Sales Advice By Market
Selling to Airline Travel Agencies
There's no question that airline travel agencies are major players in a growth industry -- and that presents an opportunity to entrepreneurs who have aggressive revenue targets. With these useful selling tips, you can improve your sales model and increase your returns when selling to airline travel agencies.
Many airline travel agencies depend on distributors and vendors. As such, many B2B companies build their strategic plans around sales to airline travel agencies.
Your approach will vary according to your situation and your company's unique business model. But in general, there are several things you will need to consider when crafting a strategy to sell to airline travel agencies.
Casting a Broad Net
The first step in selling to airline travel agencies is to cast a broad net. Strategies that are isolated to the local market are not likely to succeed in an environment that leverages the benefits of long-distance sales techniques.
Although a geographic concentration may be a useful strategy for new sellers, you will eventually need to broaden your focus to include prospects outside of your initial range. You can also broaden your prospect base by introducing new products and partnerships into the mix.
Gaining Traction in the Marketplace
Every B2B business hopes to achieve viral buzz for their products. But viral marketing strategies are sketchy and unpredictable.
To gain traction with airline travel agencies, you'll want to apply a diverse mix of marketing strategies that leverage multiple marketing channels.
Many sellers purchase lead lists from recognized list providers. When it's time to shop for a lead list provider, we recommend Experian Business Services, an established vendor with a proven track record of delivering current and targeted lists of airline travel agency contacts.
Internet Strategies
With airline travel agencies increasingly using the Internet to locate vendors, it's becoming more important for B2B sellers to develop online sales strategies.
A user-friendly website is the centerpiece of all of your other online sales and marketing activities. However, you should also consider incorporating email advertising, SEO, social networking and other techniques into your sales and marketing mix.
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