This issue focuses on the 'credibility sale' - if you've been there and seen it, can you prove it? Yes you can, if you make sure you are in the photograph and the video and learn how to promote your been there / done that content.

1. THE E-MAGAZINE THAT FOCUSES ON THE REALITY OF SELLING TRAVEL
GET IN THE SHOT
TO PROVE YOU
WERE THERE –
THEN YOU CAN
SELL IT!

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS – ST APRIL 2013
3 Editorial
4 The Credibility Sale
7 What Now?
8 Have You Actually Been There?
10 Putting You In The Picture
11 The Single Seller Image
12 Adding Text To Images
13 The Third Eye
14 The Graphic Novel
16 Webinar: Turning Content into Customers
17 Consumer Content
18 The Social Show & Sell
Publisher:
19 Selling It Like It Is SMP Training Co.
www.smptraining.com
22 Painting a Picture in the Mind of your Client – Steve Gillick Contributors
Steve Crowhurst
Steve Gillick
25 New Tools Cory Andrichuk
Copy Editor
CTIE – Certified Travel Industry Executive Program Lisa McDougall
27
28 Reading Material
29 Connect and Contact
Selling Travel is owned and published by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All Rights Reserved. Protected by International
Copyright Law. Selling Travel can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in anyway monetized. Using any
images or content from Selling Travel must be sourced as follows: “Copyright SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com” SMP
Training Co. 568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada V9K 1G1 Note: Steve Crowhurst is not responsible for
outcomes based on how you interpret or use the ideas in Selling Travel or on the Selling Travel Website.

3. EDITORIAL – APRIL 2013
The Been There, Seen It – “Now What?” Issue
Our focus for this issue is selling with credibility and for the purposes of selling travel that means
proving and promoting that you have actually visited the places you are selling. Today, you can
increase your credibility by promoting your photographs and videos with you in the picture. It’s a
mind over matter challenge if you don’t like being photographed, or if you think you are not creative.
But hey, there are useful tools that can change that for you and the basic ones are discussed in this
issue of Selling Travel.
The idea behind using photographs and videos to increase your ANNOUNCING
sales simply ties in so nicely to everything travel. Travel IS A New Sister Magazine
imagery. It’s full of colour, too. Travel could be sold ONLY
through the image you use and in many cases that is all the
consumer buys into – the picture of where they want to be,
stand, sit and stroll – AND they didn’t know that until they
looked into that image and saw themselves there.
If a picture is worth that thousand words every one says it is,
then that video is worth a million more isn’t it? You know as I do
that the consumer and they would be you, me, we… yes ‘we’ are
getting lazy in our sourcing of information. No longer do we
have time to sit and read pages and pages of text with one or
two fuzzy photographs to support the text. We want full multi
media action and we want it now.
Your preferred suppliers are savvy to what drives consumers to
book with their brands and that’s why we as an industry
produce and publish such glorious brochures that woo the
reader to sail on that ship, to walk that trail, to touch that You can find it HERE.
ancient place. It really is all about that image AND the few words
of text that accompany the image that help the consumer make
up their mind and book.
All you need do now is read through this issue of ST, study the methods and ideas and put them into
practice.
Here’s to a very successful April. Want to write for Selling Travel? Share your
successes with your fellow travel agents and
All the BEST! submit an article based on an idea that has
made you money. Spell out the idea and the
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, CTM steps you followed. Submit to me here:
Publisher and New Business Generator steve@sellingtravel.net

4.
LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER TRIPS
OVER HUGE ALIEN LOOKING
FISH STRANDED ON THE BEACH.
SAID THE FISH SPOKE TO HIM
AND MADE STRANGE SIGNS IN
THE SAND!
Fish and chip store owner Spud Haddock was down to the beach soon after he’d heard
about the photographer’s encounter with “Rocky” and had his photograph taken
which is now proudly on display at Spud’s eatery. “I was there, I saw it… I even spoke
to the fish!” Spud commented as he re‐wrote the menu for that evening. Police are
now looking for the fish that suddenly vanished later that day.

