How To Have Healthy Relationships With Your Clients

In an ideal world, every client that came to you for a trip would be the perfect client. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way in reality. Sometimes a client just isn’t a good fit for you, and that’s okay.

But how can you tell when a client isn’t a good fit early on before both parties have invested time and energy into the relationship? And what do you do when you discover that you aren’t going to be able to serve a client in the way they want you to?

In this edition of the GRN Newsletter, we are going to talk about how to qualify a lead to reduce the number of times you end up with a client who isn’t suited to your style, how to tell when a client isn’t a good fit, and what to do when that happens.

Tips for Travel Agents to Qualify New Leads

It is never advisable to enter into a relationship with a client that is not beneficial to both parties. Even worse, is when you don’t set clear boundaries and you have clients that walk all over you. But how do you prevent that from happening?

Setting clear boundaries and expectations from the beginning is the best way to do this. Remember, you are the expert and the client is coming to you because they need your help. Obviously, you are doing this work because you also love helping people plan the vacation of their dreams, but the relationship needs to be based on mutual respect and understanding or it is not going to go well.

One thing that works really well to prevent a bad relationship from the start is to have a process. Communicate your process from the beginning, and make sure clients are respectful of it. As an example, you can make sure they honor the way you take in an inquiry.

Maybe you don’t do well taking an intake call on the fly. If that’s the case, set up a form for clients to fill out. When a new client contacts you, direct them to the form and then let them know when they can expect to get a response from you. You want to be able to be proactive with your clients, not reactive.

Pro tip: If you are purposeful about the questions you add to an intake form, you can identify the intention and goals of the trip, budget, geographical area, style, etc. ahead of time. Then you will be prepared before you get on a phone call. It might be more work for clients and you might lose some in the process, but the clients you get will be of a higher quality.

If you don’t want to work during certain hours, set those expectations upfront. Obviously, if a client has an emergency when they are on a trip, you need to be available, and you can reassure them of that. But when it comes to planning trips and taking phone calls, you have the right to set clear boundaries around when those things will happen.

Some agents may be afraid of losing a client if they do this, but it is good to remember that you will be a more effective travel agent when you are working with clients that you work well with. Your process may not work for everyone, but that’s okay because you want to only work with clients who are a good fit.

Every good relationship is based on respect, which means your clients need to respect you as much as you respect them. The client should respect your time, and your process, and a good client will realize that these boundaries allow you to respect their time better because you aren’t constantly distracted by other clients.

Psst... here's our guide on questions to ask when qualifying clients.

Finally, share the information about your process and the fee structure up-front. This may seem scary if you’ve never done it before, but it will prevent you from spending valuable time on a lead only to find out it’s not a good fit.

Signs a Client Isn't a Good Fit for You

Knowing when a client isn’t going to be a good fit as soon as possible will help you to move on from the relationship so that you have more time to focus on your top clients. Here are a few red flags to keep an eye out for.

Indecision

If a client is constantly changing their mind about what they want to do on their trip, you may have a hard time planning it for them. Not all indecisive clients are bad, and you should certainly try to understand why they are having such a hard time.

For example, it may be that they haven’t gone on a vacation in a long time or they can’t afford to go on vacation very often. In this case, if you ask them questions about their past vacations and what they envision for this vacation, you may be able to come up with an out-of-the-box solution.

But if they keep running around in circles, you may find you need to put your foot down and tell them it isn’t going to work.

Too tight budget

Talking about money is hard and sometimes clients will shut down if you bring up finances. But sometimes, a client’s budget isn’t sufficient for the trip they want. You don’t have to drop a client just because they don’t have enough money.

Instead, start by giving examples of what you are currently seeing. Show them what the prices are and then give them options that are more aligned with their budget, whether those are at the same destination or at different destinations with the same vibe. Giving the client options will allow them to feel like they are still in control.

In the end, you can help clients find deals and discounts, but you can't work miracles. If a client has unrealistic expectations about what you can do for them, feel free to tell them that you feel the relationship may not be beneficial. You want them to get the most out of their trip, but you have vendors that you work with because you know that they are good. Your job is to make sure clients will have a good time, and cutting corners is not the best way to do that.

Demanding

Some clients have very specific expectations about their trips, and they may not be happy if you can't meet them all. For example, they may want you to go with a vendor that you haven’t vetted first. You may be tempted to go along with it to make the client happy, but this can lead to worse problems down the road.

They may also want more of your time than is reasonable. When a client calls every few hours to ask you another question or to request a change, you will be stressed out and unable to provide a high level of service to your other clients.

Untrusting

It may seem weird that a person would come to you to get help to plan their trip, only to be untrusting of the process. But it definitely happens.

When your client is second-guessing everything you do, it can be hard to build that relationship and plan their trip. While it is certainly important to address any concerns that come up during the planning process, a client who is untrusting is going to question your judgment every step of the way.

Remember, you are the expert and they came to you for help. If they aren’t willing to accept that help, it is okay to kindly ask them to seek out someone else.

Disrespectful

As mentioned before, all good relationships are built on trust, and your relationship with your clients is no exception to that rule. There are a few ways that a client can be disrespectful that you should watch out for.

For one, if a client is always late for appointments or cancels them at the last minute, it shows that they are not respectful of your time. If you have set aside time in your day to work with them, they should be equally willing to set aside that same time.

If the client is rude or disrespectful to you or other staff members, it is definitely time to show them the door. No person ever deserves to be treated disrespectfully. Of course, the client may be simply having a bad day, so if it only happens once you may decide to give them another chance. But you don’t need or want to put up with a stream of disrespect from a client.

Finally, if the client does not pay their bills on time, it is a sign that they do not respect the work you are doing for them. Some clients may just be disorganized when it comes to paying their bills, but a structured late fee system should help with that. You want to make sure that the clients you take on value the service you are providing them at the level that it is worth.

What to Do When a Client Isn’t a Good Fit

Whether you have a client who does one of the above things, or just simply a client who isn’t a good fit for your style, you may find it is time to send them on their way. When doing so, it is important to explain your why and use language that allows them to feel heard.

To start, choose the right time to break up with the client. Do not do it when they are under stress or when they are about to go on a trip, especially if it is one you helped to plan.

Where possible, be honest and upfront about your reasons for ending the relationship. This is not a time or place to assign blame. You want to be professional and respectful at all times.

Thank the client for their business and offer to help them find a new travel agent. Make sure you have a good network of other travel advisors that you can send a client to if they aren’t a good fit.

Do not get into an argument with the client. If the client is being difficult, end the conversation and walk away. Be prepared for the client to be upset. They may try to guilt-trip you or make you feel bad.

Also, do not badmouth the client to other travel agents or potential clients. Just because the relationship didn’t work out between the two of you doesn’t mean that’s how it will work for others.

In the end, do not take it personally. It is not about you, it is about the client's needs. Move on and focus on your other clients.

Ending a relationship with a client is always a difficult situation. However, by following these tips, you can make the process as smooth and professional as possible.