Why You Cant Treat All Travel Leads the Same
If you have been in the travel game for a while you probably allready know that not every customer is the same but for some reason so many agencies and lead buyers treat every single lead that comes in exactly the same way. This is a huge mistake and honestly its probably costing you a lot of money without you even realizing it because the mindset of someone booking a quick Caribbean cruise is totally different from someone who wants a two week custom trip through Italy. At Lead Bop we see this happen all the time where agents buy leads or generate their own and then put them all into the same email drip campaign or use the same script to call them and then they wonder why their conversion rates are low.
The truth is that if you want to really scale your agency you have to start looking at Cruise leads and FIT leads as two completley seperate things. They are different animals entirely and if you try to tame them with the same tools you are going to get bit or just end up with an empty wallet.
What is the deal with Cruise Leads
When we talk about cruise leads we are usually talking about people who kinda know what they want or at least they know the product they are shoping for. The cruise industry has done such a good job at marketing that the customers are already educated before they even talk to you. They know what Royal Caribbean is and they know what Carnival is and they might even know exactly which ship they want to go on.
Because of this the cruise lead is often looking for price or perks or just someone to facillitate the transaction smoothly. They might be shopping around with three other agents to see who can give them a little extra on board credit or who can respond the fastest.
Characteristics of a Cruise Lead
- They often have a specific destination or brand in mind
- They are price sensetive and compare offers
- The sales cycle is usually shorter and faster
- They dont need as much education on the destination itself usually
- The commison is usually a fixed percentage and strictly defined by the cruise line
Since they are transaction focused your strategy for these leads needs to be about speed and efficency. If you wait 24 hours to call a cruise lead they are probably already booked with someone else who picked up the phone quicker. You cant spend three hours building a custom proposal for a 3 day Bahamas cruise because the math just doesnt work out on the commission split. You have to be fast and you have to have systems in place that automate a lot of the follow up so you arent wasting time manually typing out emails for a low margin sale.
Understanding the FIT Lead
Now lets look at the FIT lead which stands for Free Independent Traveler just incase you didnt know the acrynom. These are the leads that every travel agent says they want because they usually have a much higher transaction value and the commisions can be huge if you structure it right with your suppliers and net rates.
A FIT lead is someone who wants to go to Japan or Europe or South Africa but they dont want a guided bus tour with 50 other people they want to do their own thing but they need help figuring out the logistics. This person is not looking for the cheapest price usually they are looking for expertise and guidance and security. They are buying you and your knowledge not just a commodity product like a cabin on a ship.
Characteristics of a FIT Lead
- They need help planning the itenerary and logistics
- They value expertise over just the lowest price
- The sales cycle is much longer sometimes taking weeks or months
- There is way more back and forth communication required
- The margins are higher and you have more control over the final price
If you treat a FIT lead like a cruise lead and just try to rush them to a booking or send them a generic price quote without having a consultaton call first you are going to lose them. They will feel like you dont care or you dont understand what they are looking for. They need to be nurtured and they need to feel like you are curating something special just for them.
Comparing the Two Strategies
To make this easier to see visually I put together a little chart that shows why you cant use the same strategy for both. If you are using the same email templates for both of these groups you are definately leaving money on the table.
| Feature | Cruise Leads | FIT Leads |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Goal | Speed and Volume | Value and Customization |
| Response Time | Must be instant | Fast but thoughtful |
| Sales Process | Transactional | Consultative |
| Follow Up | High frequency short term | Long term nurturing |
| Pain Point | Price and Availability | Overwhelm and Logistics |
| Agent Role | Order Taker / Facilitator | Expert Advisor / Planner |
Why Your Current Strategy Might Be Failing
Most agents we talk to at Lead Bop are strugling because they are trying to be everything to everyone and they use a “one size fits all” approach to their marketing. You might have a Facebook ad running that just says “Plan your next vacation with us” and it drives traffic to a generic form on your website.
When that lead comes in you dont know if they want a $500 cruise or a $15,000 honeymoon in Bora Bora. So you send an automated email that says “Thanks for contacting us let me know how I can help” which is super boring and doesnt speak to their specific needs.
