Someone tells you your trip is overpriced. Most advisors do the fatal thing: they explain. Line by line, apologizing with every breath, teaching the client that the price is a conversation. Here's my entire script instead: "Thank you so much for that feedback. We know we're not for everyone. Our prices are set to deliver the quality of service and experience we want our clients to have. Any other questions?" Warm smile. Full stop.
“We know we're not for everyone. Our prices are set to deliver the quality of service and trip experience that we'd like our clients to have.”
Why it works
- It doesn't argue, so there's nothing to push against.
- "We're not for everyone" flips the frame: the question is no longer whether the price is right, but whether the client is.
- It signals abundance. Defending a price says you need this sale; declining to says you don't.
Claire's own numbers
The framework, step by step
- 1
It doesn't argue
so there's nothing to push against.
- 2
"We're not for everyone" flips the frame
the question is no longer whether the price is right, but whether the client is.
- 3
It signals abundance
Defending a price says you need this sale; declining to says you don't.
Claire's own framework from this essay, in the order she teaches it.
Source: Claire B. Soares, from her own travel business and live trainings.
No itemizing, ever
The itemization request gets the same treatment: our prices are package prices, if you need it itemized, you'll want a different company. Vendors don't itemize for me; I don't itemize for clients. And remember what they're actually buying: whole human beings flown to the destination to host them, paid an honest wage. That does not come cheap, and it shouldn't.
Better still, filter before the call ever happens. A short first-time-visitor video on your site can say it with love: here's the caliber of hotel we use, if you're shopping by price, this isn't your brand. If you're looking for this? Welcome home. The clients who stay after that sentence never ask about the price again.
Common Questions
How do you respond when a client says your price is too high?
Thank them, state that you know you are not for everyone and that your prices are set to deliver the experience your clients expect, then ask if they have other questions. Do not defend, do not itemize.
Should travel advisors itemize their pricing?
Claire does not. Prices are package prices, and clients who need an itemized breakdown are usually shopping a different kind of business.
How do you filter price shoppers before a sales call?
With honest positioning on the site: name the caliber of property you use and say plainly that if someone is shopping by price, this is not the right brand for them.
Written By
Claire B. Soares
Claire B. Soares is the founder of Travel AI University, a 6x Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist, and a Certified AI Consultant with a B.S. in Computer Science. A top 10% enterprise sales executive, she sold $3.4B+ in enterprise software to Google, Microsoft, IBM, Boeing, the federal government, and the DoD, then built $16M+ in luxury travel sales.
About Claire