5.
That’s one heck of a fishing story isn’t it. All true! I was there. I saw it. I took the
picture. It was HUGE! Okay so you know the truth. I was inserted into the image
and that’s the truth. Or is it? Hmm? Credibility and photographs. Thanks to all
those creative jokesters in the past, photographs have in fact lost some cred’
and the term “That’s been photoshopped!” lives for a reason. Let’s get your
credibility factor raised.
So I did get an email re how large this fish want them to buy into your tour or product
was – and at one‐foot in length, it was offer.
huge! A Rock Fish I believe.
Historically I’ve found there is always
There will be a time when a photoshopped someone who has done more, travelled
image will serve you well however for now farther than me. Then there’s me leading
we will stick to your street‐cred’ and make the pack from time to time. Your credibility
sure it’s high. might be fleeting when you make a claim,
however within the time frame you have –
Taking photographs to record where you go for it. Make the claim. Sell your
have been and what you have seen is one credibility.
element of being credible.
Being in the travel industry for 20, 30 years
You should also be able to talk about your does not actually amount to too much.
trip, the destination, the history, the What does matter is what you have done;
current state of affairs, banking hours, best accomplished, in those 20, 30 years.
places to eat and off the beaten track walks.
If you do have a destination niche focus
When you commit to learning about a then the fact that you have been there five
destination versus just “snapping” it with a times is not credible. Twenty times. Now
camera five hundred times, then you are the cred’ factor is rising. Twenty times and
truly going to raise your credibility factor – escorted 40 groups to that same
online and off line. destination – the credibility factor is up
again. Photographs of you and each group
The culmination of commitment will be that taken as a last‐day‐of‐the‐tour photograph
moment you walk on stage to present your increases the cred’ bar once again.
travelogue. Here you show your best
photographs, and yes there you are, From here on you must be thinking about
standing right there. You are talking about a how to market your credibility. One way to
particular spot that you like and visit often do this is to create a poster and use it as a
and at the end of your one‐hour been marketing tool in your agency window.
there, seen it, now what presentation, your
audience is engaged. They want to know If no window – then have it playing on your
more. The questions start to flow – and website’s home page. Push it out socially to
now you are in sales mode. The audience your Facebook page and Tweet about it,
has bought into your credibility. Now you too.

6. Press Release Power
Similarly to getting your name in the local
press, only this time you are in the driver’s
seat. You write your own press / media
release and you send it out through any of
the press release services such as PRWeb.
Radio Still Works
Consumers are still driving to work, a
captured audience for the duration of their
drive time. Get yourself invited to talk
about yourself, your tours and why those
listeners should book with you. Consumers
are also travelling by bus and train and
plugged into their headsets that are playing
personal tunes or radio. Just one more
Click to play outlet for your promotion.
The Wall Map
A world map on your agency wall or a world
If you happened to video your last trip / map on your website, both work. Pin where
adventure, then be sure to add a video link you have been. Best for the entire agency
play arrow on the digital version of your team to pin their visits too. Before you start
poster. When your client sees and hears make sure you know the map will be
you screaming at the top of your lungs covered with pins. If there are just a dozen
when you hit that white water – they’ll pins in only five cities then it’s not going to
want in. Just don’t be caught screaming look too good, is it? Credibility not looking
“Mummy!” or cursing. That would decrease too good.
your credibility to the factor of zilch!
Enough said. You go there, you see it and
Star Power the what now is all about promotion. You
Let’s make you the credible cruiser. I know must bring home the goods however, and
some people in the trade have cruised 150 that means photographs and video and
times. Now, if that was the same route time anything else that proves you were there.
after time, the credibility factor is falling.
However, if there were one or two odd ball There will be an element of overkill if every
cruises, exciting destinations and even image you show has you in it! Sometimes
video footage of a rogue wave – well now the image with your signature preceded by
you have something to shout about. Your the copyright symbol is enough to say, you
star power goes up based on the level of were there. When adding your signature
difficulty performed! Also, you can gain star choose a font that is easily read. Keep it a
power by being photographed with the reasonable size and use a colour that allows
ship’s captain for instance. it to blend with the image but can also be
seen and read. This is ALL about you, but
Press Power not to the point where your clients will miss
No time for being shy. If you truly want to seeing the destination or product offer.
raise your credibility factor then you must
be contacting the local press to tell your Now WHAT? 
story.

7.
Thought you’d never ask!
You put my experience to work for YOU!
Contact me and let’s chat about boosting your
Credibility Selling Power!
steve@sellingtravel.net

9. If so, then you should be
shown in the picture about
here and here too
Okay, perhaps not the volcano
but for sure on the pathway
and looking towards the Taj
Mahal. That image would then
give you the been there
credibility you need and want.
This is the essence of travel photography Joking about the volanco, but not really.
when it comes to selling the destinations Call it a mountain. If it was a mountain then
you have visited and plan to visit. You can for sure you’d want a picture of you on the
tell people you were there, but were you summit like this one of me in the Rockies.
really there? You can write about a place as
if you had just returned from strolling along
it’s local streets, but were you really there?
Not only is your credibility at stake here, so
is your believability. When the consumer
has a choice between you and your
competition they will choose the agent that
can demonstrate they have been, seen and
have the t‐shirt, postcard and picture to
prove it.
Once you build a bank of ‘you in the shot’ Of course I am only 4 feet off the ground as
images, you start to write a list of slogans the camera was angled up! If you were
that you can use with each image. One selling adventure tours and promoting the
image can sell many types of travel. Rockies then this image would work nicely.
It would also work for corporate meetings.
The image of the Taj Mahal obviously sells
India. It could sell only Delhi, or it could sell Now we can explore a few tips and tools
a tour of monuments such as the Taj Mahal that will help you prove you’ve been there.
or it could sell a world cruise excursion or a Number one action item is GET IN THE
tour around India, Asia and Australia. It all PICTURE. You can’t always fly back ‘there’
depends on the slogan you attach to the to re‐shoot, so take hundreds of pictures
image featuring YOU! with you in the frame. 