If it is a cruise customer they might think you are too slow or too general. If it is a FIT customer they might think you are just a booking engine and not a real expert. You have to segment your leads right from the begining or else you are wasting your ad spend.
Another big mistake is the follow up sequence. For a cruise lead you might need to text them and email them 3 times in the first 24 hours to get them on the phone to lock it in. But if you do that to a FIT lead who is just starting to dream about a trip for next year you might annoy them and scare them away. They need educational content. They need you to send them an article about “Top 10 things to do in Rome” or “Hidden gems in Thailand” to show them you know your stuff.
How to Fix Your Lead Gen Strategy
So what should you actally do about this. Well it starts with how you capture the lead in the first place. You need to have seperate funnels or at least seperate qualification questions on your forms.
If you are running ads try running one set of ads specifically for cruises with images of ships and deals and ocean views. Then run a completley different set of ads for custom itineraries with images of culture and food and unique experiences. Send them to different landing pages.
On the landing page for the cruise lead ask them questions like:
- Which cruise line do you prefer
- What dates are you looking at
- How many cabins do you need
On the landing page for the FIT lead ask them things like:
- What kind of experiences are you looking for
- What is your budget per person (essential for FIT)
- Is this a special occassion like a anniversary or honeymoon
By asking these differnt questions you are already setting the expectation of how the relationship is going to work. The cruise person knows you are getting ready to quote them a price. The FIT person knows you are gathering info to build a relationship.
Automation vs Personalization
This is where it gets tricky and where a lot of people mess up. Automation is great and we use it a lot at Lead Bop to help our clients but you have to use it smart.
For Cruise Leads you can lean heavy on automation. You can have an AI bot or an autoresponder send them current deals or ask them for their loyalty numbers immediatley. It is okay because they want speed.
For FIT Leads you have to be careful. You can use automation to acknowledge the inquiry but the actual follow up needs to feel very personal. You probably shouldnt use a generic template. You should record a quick loom video or send a voice note saying “Hey I saw you want to go to Greece that is my favorite place let’s chat.”
If you try to automate the FIT process too much it feels cold and impersonal and that is the opposite of what a luxury or custom traveler wants. They are paying a premium for a human connection so dont give them a robot.
The Cost Per Lead Factor
We also have to talk about the cost. Generally speaking a cruise lead is going to be cheaper to generate than a high quality FIT lead. This is because the cruise market is huge and broad and easy to target. The FIT market is more niche and harder to convince so the cost per lead (CPL) is usually higher.
If you are paying $50 for a lead you better make sure it is a FIT lead that has a potential $2000 commission. If you pay $50 for a lead and it turns out to be someone looking for a $300 Carnival cruise where you only make $40 commission then you literally lost money just by answering the phone.
This is why filtering and segmenting is so important. You need to know your numbers. It is okay to pay more for a lead if the ROI is there but you have to match the lead cost to the potential revenue.
How Lead Bop Helps You Sort This Out
At Lead Bop we understand this difference deeply because we live and breath it every day. We dont just throw generic leads at you and wish you good luck. We help you understand the intent behind the lead.
When we set up campaigns for our clients we are always asking “who are we trying to target” and “what is the offer”. If you want to sell more river cruises in Europe that is a totally different strategy than selling all inclusive resorts in Mexico or Caribbean cruises.
We help you build the landing pages and the follow up sequences that match the specific type of traveler you are going for. That way when the lead hits your inbox you already know what kind of conversation you need to have and you arent scrambling to figure it out.
So the bottom line is that if you are treating every lead the same you are doing it wrong and you are making your life harder than it needs to be. You need to step back and look at your business and decide what you really want to sell.
If you love the high volume fast paced world of cruises then build a machine that handles that speed. If you prefer the slower more artistic process of building custom trips then build a brand that attracts those people and scares away the tire kickers.
But please stop buying generic “travel leads” and hoping they turn into gold. You have to be intentional about it. You have to seperate the strategies. And if you need help doing that well that is what we are here for.
Would you like me to help you brainstorm some specific qualification questions for your FIT lead forms to help weed out the low budget shoppers?
