The View_September 2018_F_Web

“YOU ARE THE DRIVERS OF YOUR
BUSINESS, BE PASSIONATE ABOUT
IT AND BE PASSIONATE ABOUT
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.”
CLIENTS FOR LIFE
From humble beginnings as a fledging
travel start-up with two staff nearly
30 years ago, Phil Hoffmann Travel
has become one of South Australia’s
travel industry success stories, boasting
an annual turnover of over $135 million
and employing more than 200 South
Australians across 12 branches.
Phil’s presentation emphasised the
importance of developing client rapport
and exceeding client expectations by
providing personalised service in a
dynamic environment.
He says this is the recipe to earning
client loyalty and building a client for
life, and it forms the basis of the ‘PHIL’-
osophy behind the success of Phil
Hoffmann Travel.
“Build a client for life is our mantra. You
can do all the marketing in the world, but
the best business is the word-of-mouth
and repeat business,” said Phil.
As well as exceeding client expectations,
Phil attributes much of his success to
building stability with staff, which he says
is the greatest asset for any business.
This is achieved through continually
engaging with staff, encouraging them
to get involved within the business and
training them to enhance the experience
for clients.
“The hardest thing sometimes is
reminding the younger staff about what
builds a business and what builds a strong
brand, it is you and your staff all the time,”
Phil said.
Phil also emphasised the importance of
having a good business plan, a budget
and a bank manager. Likewise, he stressed
the value of continual improvement and
said this had resulted
in Phil Hoffmann Travel becoming
more than a travel agency, introducing
Italian cooking and language classes,
photography and social media classes,
as well as networking events.
Supporting their commitment to
generating repeat business and building
a client for life, Phil says marketing is a
big contributor to the success of Phil
Hoffmann Travel, with the company
spending $2 million annually on marketing.
“Something I learnt in the early days of
doing business is that you have to be out
there marketing it and talking to clients
about your company.”
The company uses a multi-channel
approach to ensure maximum reach
and coverage of markets, including
seminars, social media, print, post,
events and expos, digital and electronic
direct mail-outs.
“One of the most powerful media
channels we use is radio – I know that
might surprise some people, but if you
have not thought about using radio,
please do,” he said.
Phil says the business also works hard to
capture and maintain market share and
annual business growth. This includes
paying attention to disrupters within the
industry, rather than avoiding them, and
considering what needs to be done within
the business to remain competitive.
“You are the drivers of your business, be
passionate about it and be passionate
about South Australia.”
6 SATIC. SPRING 2018