My travel agent, David, writes the BEST emails.

(I know, I’m so noughties using a travel agent.

But I love not dealing with Ryanair’s aggressive pop-ups pushing me to pre-book a hotel, Toyota Prius or ham and tomato panini – when all I want is a cheap flight to Tenerife.) 

Why do I love David’s emails?

Well, he gives me options, but always an opinion too:

‘The three hotels below tick all your boxes.  I recommend No.3 because it’s walking distance to the local town, whereas with the other two you’d need to take a taxi.’

Nine times out of ten, I go with his recommendation – it’s quicker and easier that way.  

But I’m not the only one to like this approach.  We’ve been doing some research into what people like most/least in the emails they receive (more on this in a few weeks’ time).

One of the biggest turn-offs?

Information dumping.

One of the biggest turn-ons?

Giving an opinion. 

But it’s not surprising really, is it? We’re all knackered and overwhelmed. 

If someone we trust gives us their opinion, it’s often a relief – especially if they give clear rationale behind their decision. 

And if we don’t know someone, it can be a great way to come across as expert and win trust.

So if you want to be the best thing in people’s inboxes, put your neck on the line.

Give a view.  A recommendation.  A suggested next step or path forward.

Sure, it can feel scary at first.

And it can take a little more thought and care than just an information dump.  

But boy, will people love you for it:

• ‘There are 3 options below – I recommend #2 because it’s cheapest but still has great functionality’
• ‘There’s more detail below, but I suggest we go ahead for these three reasons…’
• ‘In my experience it’s best not to engage an agency for this project and concentrate on developing the team instead.’

Let me know how you get on (and if you need a great travel agent, hit me up…)