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turning 'not right now' into bookings

turning 'not right now' into bookings

This week's strategy: how to read between the lines

Tyler Koenig
June 05, 2025

Bonjour Travel Whisperer,

One of the greatest opportunities is hearing one of your leads (or past customers) telling you one of the following:

“We’ve traveled a lot, but my partner isn’t motivated right now.”

“We’re just coming off a big trip, so maybe next year…”

“Let me check with [insert spouse, kids, accountant, dog].”

These aren’t rejections. They’re soft hesitations — and they’re full of clues.

This week’s playbook gives you a framework to work with those “not quite yet” clients and guide them gently back into motion.

What you'll learn from this week's strategy:

🧠 The psychology: why clients hesitate (even when they want to travel)
✍🏽 The approach: how to respond without pushing—and still plant a seed
🔁 The follow-up: when to re-engage and how to make it feel helpful, not salesy

Before we begin, a look at one of the dreamiest summer destinations we know of: Ireland (courtesy of @powerscourthotel)

Was this email forwarded to you?

CLIENT STRATEGY: READ BETWEEN THE LINES

Research tells us that 75% of travelers identify leisure as their travel purpose. But sometimes even leisure can be complicated.

Most hesitation isn’t about you. It’s not about price. It’s not even about the destination.

It’s about decision fatigue—because they’ve been making choices nonstop at work, at home, for other people.

It’s about relational dynamics—because one partner wants a luxury river cruise and the other wants to stay put and play golf.

And it’s about emotional permission—because sometimes the idea of planning another “perfect” trip just feels like one more thing to manage.

Leisure isn’t always light.

🚨 Quick Pause: If you’ve got 4 and a half minutes to spare, check out this clip on emotional branding for travel advisors from Alvin Adriano. It’s an important concept to understand for the situation we’re about to walk through.

Ok now let’s look at a real example.

Here’s a real message one of our advisors received (personal information redacted):

Here’s what’s often really going on behind a reply like this:

“My husband isn’t motivated right now… We made 3 trips last year… I’m trying to get him to commit.”

She’s saying:

“I want to travel, but I’m carrying the emotional logistics of someone else’s energy.”
“I don’t want to plan something that feels like a drag.”
“I don’t need help planning. I need help navigating inertia.”

As an advisor, that’s your real opportunity.

Shifting your role from trip planner to decision facilitator

High-level advisors don’t just recommend destinations. Any influencer on social media can do that. No, great advisors help clients see themselves in a future (or a feeling) they haven’t yet experienced or imagined.

Scroll back up to read that email screenshot again. What would your instinctual reply be?

Most advisors would reply with some form of “No worries, I understand - let me know when you’re ready.”

Sure, you could say that. And the client would think “Gee, how nice that they’re being so patient with me.”

But the truth is that a reply like this completely ignores the opportunity you’re being offered.

Instead of just confirming their fate, your response should:

Affirm their current state
Offer low-pressure inspiration
Give a soft next step that creates momentum

Here’s something you could say:

Hi NAME,

Thanks for the note. Sounds like you both had a full and wonderful year of travel. I totally understand the need to slow the pace a bit.

Since your husband loves golf and active days, I’d be happy to send over a few softer ideas when the time feels right—nothing major, just inspiration. Think: warm-weather destinations with beautiful courses, flexible pacing, and easy travel days.

Let me know if/when you'd like to see something light—or if you'd prefer to revisit it after the holidays. I’ll be here when it fits.

Why it works:

It acknowledges the friction without trying to “solve” it.
It quietly repositions you as the guide, not the asker.
It lowers the activation energy by offering a small, clear path forward.

🔁 The Follow Up (and how most advisors get it wrong)

We’ve said it before but speed is king when it comes to turning interest (and don’t get it twisted, this absolutely counts as interest) into bookings.

Most advisors wait too long, or they follow up like it’s a cold lead.

When my client sent me this email screenshot I frantically called them and told them that they needed to reply IMMEDIATELY. Like, yesterday.

You can feel how much emotion and urgency is in that email! It’s not just a status update. It’s a cry for help.

Think of this client like a simmering pot. Your job is to gently keep the heat on (and slightly turn it up at some point) without boiling it over.

Set a 3–4 week reminder with a personal reference:

“Just checking in post-Pinehurst.”
“Thought of you when I saw this article on warm-weather golf trips.”
“Had a client book a wellness-focused trip with their spouse who ‘wasn’t motivated’ — made me think of our chat.”

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