Commission Doesn’t Make You Trade-Ready

The 30-second sellability test for tourism operators

Last week I spent three very full days talking to travel sellers in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as part of Kiwi North, alongside 75 other North Island tourism operators.

The appointments were short, the rooms were busy and, at times, very noisy. We had around seven minutes with each person to explain who we were, what we offered and why their clients should include our experiences in a New Zealand itinerary during one of our sessions, with the rest being free-flow meaning discussion times were even shorter.

Seven minutes might not sound like long, but in reality, it is probably more attention than most tourism products will ever receive from a travel seller when they are back at their desk.

An agent could be comparing several destinations, answering client emails, chasing confirmations and trying to pull together an itinerary within a budget—all at the same time. When they come across your product months later, you may have only 30 seconds to help them understand what it is, who it suits and why they should recommend it.

That got me thinking about something I see regularly with tourism businesses: the assumption that offering commission automatically makes a product trade-ready.

It doesn’t.

Commission is an important part of working with travel trade, but it is only one part. A product can offer perfectly acceptable commission and still be incredibly difficult for an agent to sell.

Travel agents are not disappearing

For years, the tourism industry has been told that travellers are moving online and that traditional travel agents will eventually become irrelevant. Recent results from major agency groups in Australia and the United Kingdom tell a very different story.

Travellers are still choosing to book through people—particularly when itineraries are complicated, the holiday is expensive or there is uncertainty around flights, borders, disruptions or cancellation conditions.

For a long-haul destination such as New Zealand, that matters.

A traveller may be spending thousands of dollars and using several weeks of annual leave. They want reassurance that the route makes sense, the experiences are worth the money and someone can help if plans go wrong. A good travel advisor provides that confidence.

But agents are also operating under pressure. They have limited time, their own margins are being squeezed and there are thousands of products competing for space in every itinerary. They are naturally going to favour experiences they can understand quickly, explain confidently and book easily.

This is why being a wonderful experience is not quite enough. You must also be a sellable one.

The difference between commissionable and sellable

I often hear operators say, “We’re trade-ready - we offer 20% commission.”

That is a good start, but can the agent immediately find the retail price? Do they know whether your rate is gross or net? Is the commission protected if you sell direct? Are your cancellation terms clear? Can they check availability or receive a confirmation quickly?

More importantly, could they describe your experience to the right client without having to interpret a page of beautiful but fairly generic tourism language?

Trade partners shouldn’t have to work out the sales story for you.

They need to know what makes the experience different, who will love it, what is included and where it belongs in the wider journey. If that information is buried, confusing or missing, the agent is unlikely to email you for clarification. They will simply choose something easier.

The 30-second sellability test

Open your website, trade sheet or product listing and look at it as though you have never heard of your business before. Give yourself 30 seconds and see whether you can answer these five questions.

1. What exactly is the experience?

Not your business history, your philosophy or a collection of adjectives. What will the guest actually do?

“A privately guided four-wheel-drive journey across a coastal conservation sanctuary” is useful. “A breathtaking and unforgettable journey through one of New Zealand’s hidden gems” could describe almost anything.

Clear does not mean boring. In fact, clarity gives you more room to tell a compelling story because the reader is no longer trying to work out what they are buying.

2. Who is it best suited to?

Is it designed for families, active couples, luxury travellers, nervous first-timers, experienced adventurers, cruise visitors, incentive groups or people with limited mobility?

Trying to appeal to everybody usually makes a product less relevant to anybody.

Help the agent recognise the client who will love it. Phrases such as “ideal for families wanting a first rafting experience” or “best suited to couples looking for a private, owner-hosted afternoon” are far more helpful than simply describing an experience as suitable for all ages.

3. Where does it fit into the itinerary?

This is one of the biggest gaps I see in tourism sales material.

Operators naturally talk about their own experience, while agents are trying to build an entire holiday. They need to know whether the product works on the way from Rotorua to Tongariro, during a two-night stay in Taupō, as a wet-weather option, before an evening flight or as part of a pre- or post-conference programme.

Location alone is not enough. Explain the role your experience can play in the journey.

4. What will the client pay - and what does that include?

Price transparency is becoming increasingly important, both for consumers and the businesses selling to them.

An agent should not have to search for compulsory fees, transport costs, minimum charges or mandatory add-ons. Your retail price, trade rate or commission, inclusions, child policy, minimum numbers and cancellation terms should all be clear.

This doesn’t mean your product needs to be cheap. Travellers are still willing to pay well for something distinctive, personal and genuinely valuable - but they need to understand where that value sits.

“Private four-hour experience with guide, property transport, refreshments and conservation contribution included” is much stronger than calling something “premium” and expecting the price to explain itself.

5. How easy is it to book?

What happens when the agent decides your product is right for their client?

Can they book online, send a simple request or contact someone who will respond promptly? Will they receive a clear confirmation? Do they know when payment is due? Is availability reasonably up to date?

Every extra step introduces friction, and every unanswered question gives the agent an opportunity to select something else.

Small tourism businesses may not have sophisticated reservation teams or instant connectivity - and that is okay. But you do need a booking process that is clear, reliable and realistic for the way you operate.

Where good products become difficult to sell

Often, the problem is not the experience itself. It is everything surrounding it.

There may be too many similar product options, with no clear explanation of the difference between them. Important conditions might be hidden at the bottom of a website. Trade rates may arrive in a spreadsheet with product names that don’t match the website. Emails go unanswered for several days. Descriptions lean heavily on words such as stunning, unique, iconic and unforgettable, without giving the agent anything specific to repeat to a client.

Sometimes we are simply too close to our own businesses. We know that the family rafting option uses gentler water, that the sunset departure has a different atmosphere or that the owner personally guides the private tour. We assume everybody else understands those distinctions too.

They often don’t.

The solution is not always more information. Usually, it is better information - presented in the order the seller needs it.

Your story still matters

None of this means stripping the personality out of your product or reducing it to a list of booking conditions.

In fact, owner-operated tourism businesses have an enormous advantage right now. Travellers are increasingly looking for experiences that feel personal, uncrowded and connected to a place. They want to meet interesting people, gain access they would not find alone and return home with a story that feels like their own.

That is exactly what many smaller New Zealand operators do brilliantly.

But your trade partners need the language to sell that difference. Tell them who hosts the experience, what access the visitor receives, how small the group is, what they will learn and why they could not simply recreate it themselves.

Don’t rely on the agent to discover the magic. Make it obvious.

Try this with your own product

Send your website link or trade sheet to someone who does not know your business particularly well. Give them 30 seconds to look at it, then ask them to tell you:

• what the experience is;

• who they think it is for;

• what makes it different;

• how much it costs;

• where it might fit into a New Zealand itinerary; and

• how they would book it.

Anything they cannot answer is likely to be a question your trade partners have too.

Travel trade remains an enormously valuable channel for New Zealand tourism businesses, and the recent results from large agency networks show that professional travel advice is far from disappearing.

But offering commission is not the finish line. It is simply the entry ticket.

The operators who gain the most from trade will be those who combine a genuinely good experience with clear positioning, transparent pricing, straightforward processes and an obvious place in the traveller’s journey.

So, could somebody sell your product after looking at it for 30 seconds?

If not, you may not need a new product, a bigger marketing budget or another distribution partner. You may simply need to make the brilliant experience you already have much easier to understand - and much easier to sell.