This season has brought us all the struggles of staff shortages, rising rates and low availability — not to mention client requests that match the conditions of 2019, but are not at all possible in 2023. So how do we protect our sanity in the madness?
Boundaries.
The good news is that the boundaries that can serve us all are mostly universal and can be implemented quickly.
Boundary 1: Charge Fees
Charging fees is the easiest way to create a clear boundary between prospective leads and clients. By charging a fee, you are putting up a paywall to work with you, allowing you to protect your time and put a monetary value on your expertise. It also creates value perception for potential clients.
If you give a client two glasses of the same wine and tell him that one is a $5 glass and the other is a $45 glass, he will likely rate the $45 glass as better when asked. That’s value perception. Be the $45 glass of wine.
If you give a client two glasses of the same wine and tell him that one is a $5 glass and the other is a $45 glass, he will likely rate the $45 glass as better when asked. That’s value perception. Be the $45 glass of wine.
When you are ready, first check with your host to get their policies on fees. Then, it’s simply a matter of deciding the amount, picking a method to charge (PayPal, Stripe, TravelJoy, Dubsado, etc.) and communicating your new fee.
Put it on your website and on your intake form to weed out any clients who don’t want to pay a fee. I recommend having your consultation call, and ending by letting them know you will send an invoice for the planning fee. Once paid, you can get started.
Boundary 2: Eliminate Last-Minute Bookings
If your workload is too intense, set a boundary around last-minute trips. It could be not taking on trips within 30 or 60 days of departure — whatever feels good to you.
To implement, add a sentence to your intake form and perhaps even add an announcement bar on your website.
Boundary 3: Prevent Scope Creep
Scope creep is the sneakiest time thief. It manifests as too many rounds of revisions and more concierge services than you typically would provide. You know the clients — they are the ones who if you give an inch, they will take a mile.
For scope creep, I recommend first writing out the limits that work for you and your business. It could look like only providing a certain number of options or rounds of itinerary revisions before a consequence for your client, such as charging an additional fee.
Once you have it set, you can put it on your website where you talk about fees, and include it in your terms and conditions. Then, make sure to communicate it to your client when they are approaching the limit, so they know your services are not unlimited.
Boundary 4: Set a Minimum Budget
A minimum budget is a great way to save you and potential clients time upfront. There is no reason for either party to spend time on a consultation call if the clients’ budget is not a match for your service.
To implement, start by mapping out the average budget needed for the types of trips you sell, and then factor in how much you need to make per trip for it to be worthwhile to your business. Then, set a minimum budget that satisfies both of those things. Once it’s set, add it to your intake form, so any potential lead will see it before filling out your form and scheduling a call.
Boundary 5: Limit Contact
You are not obligated to hand out your personal cell phone number. There are lots of ways your client can reach you quickly, while maintaining a boundary around your personal line. Itinerary apps often have a messaging feature; you can easily set up a separate number using a service such as Google Voice or try out another messaging app, like Voxer. Doing this keeps your client communication in a different place, so it bleeds into your life less.
Another way to set a limit so that you are not available all the time is to have set business hours. Pick the hours that work for you and then communicate them in your email signature, voicemail or with an autoresponder. If a client is not currently traveling, he or she can wait until your office hours for a response.
Boundary 6: Cut Back on Excessive Detailing
This last boundary is not as straightforward, but is a boundary most travel professionals could really use: cutting back on the excessive details. I’m talking about overly detailed proposals, unnecessary documents and the 47 touchpoints in the name of client experience.
As an industry, we went from sparsely written itineraries that sold easily over a decade ago, to the current trend of adding more detail anywhere possible in the process. This has been to our detriment. Now, we have clients who would rather text us from the room than consult their itinerary for any question.
We set ourselves up for too much hand holding. It’s easy to see how it happened; giving more information whenever possible has been a quick way to show value. It was also a way to manage expectations — to answer your clients’ every possible question before they have it.
In creating a customer experience where we were on top of every need, we also created a client base that viewed us as personal assistants instead of travel advisors.
In creating a customer experience where we were on top of every need, we also created a client base that viewed us as personal assistants instead of travel advisors. In conversations with members of our community, I hear the stories. Things like…
“I received a text message that their steak took too long the night before.”
“My clients complained that their tour was hard to find because the office had the company name and not the name of that tour (the company name was on itinerary and documents).”
“A client texted asking for the link of the hotel spa while at the hotel.”
You get the idea. These are the types of interactions that make you wonder how exactly your clients survive in day-to-day life. So how do we find the balance between providing value over availability?
Provide less. Evaluate where in your business you can do a little less, and it will be a benefit to you and your clients. Then adjust and notice if it creates a positive change in your business.
For example, what if…
A brief itinerary description provided your clients with an easily digestible proposal that they could skim and send feedback on quickly?
Fewer documents were given, which in turn saved clients the time of weeding through everything, so they can find exactly what they need, when they need it?
Fewer concierge services were booked through you, meaning clients don’t have to reach out to you as an intermediary when they can get text reminders directly from the restaurant or activity?
Explore what works best for you. I know boundaries will help your business on an individual level. Then, if we all implement them, it becomes the industry standard and our clients will know exactly what to expect when working with a travel professional.
