
away potential revenue that your business could make.

I am sure we have all been there at some stage, but take a closer look at what you
do on a daily basis. Really look hard at what you do. Could you spend 1 hour less
watching your favourite show on Netflix if it meant you could close a few extra
bookings? You probably could. Human beings are so good at procrastinating.
If you took some simple steps to rearrange your daily routine your business could

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 TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

perform better in many areas.

For example, in my business I have set up some automated tools to take care of
the initial stages on my sales process. I also divide my day into chunks. I look at
my email between 8am-9am and then later between 4pm-5pm. I spend a few
hours helping my team with our own customers and then the last few hours on
my business, creating strategies, looking at new opportunities as well as writing
my thoughts about the industry, including this very guide you are reading now.

I may be preaching to the converted here, but it really does help when trying to
stay on top of sales leads to schedule in a section of structured activity each day,
focusing on any leads generated.

Dedicating even just one hour on sales per day can make all the difference. With
this beginner’s guide, my hope is that it can show you how to interact with your
potential customer in an automated way, with just a few in-person touch points
along the way. Not only that, I have provided a basic process guide and email
template outlines that you can use today.

Setting Up Email Automations

You’ll need to set up the series in your email platform of choice (MailerLite,
MailChimp, etc). While we’ve offered a timeline to use for follow-ups, you could
choose to alter your timeline given your products/services. Once you have the
series written for your destination and services, you can create the automation
series in your email provider.

It is ALWAYS a good idea to test the series. Use a different email and sign up to
ensure everything reads well, looks good/on-brand, and functions properly. It’s
easy to forget automations are running in the background, so try not to include
any time-sensitive details and always remember if you have any offers/codes,
etc, within the text so you don’t end up making false promises.
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 You can also use Zapier to connect different services. Here’s an example of how
that works:

1. Facebook ad includes an enquiry form with basic contact details

2. When that form is submitted, Zapier adds the contact details to a Google
spreadsheet, to MailerLite and emails the enquiry direct to you
3. Once MailerLite receives that information, the automation begins.

Using Zapier, and depending on how your website has been developed, you can
also link your web forms through the same process.

This guide will not go through how to set up the platforms, as there are too many
available, but help guides on the tools I mention above are available in my book,
Lookers into Bookers, which you can download for free here.

I would also highly recommend opening a Calendly account. For USD$120 per
year, it allows you to set up a public calendar, connected to your Google Calendar
or similar, so your potential customers can book a time with you that is convenient
to them. Don’t worry, you can set the times you are available so that there are no
3am calls.

Let me now show you a process diagram of the absolute basics you should be
implementing today.

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BASIC AUTOMATED SALES
ONBOARDING PROCESS

Consumer makes contact by email or Facebook form.

Always ask for a phone number as part of the form.

30 minutes after they enquire,

they are sent an automated response.*

This response should contain a Calendly link

so the consumer can book a time slot
BOOKED CALL NO CALL BOOKED WITHIN 2 HOURS
to speak with you or your team. OF EMAIL BEING SENT

*Can be sent immediately, however this does give

the consumer the impression it has been automated.
Doing so a little later gives the impression
you have emailed them personally.

Chat with the customer Continue the automated emails Call them anyway!
and close that sale! until you either speak to them
or they ignore you.

NO ANSWER THEY ANSWERED

Add to your email marketing list, Send a weekly inspirational email series,
segregated between those who Offering advice and guides with soft sales
book and those who don’t. links to products etc.
 CONTACT FORMS
Website Forms

When it comes to website enquiry forms, you want to gather just enough
information so you can do your job without creating a never ending form that will
make consumers give up! You need to be precise and gather any other information
during the sales call or email communications.

An example of a good enquiry form would conatin the following:

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 TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

Let me break down my reasons for these fields...

First Name/Last Name - Never have one field for ‘Full Name’ as having it
separated gives you more flexibility with the automated email platforms or CRM
systems etc.

Email - For obvious reasons

Phone - So you can call back, but also can be used when targeting people with
Facebook ads or building a look-a-like Facebook audience.

Country - Gives you an indication of where your potential customers are coming
form, but also so you know what timezone they are in for phone calls.

Which date are you looking to travel? - Gives you an indication of when they
want to travel.

For how many days? - So you know what types of products they may be interested
in, Day tours, weekend breaks or full multi-day experiences.

Please tell us more about your interests and wants - Let them tell you what they
are looking for. This can provide some amazing insights when you get around to
building them the ultimate experience.

Facebook Forms

In terms of Facebook forms, you are also limited to the number of fields you can
put in front of the potential customer. Here is what I recommend...

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 When using Facebook Lead Ads, all entries will be collected by Facebook and
stored on your Facebook business page and in your Busienss Manager account
but you have to download them manually. This is why you MUST use a tool like
Zapier to make sure these are delivered to your inbox so you don’t miss any!

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 TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

AUTOMATED EMAIL 1
Feel free to use these templates, and to tailor them to your own needs.

Email 1 - Sent 30 min after enquiry

Hi {firstName}

Thanks so much for your interest in [your activity and/or destination].