10.
Let’s set a ratio here. For every ten pictures you shoot, one of them must have you in the shot
and looking good! Good meaning you can use this image to help sell travel. That means no
devil hand signs, no MMA tongues or anything else hanging out. What we want is to see YOU
doing what you are telling and selling others to do. If you sell cruises – you’d better have a
few snaps of you leaning on that railing. Selling adventure? That’s you hiking the trail. To
make sure this can happen even when alone, you need some gadgets.
As you can see here, I was always in the Planning to record yourself in the shot
shot and it’s worked out well for me. I can means having the tripod to support your
truly show and tell camera and a wireless
that I did what I did. remote control.
I’ve seen what I’ve
seen. So that’s me Only a few cameras
posing at the come with a remote
“kitchen” as I whip up control. You may
some hot water on have to buy the
one of the original approved device for
Primus stoves that your camera. Your
used gasoline as the local camera store
fuel source! will advise you.
Lake District, Cumbria, UK
If you travel with At Joby.com you will
someone else then you have a built in find a selection of Gorilla tripods as shown
photographer to snap you whenever you below. These are very stable and also wrap
want to be factored into the image. If you around posts, branches and poles.
step out alone from time to time you will
need a remote control ‘clicker’ and a tripod
or stand or stick, rock, shoe…
When photographing yourself remotely,
check what is behind you. No poles zooming http://joby.com/gorillapod
out of the top of your head for instance.
iPHONE users can search for the Belkin
As the owner‐manager ask each member of LiveAction Camera Remote App – you’ll
your agency team to also take photographs download the LiveAction App from iTunes. I
that feature them in the image. Build a file have this device and it works well for both
of ‘been there seen that’ images and you’ll stills and video. So there you go. You are in
be very thankful you followed through. the know and in the picture from here on.
No excuses for not being in the shot. Also
Don’t forget to record where and when the pick up an
image was taken. If you purchase a new XSHOT shown
point‐and‐shoot camera today many of here. You can
them have GPS location software built in walk and talk
that will tag the image for you. and shoot.

11.
What you are looking for here is that one image that does the job in terms of causing a
consumer to stop, look, look some more, think WOW! and then look for your contact
information so they can obtain more information. That’s what a single seller image should do.
It is actually a ‘must do’ – every one of your images should stir the emotion to travel.
When you locate an image that, by itself, sells the destination or the type of travel you are
selling, your niche market or your new tour, hopefully the image is yours to use. By that I mean
there is no copyright infringement or legal suit coming your way if you choose to use it. This is
important and one of the most dangerous outcomes of using images found on‐line.
Start a collection of your own images, ask your clients for their images and tap into all the
existing resources that your preferred suppliers offer travel agents. You want to procure
images that are free of charge whenever possible.
From time to time you may want to purchase an image from a stock photo website and a one
time use is not expensive. A matter of dollars unless you want to purchase the rights to the
image – then you will be investing hundreds of dollars.
“YES PLEASE! I want to be there, watching that sun go down!” your client is saying inside their
head when they look at this image on your website, your Facebook page and hanging in your
agency window and that is the response you are hoping to generate. So, start collecting as
many single seller images as you can. Download them from your resources and store them in a
folder for later use.
The next step in using an image like this is to add text to the image itself and you do this to help
the person looking at the image take the next step: making the call to YOU.

12.
This can be an easy thing to do wrong. Be careful with the type style, font size and text colour
you choose. If you lack a creative eye, ask someone else to spec your creation. Ask three or
four people to round out the response. You want input. You do not want people to be nice as
that can be the route to no sales. Ask for an honest review.
Most photographic software offers an ‘insert text’ application. You click on that app and then
spread a text box over an area of the image and then type in your slogan or call to action.
Remove the line around the text box, click ‘save’ and you are done.
“I can’t come to the phone right now…”
If you do not want to be reached, we can help.
If your photographic software doesn’t offer this type of app then here’s a simple way to set up
the text‐on‐image concept and then use your photographic software to crop the image.
Cropping is part of all photo software. Here’s a low‐tech method I use when I am producing
images, so it should work for you.
Open MS Word or MS PowerPoint and click
New. Both allow you to import an image
and both have text options. Click Insert,
browse to the image you want. Highlight it
and click Insert.
Next: locate the corner handles where you
will be able to enlarge the image by clicking
on the corner handle and dragging the
image to the size you want.
Next: Now you select a Text Box and drag
that out to the size and best location on
your image. Save it. Imagine…
Next: Print Screen (Ctrl.Alt.PrtScn) or use a
screen capture program. Save to desktop or
clipboard and your image with text is ready.

