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For professional travel agents, FAM trips are useful tools to boost your product knowledge. But what you do AFTER the trip is vital to making the most of your FAM experience.

The first step is to organize all of the materials you brought home.

You probably collected business cards from resort staff members or tour operator representatives. On each card, jot down a quick note of the place, date, and circumstances of how you met each person. This will help you jog your memory if you need to make contact later on.

Sort through all of the brochures, manuals, or other promotional items you acquired. Keep some for client distribution, and others for your own personal reference. If you picked up resort maps, fact sheets, or other similar items, it is useful to scan these and save copies to your computer.

Review any notes that you took during your property tours, and decide how you want to store them for future use. You may want to write your thoughts and observations on the applicable pages of your own reference copy of a property brochure or training manual. Another option is to use note-taking software, such as Evernote or OneNote. These programs allow you to organize and categorize your personal notes, pictures, and other media. The key is to make the information easy to find when you need it.

Lastly, download any of the photos and videos that you took from your camera or phone to your computer. Once again, organization is important. Sort them into folders that are labeled by property name and the date of your visit.

Now that you have organized your materials, it’s time to put them to use. You want to share your knowledge and experience with as many clients, and potential clients, as possible.

One way to do this effectively is through social media. Add photos to your personal and business Facebook pages. Place each property’s photos in its own unique folder.  You don’t need to use hundreds of images. Carefully select specific photos that highlight the property’s main features and room categories. Label each picture with a brief description so that viewers know what they are looking at.

Another way to share your experience is via a travel blog. This allows you to share more detailed thoughts and observations. You can add in tips such as specific types of travelers that would enjoy a property, differences in room categories, or other useful information. Add in a few key pictures, and don’t forget to include a link back to the complete album on your Facebook page.

If you think a specific client would benefit from learning about your trip, make an effort to contact them directly. Send an email with a personal invitation to view your Facebook album or blog post. Or call to tell them that you recently visited a property or destination they would love, and offer to meet up with them to share your experiences.

Finally, make an effort to follow-up with any of the key contacts that you made during the trip. Send an email or card thanking each person that gave you a guided tour or conducted a training session. Ask them any follow-up questions that came to mind after your visit. Send them a link to your Facebook page or blog, so that they can see how you are actively promoting their products. This will help you to establish a useful network of professional connections. Also ask the suppliers to add you to their email lists to be informed of any specials, booking incentives, or news about the properties and ships you toured.

Taking the time to properly follow-up after your trip will help you to turn your FAM experience into increased sales and greater client satisfaction.

Are you ready to go? KHM Travel Group Agents can visit the Agent Portal to view upcoming FAM trips. Not a KHM Travel Agent yet? Explore our website to learn more about the resources and support available to start your own home-based travel business.