Question

2. Get ready

Read the following conversation that Sharon Rodriguez, assistant in the Finance Department, and Derek Opazo, tour developer for the Americas, are having about what Derek can do to increase reservations for his tours.

1	Sharon: I looked up the results of recent studies on some travel trade association Web sites. Adventure Travel magazine also had a couple of great articles about tour sales. Derek: Interesting. What did they have to say?
2	Sharon: According to one survey I found, right now you could work on building your relationships with existing customers. Current customers are more likely to take another tour with us than new customers, especially if they have a personal connection to the company. Derek: So I should personally contact customers that have already taken one of my tours.
3	Sharon: That sounds like it might be helpful in the short term. Anything else? Derek: Oh, I don’t know. People just don’t want to travel right now. They’re nervous about the economy.
4	Sharon: Why do you think reservations are declining for your tours? Derek: I’m not really sure. I think I need to expand my mailing list and send out a fresh batch of brochures to new prospects.
5	Sharon: Yeah, that’s what a lot of people think. I did some research to find out if that’s the case throughout the travel industry. Derek: Really? What kind of research did you do?
6	Sharon: I’m actually going to write a brief report on what I found, but overall, customers report that they are waiting to see what happens with the economy before spending money on travel. The good news is that they are delaying their plans, not abandoning them. Derek: That’s good to know. So people expect to start traveling again in the near future.
7	Sharon: When they have a good sense of their future finances, our typical customers say that they will start traveling again. Also, when they start traveling again, customers will be looking for high-value experiences like the adventure and cultural tours that you develop. Derek: Really? But what should I do right now?
8	Sharon: Exactly. That means a lot of phone calls, but you are likely to get good results. Also, people say they are looking for value—they want extra services and special experiences, not just the usual guided tours. Biking, diving, sailing, and surfing are fairly popular. Derek: That means I need to update my tours.
9	Sharon: Right. Updating your tours will take some time, but when you do, they’ll stand out from the competition. Derek: I guess I need to get busy. Thanks for all the helpful information.

3. Now you try it

In the following space, reorganize the conversation according to the guidelines in the “Working with Problem Owners and Stakeholders” lesson.

Click here to reorganize the conversation. You can list each part of the conversation in order as identified by number. For example, if part 7 comes first following by part 2, list 7, 2, etc.