If we look at the hotel industry, 59% of hotel customers are sometimes or always interested in additional services. Therefore, when it comes to boosting your sales and maximizing profits, cross-selling is definitely one of the best strategies, mostly because not only you maximize your revenue, but you also enrich your customers’ travel experience.  

Cross-selling can increase drastically your revenue while improving the relationship and loyalty that you have with your current customers. But to do so, you need to have the right tools and knowledge. It’s pretty easy to respond to our customers’ most basic demands: they most likely need a flight and a hotel.

But how can you improve their experience? That’s the real challenge, to get to know them better, understand what they like and how their trip could go from good to unforgettable. Activities that suit their preferences, transfers that make their journey easier or car rental options if you see they are looking for something more adventurous.  

But, how exactly can you implement these techniques into your business, without making them feel like you're pushing products and activities just for the sake of making money? Not an easy task indeed. That's why we've created this quick guide for you to master the art of cross-selling! 

Cross-Selling the right way 

Enrich your customers’ experience 

When selling extra activities or services to your customers, think first on the impact this is going to have on their trip. Are they going to enjoy this activity? Is it really necessary to rent a car when visiting a big city? If you put your customer in the center, cross-selling will become much easier. 

Ask for their personal tastes and preferences. Are they interested in art museums? Do they like to go to theme parks? Do they enjoy driving and going to different places? Based on their tastes you can quickly build a profile and think of the activities and services that could enrich their experience. You can even go beyond and start building your own database of your favourite activities for different customer types. 

Read more: How travel agents can easily earn more with cross-selling

Stand out as a professional 

The key to success in the travel business is having the right knowledge and tools to differentiate from your competitors. If you stand out as a travel guru and give the right tips to your customers, you will become not only a facilitator but the main source of information when planning their trips. 

Get as much information as possible about their destinations, show them all the hidden gems, and they will come back the next time. As you gain their trust, they will be more open to buying activities, car rentals or any other transportation solution with you. That means more revenue, but also a better service and an improved relationship with your customer. 

Use the right tools to offer the right services 

There are so many activities that you can offer to your customers that sometimes it might feel impossible to narrow them down. And that’s when technology comes handy. Bedsonline’s cross-selling tool is the perfect example of how you can deliver a quick and efficient service without leaving aside your cross-selling strategy. 

Once you have selected the hotel and number of travellers, Bedsonline’s smart algorithm will recommend you the most suitable activities, transfers or car rentals based on the other items in your cart without having to leave the booking tab. An easy, intuitive and smart feature that can ease the booking process and bring you some extra revenue! 

Become a cross-selling expert with Bedsonline 

As you can see, cross-selling is not that difficult. There's no secret trick, it only takes practice, time and some research. But, you can speed up the process by creating your own cross-selling catalogue with Bedsonline. Want to know how? Always ask yourself: Why, What, When, How and repeat. 

• Why. Always ask your customers what the purpose of their trip is and what their dream holiday would look like. This will give you an idea of the experience they are looking for, and it will prevent you from offering them a ticket for an amusement park when they're really only looking for a nice spa to relax. 
• What. What type of amenities and services are on your customers' must-have list? Do they want a luxury hotel, king size bed, or do they need a transfer to pick them up from the airport? Having a basic list of all these details will allow you to sell them the right products and all within their budget. 
• When. Another aspect to consider is time and the season. Rome is amazing and very pleasant to visit during spring break but renting a bike during summer with temperatures rising above 100ºF might not the best plan. Always keep in mind what activities are appropriate for each season. 
• How. We always talk about how important it is to take care of our customer service; however, we believe that one of the best things your customers can give you is their feedback on their trip. Having this information can help you understand what works and what doesn't. Try sending them a friendly e-mail after a few days asking how everything went and if they have any suggestions. 

Keeping close the best-sellers  

Once you start selling transfers, activities and car rental options you will start getting feedback from your customers. Use that feedback to improve the offer to your customers by saving the best activities.  

How to do that? Well, it’s easy! You just have to add the top activities to your favourite list, just like you would do with the hotels. That way, you make sure you can quickly access your top activities and offer them to your next customers. This will help you sell more, increase your authority as an expert of the destination and improve your relationship with your customers.  

In a nutshell, a cross-selling strategy is definitely a game changer that can boost the revenue of any travel agency, but it has to be implemented wisely. Get to know your clients well, study every detail of your top destinations and try to find out where your customer sweet spot is. 

This way, instead of leaving them feeling like they spent too much in a single round, you'll build trust, credibility and they'll be happy to see that they received something which is perfectly suited to their needs. 

Happy selling!