13.
Most artists and photographers understand balance and placement when it comes to
composing their images. Using “thirds” means splitting the image up into thirds as shown on
the image below. Rather than have your subject dead center in the image, those that know
tell us to have the subject slightly off center. When you look through your lens try to envision
the grid you see below.
When you control the layout of your image Also, when you follow the third eye rules,
this way you can also control what you you’ll be giving yourself that much needed
want your clients to focus on. The photo of space to add text.
me with my camera might cause people to
think “I wonder what he’s photographing?”
and then in the next image you could reveal
the scene.
Then there will be times when you go
against the third eye advice and put your
subject slap bang in the center for more
impact. You might also want to zoom in on
one part of a scene to make sure your
clients see the main reason for visiting this
location. Take a look at your images and apply the
third eye. Any improvement? 

14.
Are you a story teller? You must be – you’re a travel agent. When you return from your next
FAM trip try to write your report in a story‐book format and then work with a graphic artist
or use one of the graphic novel software programs to generate a new promotional tool that
will help you SHOW IT AND SELL IT.
When you work with a graphic novel layout The Flip Book software will allow you to
you’ll be using the type of layout you see save and publish your graphic novel online.
below. You can add your own images, I use ISSUU.COM and the basic account is
cartoons, sketches and speech bubbles to free. Create your graphic novel, upload it
tell your story. and then tell the world where to find it and
read it.
Your graphic novel now becomes your
selling brochure. You can even have a
poster printed featuring the cover of the
novel. Think larger than you are here – do
what the big guys do when promoting a
movie. Posters work. Social media
announcements work. Buzz works.
A graphic novel is a genre that will attract a
new and younger traveller. As some
university text books are now in the graphic
novel format, your new publication / travel
brochure will strike the right chord with this
generation all the way up to Gen X.
Back to story telling. The content of your
graphic novel should be on the right side of
Once you have created your graphic novel
decency. Hold the nudes, the curse words
what then? Well – you can publish it online
and the blood and the gore! That’s a
you can post it on your social media
different kind of graphic novel. The one
channels and you can even make a movie
we’re talking about here is family oriented.
out of it to upload to your YouTube
It’s a travel brochure in a graphic novel,
channel.
cartoonish, manga‐rish format.
For content you would use your own
A current topic you
images taken during the FAM and also the
may want to think
images your suppliers can give you. You
about is cruising. It’s
might also ask your clients if they would like
been in the news so
to appear in your graphic novel. If they
much that you could
agree, have them sign a release form and
ride the wave that’s
then get busy. Use your own face as a
still rolling out
cartoon character and if your clients are up
there.
for it, ‘toon’ their faces, too.

15. If you go with the cruising theme you could This cover speaks to kids that cruise, which
write about your most recent cruise, you in turn means parents, too. The number of
could write about all your cruises to date. pages can be just a few – 5 to 10 max. You
are not really writing and publishing a full
The recent cruise mishaps all point to travel blown novel. This is meant to be a small and
safety and here’s a cover that might inspire relatively easy promotional tool to
you to put your cruise safety novel together showcase where you’ve travelled and help
and then pitch it to your clients. sell that destination.
You might even be able to attract supplier
funding to create your graphic novel or at
least make use of their graphics
department. Ask the question.
Here’s a series of captain mug shots I
created by shooting myself (!) and then
cartooning them in Elements.
This new format for a travel brochure or
fam report is wide open. Be first in your
neck of the woods, especially if you are
trying to attract a younger generation of
traveller. 

16.
April 11, 2013 at 10am PST
What is it? Where to find it, how to use it
and how to profit from it.
REGISTRATION HERE
Price USD$39 + Taxes includes 60 minute webinar presented by Steve
Crowhurst, handout and recording to view at your leisure.

