G Adventures provides unique life-changing trips. Their inside and outside sales teams were good, but their interactions with buyers weren’t as differentiated as the trips they were selling. They needed to differentiate themselves amongst all the other trip sellers. Travel agents see tons of reps. G Adventures needed to stand out.
We worked with the team to reimagine the sales process, created new sales behaviors, differentiated sales tools, and coaching cadence to support the transformation.
To understand how dramatic the change was, put yourself in the shoes of a travel agent. You got into the business because you LOVE travel. Now, you sit at a desk. Sales reps come in. You look at brochures, costs, logistics, and after a few years, you don’t feel like the cool life-changing traveler you used to.
Then G Adventures rep comes in. They don’t take out a brochure. Instead, the GPS says, “Our purpose is to help people discover more passion, purpose, and happiness. That includes you.” They take out cards . . . The cards have questions, like “What’s the best meal you’ve eaten on a vacation?” or “Where was the most beautiful sunset you ever saw?”
“This is weird,” you think. But after a few questions, you’re reminded why you got into this business, and the transformational opportunity it gives you.
Instead of the traditional sales call, this is an emotionally engaging experience.
We helped the G team create such a differentiated sales experience that customers now request sales calls. After a decade of steady 20% annual growth, G Adventures has accelerated their growth rate to 35% for two years in a row. Their salespeople are now known worldwide as the GPS – Global Purpose Specialists. They’ve formed a partnership with National Geographic. They have their choice of top talent. They’re consistently voted a best place to work.
