Karryon Luxury Takeover March 2024 side lock up
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What sells a holiday?

You don’t sell a holiday on the floor plan of the hotel room or the thrust of the plane engine. It's the stories that help you sell, sell, sell a holiday to a client.

You don’t sell a holiday on the floor plan of the hotel room or the thrust of the plane engine. It’s the stories that help you sell, sell, sell a holiday to a client.

Last week, I presented at a conference about big data in agriculture (you can watch it here). Presenting at scientific conferences is daunting. There are phenomenally intelligent people in the crowd internationally recognised as experts in their field.

There was not a lot of technology in my presentation, it was more about the stories about people along the DTA journey and what we can do with it for people to make informed decisions.

Sadly for so many of the scientists, it’s tough to keep a crowd engaged as their awesome research outcomes are details and statistics and facts. They are trying to sell their expertise and in turn get more funding for more research. Tough gig when your audience regularly does not understand the output or remember it.

But chances are, you’re not a scientist and maybe this isn’t hitting home.

 

Booze and Words

tell a story 2

See the difference between scientific and storytelling.

Here are the facts:

“100 percent Shiraz. Saltram wine estate. 15 percent alcohol. Fined with egg white, traces may remain. Contains Sulfites.”

And now the story (imagine if we had chatted up chicks like this when at uni):

“Vibrancy, richness… ruby red, with purple hues, aromas of blackberry… concentrated berry fruits, hints of anise… new oak has enhanced the complexity.”

(Pepperjack 2009 Shiraz… back in a moment… it needs to breathe…)

 

Picking up the kids

telling a story

The facts:

“I picked her up from school.”

The story:

“Having been away a lot recently, I unexpectedly walk in to pick her up from a school holiday program. She looked up with that smile that always makes my heart melt.”

 

Why narrative works

telling a story 3

  • Stories are easy to remember and share – think word-of-mouth marketing
  • Stats and figures can be analysed and rejected and distracting, stories can be listened to and appreciated
  • A 7.5 is impersonal, a recommendation is personal
  • If seeing is believing and your story paints a picture….
  • Stories are creative and with that comes artistic license…

 

So where to from here?

My advice to the scientist last week was to be less academic about their investigation into big data. Read freakonomics.

Share your experiences with your customers and if you don’t have one, get someone else in the office to wander over and talk about their experience at that hotel, on that plane or whilst swimming in that ocean.

Engaging your customers is travel sales 101.

Do you sell stories or facts?