17.
If you are looking for new sources of content – look no further than your client list. As you
know, almost everyone that travels, carries a camera. Hundreds of images and videos are
shot every year by your clients when they travel. All you have to do is ask.
When you ask your clients to submit their also understand YouTube’s and Vimeo’s
photography and videos to you, consider rules for when you do post a video on those
having an incentive plan in place. Your sites.
clients should also know their images will
be repurposed in favour of boosting sales. Adding text to your clients image: You can
add text to your clients image just as you
Your incentive plan could be as simple as did to yours – the only thing that changes is
crediting the image to your client by name, what the copy will say.
offering a small discount off their next trip,
a gift card, or paying a small one‐time fee When using a client’s image it serves you
for use. Whatever you decide, if the image better to have a validation written on
is one‐of‐a‐kind, then this is a win‐win. behalf of the client ‐ a statement that has
the client acknowledging you as the travel
When you do find that one‐of‐a‐kind image, agent who arranged their trip. Here’s an
you’ll want to own it. That might mean you example:
pay a few dollars for it, perhaps $100 or
more. Once you own that image you’ll want
to use it as a lead image in your
promotional activity. Now that you own the
image you know that no other travel agent
will be able to scoop you.
IMAGE BANK: There is another way to
attract consumer content and that is to
establish an image bank on your website
where your clients can upload their best
shots. The rules of use are simple: if a client
uploads, then you can download. In other
words, if a client participates then they “My name is (client) and I took
agree to you and your agency using their this shot, thanks to my travel
image(s). Make sure you ask your lawyer to agent (your name) who made our
write the rules. trip a wonderful experience.”
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: If you have not yet
created a YouTube channel for your agency, Post these client validations to Facebook,
do it now. When completed you can Tweet them and upload them to the home
request your clients to post their best travel
page of your website. Put your consumer
videos on your channel for all to watch and content to work for your agency. 
for you to use in your various promotions.
Once again make sure your lawyer has
created the posting video rules. You should

18.
There are many social outlets where you can post your images and promote
travelling to the featured destination. First things first, you’ll need to establish
an account with the major social networks. When that’s done, it’s upload time!
Although the focus here is on photographic You can now import, edit, add titles,
images featuring YOU, we also know from transitions and text. Fast forward and you
so many surveys that the consumer actually have published your travelogue. What
prefers video and that does make sense, next?
plus the sights and sounds will help sell the
featured destination. Next you upload your video to your
website, to your YouTube or Vimeo
If you can handle speaking on camera then channel. You share the links with your
you may wish to upgrade from being clients and you post your new video on all
featured in a static image to being the your social outlets.
prime actor in your own travelogue.
You’ll have to decide whether or not your
If you are not easy in front of the video video is to go public or remain only for
camera then perhaps someone on your those you send the link to. When you go
team could become the spokesperson. Ask public with photographs or videos with a
your team and see who responds. Here person in them, there is that element of
comes the challenge. This is not about trash talking socializers that like to post
“looks” – it’s about on‐camera personality. terrible comments. If you are tough enough
It’s about presence and voice, timing and to take whatever anyone writes about you
the ability to put a message across in such a or your video then go for it.
compelling way that it is believable and
attractive. Learning to interview other people on
camera is one more skill to learn. You’ll
When making the decision to go into want to meet people on the street, both
movies you do not need expensive locals and tourists to ask why tourists
equipment. Even your basic point and shoot should visit the destination you are focusing
camera will shoot 720 or 1080 HD. Good on. Watch the many travel shows on
enough to start with. You can upgrade to television and you’ll understand some of
the semi‐pro video cameras later. the techniques travel journalists use.
Next you’ll need to invest in video editing I’d say you are almost good to go. Are you
software. No need to splurge yet and your ready for the camera, roll’em, action call?
version of Window comes with Windows Today travel, tomorrow travel journalist for
Movie Maker. That’s all you need for the your local TV station or supplier! 
moment.

19.
Alright. You’ve taken your photographs. You are featured in them. Now it’s time
to market those images and sell it like it is. How will you do this? Here we blend
off‐line traditional and on‐line, next generation marketing tactics.
YOUR WEBSITE. This is the main location to showcase the photographs with you in them. Do
not go small. If you have to, create a landing page and stretch that image right across that web
page. You want your clients to fall right into the picture when they land on your website. Title
the image well so that your client can quickly read where the photograph was taken.
Remember you are SELLING IT LIKE IT IS… not telling it like it is.
THE AGENCY IMAGE WEBSITE. If you are an avid travel photographer it might be in your best
interests to create a stand alone agency photographic website for the purpose of focusing on
your images. If your website is a template and comes to you from head office or your host
agency then I’m guessing that it is the typical and very busy, confusing layout. Your clients will
get lost if you post all your images there. Direct your clients to your strategic travel image
website where they can drool without being distracted. Be sure to add call‐to‐action
statements, side bars and pop ups but not so many they become annoying.
Here’s an example of my own photography website: www.phartography.weebly.com
Join me on my
next shoot to
If this was your photo‐site you would design it to sell your niche destinations
like Mexico, or Argentina, or Ireland by adding logos and ‘come with me’ text.

