Michael Cottam
Founder, Bright Yonder
https://brightyonder.com
Referrals are great
• They tend to convert (good)
• They don’t tend to come in spades (bad)
Lead generation programs
• They DO tend to deliver leads in spades, but…
• It takes too much time to respond to each lead
personally, given average close rates
• Auto-responder or mass emailings typically turn off
customers
• Facebook ads
• Google AdWords
• Bridal show lists
• Tourist bureau lead programs
• Other travel website leads
• Quick plain-text email lets you respond fast,
but doesn’t impress
• If you take 20-30 minutes to create a beautiful,
custom email with photos and a personal
writeup, by the time you click Send, that
customer is already talking to some other agent
• Let’s say you get a batch of 100 leads at $5 a lead
• Could be you bought a bridal show list, ads, etc.
• Send off a mass email that says how fabulous you are,
and you’d like to help etc.
• Close rate on this is probably 1% or less
• Let’s say the average booking is $4000
• so average commission of about $400
• You spent $500 to get the 100 leads, closed 1, made $400
• You’re down $100 even if your time was free
• Same batch of 100 leads at $5 a lead
• You take 30 minutes per lead to create a custom email with photos, prices, etc.
• Close rate on this is probably more like 5%
• Same average booking of $4000
• average commission of about $400
• You spent $500 to get the 100 leads, closed 5, made $2000
• BUT WAIT…you took over a week to create all the emails!
• Your close rate on the first 10 is probably 10%...that took you FIVE HOURS
• Most of the other leads are already talking to another agent by the time
they get your email
• Close rate on the remaining 90 leads is probably 1%
• So really, you spent $500 plus a long week of your time, and got 2 sales = $800
• You could send out a gorgeous e-brochure of your
favorite 10 resorts at the destination they asked about
• Every page branded to you and your company
• Your photo, your logo, your contact info
• Hi-res photo galleries