Travel: the new incentive to do more business
How do you get prospects to convert into customers? What extra can you add to your presentation to make the sale? Why not try an incentive? The top three incentives for people to do anything are cash, products, and travel. Cash incentives cost the most and believe it or not, they are the least effective. The reason is that you pay dollar for dollar and what little cash you offer is used to pay bills and is quickly forgotten. The products work pretty well, and it’s true that you can buy them at a discount off retail price, but the problem is that most of your customers already have everything. It is almost impossible to guess what they want. Printed mugs, shirts, and pens are very much out of style. What is left to offer, a CD player?
Vacation and travel incentives are one of the most powerful methods to attract business, retain profitable customers, increase profits, improve product awareness, and improve employee productivity. Businesses that have used vacation incentives in their marketing and promotions have seen at least a 30% increase in sales!
Why not recreational trips? First of all, it is the cheapest. The most successful travel promotion in the country today (I’ll mention it later in this article) cost 1.5% of its market value! Major recreational trips appeal to everyone. And travel is a lasting gift. For example, think about all the preparation that goes into a long vacation. Then think about all the photos you take on vacation and remember for a lifetime. That’s how it is. Vacation memories can last forever! How’s that for a great incentive! To show you how powerful recreational travel is, just look at the most popular screen savers on everyone’s computer. You will not find money photos. You will not find product photos. What you will find is everyone’s dream vacation spot with palm trees in the background. Get the picture! The first words of most lottery winners are, “The first thing I’m going to do is go on vacation.” I assume you understand that recreational travel is a great incentive.
According to the results of an email survey conducted by the Incentive Travel Fact Book, 58% say that travel is more effective than cash or merchandise. Respondents consider travel to be the most effective reward. “Cash bonuses are necessary, but travel is a bigger reward,” says Verizon’s Porterfield. Porterfield added: “When people spend their money, it goes away. But the recognition that comes from travel incentives lives on.” Additionally, in a recent survey of American workers, 85% said they were motivated by vacation travel incentives.
Incentive magazine in its September 2003 issue said trips are remembered two to one over cash or merchandise and a USA Today poll said “93% prefer travel over other incentives.” Incentive Magazine said companies responding to a recent survey said travel incentives meet 99% of their goals.
Travel incentives are great sales incentives. In a special report in Promo Magazine, it was noted that LifeUSA attracted new agents and skyrocketed sales by ditching its annual cash incentive program for an inclusive campaign that gave out merchandise and travel. By the end of the program, enrollments exceeded LifeUSA’s initial goal by 700%!
Travel incentives are great incentives for employees. Target Appliances President Daryl Gamerman in Maryland said, “We introduced our first sales employee travel incentive five years ago and have only lost staff to retirement since then. I never have a problem with our salespeople not working hard”. or volunteer for an extra job, because they know it will help them qualify for a great trip.”
Travel incentives build customer loyalty. Garco Building Systems’ Frequent Builders program offered travel awards to individuals. Since the launch of the program, Garco has experienced a growth rate of 15-25%, compared to the industry standard of 2-3%.
COST OF TRAVEL INCENTIVES
Now let’s get to the best part. You can buy recreational travel wholesale, and I mean really wholesale. Look at these figures.
MARKET VALUE COST OF VACATION INCENTIVE
Two night stay for two
at the main resort $16 $400.00
Three-day cruise for two
to Mexico or Bahamas $50 $1,500.00
Round trip plane tickets for two
To major tourist centers around
North America $30 $2,000.00
Holidays of seven nights and eight days
At the main resort, including the round trip.
airfare $1,000 $3,500.00
It’s ok, take your pick. All these vacation incentives are marketed through
My company, we are the leading travel incentive company in North America, providing businesses with an affordable way to take advantage of the most exciting and effective promotional bonus available today. Travel! For the past 16 years, we’ve been helping business owners attract new customers, generate leads, referrals and appointments, and help retain good employees through great, affordable travel promotion. We are a certified full-service travel agency and a member of all major travel agency associations.
Let me describe our exclusive travel incentive, called Fly Free America.
This is what our travel incentive includes:
1. Two complimentary round-trip air tickets to four- and five-star domestic and international destinations worth over $2,000![ at a recent charity auction, these two tickets sold for $1,000.]
2. Travel on all major airlines to more than 47 four- and five-star hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and condominiums in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Lake Tahoe, and more.
3. Great hotel rates 365 days a year, prices start at $130 per night [Stay in Hawaii or the Bahamas for only $179 per night]
4. Tickets valid for three years
5. No restrictions, airfare valid from January 1 to December 31.
6. Children 12 and under stay FREE at our resorts.
7. Frequent flyer miles accepted on all our flights
8. Tickets are valid from any airport in the US or Canada.
9. Absolutely no timeshare is associated with our incentives.
Unlike other incentive travel companies, we are a high contact company. We are known by the company we keep. Our partial client list includes the FBI, Federal Express, American Express, Auto Nation, MBNA Bank, Time-Life, Citibank, Marriott, and Sprint, to name a few. These and hundreds of other companies trust Fly Free America to facilitate customer and employee acquisition/retention programs.
If you think offering a travel incentive program is expensive, think again. Our complimentary two-round-trip ticket travel incentive on major airlines costs you just $30.00 or less in volume, while your customers/employees get a luxurious dream vacation with a value of $30 airfare savings. 2,000. More than 90% of the companies that use Fly Free America as an incentive in their businesses reorder the program. MORE THAN 8 MILLION HAVE BEEN SOLD!
Our clients have been successfully using our travel premiums for over 16 years to:
Increase Revenue – New Customer Acquisition
Increase sales from your existing base and increase customer retention
Generate more lead referrals from customers
Reward and motivate sales staff
Improve morale through employee rewards and benefits programs
Increase contract/warranty and/or service package renewals
Success stories:
Citibank – new credit card activation (25% increase)
MBNA Bank: to activate new credit card accounts (60% increase)
American Express – promotions catalog (customer retention / rewards)
Sprint: To activate new cell phone accounts (30% of new business)
Nextel – to activate new mobile accounts (35% increase in activation)
Blue Beard’s Castle: Lead Generation (1,000 unit/month purchase over a nine-year period; zero consumer complaints)
MCG Marketing: buy 600 units/month for 6 years. (35% increase in your warranty business)
Fraternal Order of Police – increased the number of donations by an average of more than 700%
… and hundreds more.
With hundreds of FBI agents traveling each year, our travel professionals treat everyone who calls to redeem coupons as if they were FBI agents, with the highest level of courtesy, respect, and impeccable customer service. Hundreds of thousands of people have gone on vacation through the Fly Free America travel incentive program and we have not had a documented consumer complaint in our history – since 1989!