20. POSTERS. Today you can print a
quality poster 36” x 24” for cheap.
That’s the only word for it, cheap.
Choose your best photos then visit EGYPT is yours!
your local jumbo print / poster print
shop and print them. If you print
your posters all at the same time
you should be able to obtain a
discount. The image is one thing, the
call to action is another. Make sure
you add your slogan to your image
so that the wording appears on the
poster. If the poster is a winner in
every sense then chances are you Come with me on (date)
could sell copies for framing to your
clients.
FACEBOOK COVER. Changing your Facebook
cover image is something you should plan for
each month. When you decide to promote a
new location, destination or tour departure
make sure you insert a ‘been there / seen it’
image featuring you and a well worded slogan.
Facebook does not actually allow call to action
statements so you’ll need to be clever in how
you phrase your slogan. (Refer Egypt image.)
LINKED IN BUSINESS PAGE. If you have a
LinkedIn account, open a business page and edit
it from a sales point of view. You can upload an
image there, too. So that’s a poster in the
window, the same image uploaded to your
Facebook cover image area and the same image
uploaded to LinkedIn.
PINTEREST. Keep uploading that image. One
more stop here if you have an account with
Pinterest.
DOLL TOUR OF JAPAN
FLICKR. Same again although here your imagery
is going to get lost. Millions of images here so nothing is specific to you. If you have the time
perhaps it’s worth the try. This could be the location for your photography website.
SLIDE SHARE. Create a presentation with excellent call to action slogans throughout. The last
slide asking for the viewer to make contact with you directly.
T‐SHIRTS. A good old standby. If you are active in the community and the weather permits it,
wear a t‐shirt emblazoned with your image and slogan.

21. PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS. Once you’ve taken the image and you are in the picture, you can edit
the image to represent all sorts of places and events. For instance the image below shows me
looking out from a ledge and the location could be anywhere. That’s fine for our purpose. In
this case I’ve turned the image into a sketch. It is the sketch we are going to SELL and we’ll
decide on the location based on the tour which will be, well let’s see‐ how about a:
Sketching
Tour of South
East England.
If you learn how to use Photoshop like a pro (I’m still trying!) then you can even cut and paste
yourself into photographs of places you’ve visited but are not in the picture. Call it fake or call it
digital photography – your call. Just remember we’re SELLING IT LIKE IT IS – you’ve been there
and you’ve seen the place. You re‐create the moment with you now in the picture. You might
want to ‘fess up’ and tell your client when they book, that you were just outside the frame
when the picture was taken, but with the power of Photoshop – you snuck back in.
KEYWORDS. Keywords
help to market travel
especially when artistic
images are used. The
keyword ‘ART’ for
instance, can help sell
your niche like this:
The ART of Travelling
to (destination) or try
this heading: The ART of Cruising. The word ‘art’ ties in very nicely with any niche. The ART of
Wine Tasting sounds good – notice you are shown in the image here, too. 

22. Painting a Picture in the
Mind of your Client
Or Meeting Lucy in the Sky
Guest Article by Steve Gillick, CTM steve@talkingtravel.ca
Something happened 40,800 years ago that
impacts the work of travel agents today.
In a cave known as El Castillo (the castle) on representations of the stories in the Bible. They
Spain’s Cantabrian Sea coast, someone painted were used to teach religion, morals and ethics.
the outlines of his/her hands on the cave wall, The horrors of hell or the splendours of heaven
along with a red disk, and images of horses and were ‘painted’ in the minds of the church‐goers.
bison. The oldest cave paintings in the world
display, possibly for the first time in history, the Jump ahead for the last time to the year 1967.
art of visual communication to convey an idea. The Beatles released the album Sgt. Pepper’s
It may have been purely decorative and fun Lonely Hearts Club Band that included the song
(although we are unsure if Neanderthal’s had a ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. The opening
sense of humour), or it could have related to lyrics transformed the listener to serene,
hunting and food supplies. The point is that psychedelic tranquility. For many in my own
pictures were used to create a dynamic generation, this was one of our first ‘travel
interaction between seeing something static—a experiences’ Picture yourself in a boat on a river
painting on a wall‐‐and thinking or dreaming with tangerine trees and marmalade skies...
about the real dynamic object—the bison.
And today we do the same thing that the Cave
Jump ahead to the year 43 when the Romans People in Spain started. We show photos,
conquered Britain. They brought with them the slides, digital images, home‐made and You Tube
institution of ‘pubs’, which provided food, drink videos, and create word pictures to bring
and sometimes a place for travellers to sleep. travelers to a destination or feature the
When still in Rome, a cluster of vine leaves was amenities of a hotel or resort, or take them up
hung over a doorway to indicate that an close and personal on a safari or elephant trek
establishment was a pub. When they arrived in or ski adventure. The impact of creating a
Britain, the Romans hung evergreen plants over picture, in the mind of the traveller, of a
doorways, which eventually led to signs product or service or destination can be
depicting the name of the pub (e.g. the holly powerful.
bush, the Belvedeere, the King’s Arms, the
Leaking Boot). For a population with no reading The trend toward the practice of ‘saying it like
skills, this was a powerful way to communicate it is’ had a negative effect when the fruits of
visually. technology resulted in shorter communication
bites. Even in the days before the 140‐character
Jump ahead again to the year 1228, when Tweet and the creation of texting lingo ( e.g.
construction began on the church of St. Francis “TMI” (too much information)), travellers began
of Assisi. When it was completed in 1253, a to tune out when they faced the proverbial
number of frescoes or wall paintings had ‘wall of words’ on websites and brochures.
already been added. To a society where only They didn’t want to read through mounds of
the very wealthy or the clergy could read, the description and detail. If the technology existed
paintings took the form of visual then why not take advantage? Some now refer