I’d love to hear about your upcoming travel plans and help you choose the best things to do
while you’re here.

You can get in touch by email, if you like, or feel free to book a complimentary chat to learn
more about our tours:

calendly.com/your-link

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards

[your name + brand]

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 AUTOMATED EMAIL 2
Sent 2-3 days later if no response to first email

Hi {firstName}

I hope you’re well. I thought I’d get back in touch as I haven’t heard back from you since my last
email.

Are you still interested in [your tours and/or destination, with some fun language to intrigue
and entice them]? If you are interested, but you’ve just been too busy, I’m more than happy to
work d your schedule. Please feel free to use this calendar to book a quick call to chat about
your trip: calendly.com/your-link

Over the years, we have helped countless visitors to [see the best places and enjoy the top
activities in our destination]. To inspire your trip planning, I’ve included some links below that
might be of interest to you:

1) [Here’s a link to a travel guide to help you plan a trip to our destination.]

2) Follow us on Facebook/Instagram for real-time updates to get you excited about visiting
[your destination]!

3) Our blog also shares lots of helpful tips, insider secrets, and our top recommendations so
you can get excited about your upcoming vacation. You can check it all out here.

We hope all our tips and insights help inspire your trip planning. If you’re still trying to figure
out what to do and where to go, book a free chat and we’d be happy to help: calendly.com/
your-link

Kind regards

[your name + brand]

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 TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

AUTOMATED EMAIL 3
Sent 2-3 days later if no response to second email

Hi {firstName}

I’m sorry we haven’t been able to connect; I know how hectic things can get at work and with
family. But we don’t want you to miss out on [your tours] — booking early is key!

To avoid disappointment, please feel free to use this link to book a time that suits you:

calendly.com/your-link

Looking forward to chatting about [your destination]!

Kind regards

[your name + brand]

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 AUTOMATED EMAIL 4
Sent 2-3 days later if no response to third email

Hi {firstName}

I’ve tried to reach you a few times, but I haven’t heard back. This tells me one of three things:

1. You had to cancel your vacation plans (the worst news!)

2. You’re using a different tour company (we’ll just be over here crying)
3. You’re still interested but haven’t had the time to get back to me yet.

If it’s option 1 or 2, that’s totally fine. If it’s option 3, then let’s just arrange a quick call and you
can start getting excited about your travel plans!

calendly.com/your-link

Kind regards

[your name + brand]

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 TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

AUTOMATED EMAIL 5
Sent 2-3 days later if no response to forth email

Hi {firstName}

I’ve not heard from you in a while and I don’t want to bother you by sending too many emails. If
you just need one last nudge to finally start your trip planning to [your destination], how about
a [special discount offer or little bonus, like a glass of champagne or a little token to take home]?

If that can’t convince you, no worries. You can always reach out to us when it’s the right time for
you.

Kind regards

[your name + brand]

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 AUTOMATED EMAIL 6
Sent 30 days later if no response to fifth email

Hi {firstName}

I hope you’re well.

It has been over a month since I last got in touch about [your destination and/or tours] and was
wondering how your trip planning is going? Have you managed to get everything organized on
your own? I would hate to see that a month had gone by and you were still in the same place
as when you first enquired about [our fun tours].

We’d love to show you the top spots and share our local expertise when you visit. If there’s any
way we can make your trip even better, please do get in touch! Here’s a link to book a free chat.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that getting excited for an upcoming adventure is almost as
much fun as actually being there! So go ahead and give yourself a few minutes to get excited
and start planning.

Kind regards

[your name + brand]

After this, close the lead completely but add them to your regular email list for
blogs, updates, etc.

You can download all these templates here.

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 TURNING LOOKERS INTO BOOKERS

DAILY SALES LEAD TASK

(5 MINS PER DAY)

Spend 5 minutes a day for 5 days to set up the automated sales emails and then
sit back and watch the whole process work for you.

Day 1: Either set up your enquiry form(s) on your website or tweak

the forms to make sure you are asking the right questions.

Day 2: Add the automated emails to your platform of choice and test this
using your own email. Remember to update to make the information
relevant to your business.

Day 3: If using Facebook ads, create your ads and Facebook form,
asking the right questions.

Day 4: Using Zapier, connect your website form(s) and Facebook forms
to your email platform and test that this works.*

Day 5: Launch the automated sales process and be ready to interact

with your potential customer at key stages.

*Guides on how to set up Zapier, and other platforms are widly available online,
or take a look at my book which has some step-by-step guides.

The above is a basic process and you may have more complicated systems, but
hope it inspires you to take a good look at your sales process and make it more
efficient. I would never go for a full automated process as you do need that human
interaction, but what I propose in this guide will help make the process easier with
a little upfront work.
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“Thank you to Chris and his team at
TMA for a very successful marketing
campaign. They were patient and very
understanding every step of the way.

We are delighted with the results and

the excellent value for money on our
investment. Highly recommend.”

Seanie Power - Irish Experience Tours

Tourism Marketing Agency

The Garden Room
25 Polnoon Avenue
Glasgow G13 3HQ

[email protected]
+44 20 3920 9135

tourismmarketing.agency