23. to the results of this technology as hyper‐ in Bilbao, you might list as key words “Spain,
connectivity, where you can be in touch with Guggenheim, Bilbao, Biscay, Basque ”.
someone on the other side of the world in a
matter of nanoseconds through email, texting, In the world of travel presentations, the use of
cell phones, Skype etc, and transfer images and key words can help paint the image of the
videos in/at the same time. Part of this trend destination in the mind of a client, to either
includes websites such as YouTube, which replace images on a temporary basis, or to
recently announced they had reached one create anticipation for upcoming images. Let’s
billion users per month, and Pinterest, which think of Thailand.
recently reached the Number Three spot on
social networking sites behind Facebook and
Twitter.
We know that nowadays, travellers want to get
involved in destinations before they even visit
them. They are eager to immerse themselves in
images that make them feel energized, excited
and connected. They want to be able to picture
themselves luxuriating on that beach in Cancun
or trekking in Nepal, or doing Yoga by that rice This means you can use key ‘word‐paints’ when
terrace in the calm of a Bali sunrise. And in all presenting a destination to your clients to assist
areas of travel, from luxury to niche to package them in visualizing a destination or a hotel and
tours, the word‐rich details have been put themselves in the picture. Some refer to
deliberately ‘dummed down’ in favour of this as a variation of mind‐mapping—where
showing clients real time photos or videos of you are causing the mind to make connections
the destination or resort. between the words and the imagined reality.
On a recent Fam trip one of the agents Skyped Pick up any luxury travel brochure or look up
her client while at one of the resorts and luxury tour operators on the internet. They
actually showed her, with cell phone images, paint word pictures to complement the actual
what the resort was all about. Talk about photos used on the page. The results are ‘words
cloud‐based, just‐in‐time technology! And talk of pictures reinforcing pictures’. The client’s 6
about a strong selling technique that involves senses are in 7th heaven because they can
the client in the agent’s research of a visualize, empathize, day dream and learn
destination. Think of how this would add about the destination, all at once.
confidence to a client looking to be married at a
resort, but not 100% certain of the available An example from a popular luxury website
amenities. The agent can ask the resort staff to illustrates the words and phrases used to entice
walk down to the beach and show the client— the client:
real time—the venue or have them ‘participate’
in part of an actual wedding ceremony to ∙pinnacle of luxury ∙supreme luxury
confirm the arrangements. ∙romantic dreams ∙endless white sand
∙refined elegance ∙splendid seclusion
Don’t Forget Words! ∙exquisite beaches ∙ magic
∙azure waters ∙exotic allure
Pictures are extremely important, but to be fair, ∙stunning ocean views ∙pristine
we can’t dismiss the effectiveness of words.
Many of us are familiar with the idea of ‘key Another popular technique for painting images
words’. These are the words you may list in in your client’s mind is the use of Word Clouds,
relation to a company website or a blog that which you can find at www.wordle.net. In
allows users to find your site more easily. For Figure 1.1 you can see my cloud showing all the
example if you were advertising a trip to Spain places I’ve visited in Japan.
and you mentioned the Guggenheim Museum

24. Travel agents can create a Word Cloud for any But probably the most important tools for a
destination, or gather words from your client travel agent come in the form of first hand
and put them into a colourful Word Cloud (for knowledge: their experience, their research
example their reasons why they want to travel, skills, and their ability to take hold of the
or their thoughts on adventure). It is a bit of a client’s imagination and fly them to any
gimmick but having you, the travel agent, print destination around the globe in a matter of
up a cloud for your client helps in the seconds.
visualization process based on the powerful
images that each word conveys. This impacts There is an old Blues song entitled “Taste and
the mind and transforms the concept of travel, Try, Before you Buy” that is forever applicable
into the imagineering of the client to actually be to the world of sales. Today we can give our
on site at the destination. clients a taste of things to come by using
pictures to allow them to ‘see’ themselves on
A travel agent can use pictures, they can use site; to imagine what it’s like to stroll down the
words of pictures (key words), they can use road or sit in a cafe or on the beach or on a sub‐
pictures of words (word clouds), they can use orbital flight and literally watch the world go by.
moving pictures (videos) and they can use static
pictures (Pinterest). The Beatles had it right in 1967...picture
yourself...
Figure 1.1
Steve Gillick’s first article appeared in the Dunera Ship Newsletter in 1967. Since then he has written extensively about travel. He
authored the Scam Watch column in Canadian Traveller Magazine for many years, wrote and edited CITC’s industry and consumer
newsletters from 1995 to 2012, authors the "Travel Coach” column in www.TravelIndustryToday.com; composes travel blogs at
www.talkingtravelblog.ca, contributes articles to www.travelmarketreport.com and www.sellingtravel.net. Many of Steve's blog‐articles
have been posted to www.broowaha.com where close to 12,000 consumers have enjoyed his thoughts on destinations and travel trends.
Steve is the creator of the live Conference game called “Are you Smarter than the Average Traveller”. Test your knowledge with the
sample quiz at http://bit.ly/gillickquiz4u. ‐steve@talkingtravel.ca

25. After so many years of use your PC will
perform a number of tricks you don’t want or
need! Here are two new tools that will
instantly fix your computer errors by
automatically diagnosing and fixing various
system errors with an intelligent error
knowledge base.
http://www.reimageplus.com
http://www.tuneup360.com
Mobile Business Cards use QR
codes and NFC to instantly
deliver the real you in a
mobile microsite, quickly
building credibility and trust.
www.vizibility.com
With this device that adds on
to your smart phone you can
accept credit card payments
anywhere anytime. This is a
fantastic tool for home based
agents on the road.
https://squareup.com/ca

26.
Give your travel counsellors the BEST in travel
marketing ideas, tips, tools and techniques
presented by the guy who wrote the book
on generating new business.
4‐HOUR QUICKIE to 2 FULL DAYS
No one else but Steve can deliver this one‐of‐kind jam‐packed program.
Request details here: info@smptraining.com

27. The newly redesigned Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE) program is a bold collection of
courses and online training focused on the critical skills that today’s travel professionals need to
succeed. Graduates will learn how to grow their business while earning recognized industry
credentials. The CTIE certification is parallel to the Certified Travel Counselor (CTC)
certification, thus, representing the pinnacle of travel industry professionalism for seasoned
travel professionals who are interested in advancing their career.
NEW: It is no longer a prerequisite to earn the  Internet travel executives
CTA designation or test out of CTA prior to  Back of office accountants
enrolling in CTIE.  IT support staff
NEW: While studying for your CTIE, you will The new CTIE curriculum covers these five core
enjoy Premium Membership benefits such as competencies:
white papers, expert webinars, podcasts, blog  Communication
posts and much more.  Leadership
 Management
NEW: All courses are completed online in The  Sales and Marketing
Travel Institute’s Communiversity.  Customer Service
NEW: Interest free 12 month payment plan is To earn the CTIE, travel professionals must:
now available.  Possess at least 5 years of full‐time
industry, management, or business
The CTIE program is perfect for travel experience
professionals in non‐consumer sales roles such  Complete a 2000‐3000 word White
as: Paper
 Suppliers  Commit to annual certification
 Host agency executives maintenance to retain certification
 Consortia leaders  After certification, commit to annual
 Marketers Travel Institute membership
That’s right. I’m giving two‐thumbs up
for The Travel Institute’s CTIE program
and recommend you check it out. At the
same time look for my management
webinars & workbooks that will
indirectly support what you learn by
studying the CTIE content. Click on The
Travel Institute’s logo below for more
information. Read TAM here.

28.
Selling Travel supports all other travel trade magazines and encourages you to explore the
following publications that deliver news, destination information and more tips, tools and
techniques. Round out your daily intake of knowledge and this will help you sell more travel.
The following logos appear in alphabetical order – click the logo to visit the website.
Make sure you subscribe and read not only the publication but also each website as many
websites offer more than just news & views – there are also Guides and Supplements that
you can use for in‐house training and development. 

29. Here are the current outlets for SMP and SELLING TRAVEL’s publications and webinars.
Click on this link and you’ll be able to join the ST and SMP
JOIN ST MAILING LIST mailing list. You can unsubscribe at anytime. Emails are only
sent as and when there is something of interest to advise.
Many of you are fans of the ST Facebook page and quite often
this page receives more instant access and do it now ideas to
help you generate new commissions. If you are looking for that
type of information, click on the FB logo.
CITC sells eBooks and manuals published by SMP Training
Co., ‐ so be sure to check out the CITC Store – always new
items being added.
The Travel Institute carries SMP Training Co., eBooks,
manuals and also presents webinars produced by Selling
Travel. In addition they offer many more publications in
their online store.
The Travel Agent Revolution sells SMP publications and
hosts Selling Travel webinars.
 Training you to go beyond destination specialist
to the next level of Destination Mastery.
 Book Steve Gillick for your next conference to
drive home the importance of destination skills.
 Let Steve help BOOST your profits by energizing
your staff to sell travel like they really mean it.

30. A division of SMP Training Co.
TIME TO CONNECT!